Week 1

The Bogs of Shanaheever (march/air)

This tune is a march (that can also be played as a polka!) based on a song of the same name. Shanaheever is a townland near Clifden in County Galway, within the Connemara Gaeltacht region. It's a song about poaching, loss of a beloved dog, and immigration. You can read about it here, with information taken from sean-nós singer Joe Heaney (1919-1984) : Joe Heaney - The Bogs of Shanaheever .

The song version can be heard below, as sung by Connemara sean-nós (old style) singer Seán 'ac Dhonncha (1919-1996).

I learned this tune from Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist and flutemaker Aaron Olwell. I believe he learned it from accordion player Colm Gannon of Boston (now living in Ennis, Co. Clare).

Slow Version Fast, with ornamentation

The Man in the Bog (An Fear Ar An Chaoráin) - Jig

I didn't meant to go with a bog theme this week, but here we are! I don't know where I learned this tune, but I've always liked the quirky E minor measure in the B part. It was written by fiddler/flute player/whistle player Brendan Tonra (1936-2014) of Gowlan, County Mayo. He was a prolific composer of Irish tunes, his most famous of which is Tonra's Jig (incorrectly called Tone Rows, Tony Rowe's and a bunch of other names). He lived most of his life in Boston, and in addition to being a musician, he also wrote a children's book/album combo called Three Ducks and a Goose. You can hear him and pianist Helen Kisiel playing his composition below my recordings.
Slow Medium, ornamented Full Speed, ornamented