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Pay The Reckoning
Original Tunes
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Aidan Crossey's Irish Mandolin Vol
One
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The
Glass Slipper/An Maindilin - superb recordings of Irish and Scottish music
played on the mandolin
Click here to buy recordings by Aidan
Crossey |
One of our founder members, Aidan Crossey, regularly posts mandolin tablature
versions of traditional tunes to the mandolincafe website (see Links).
However he's also knocked out a few original compositions which Pay The Reckoning
is pleased to host on our site. The tunes are included in the form
of tablature for "four-course" instruments (banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, etc.),
in musical notation and as midi files, so you can listen.
If you are an abc user click here for a file
of all of Aidan's compositions in abc format.
Give the tunes a bash. Don't forget to let us know what you think!!
(e-mail
aidan@paythereckoning.com)
You may either click on the appropriate link in the index which follows,
or scroll down the page. If the tune has an asterisk beside it, this
means it can be found in the abc format collection above, but I may not yet
have prepared other versions (or links to other versions). It will
appear here in tablature, notation and midi format in due course! I
promise!!!
(STOP PRESS ... we have also posted Volume One of Aidan Crossey's Irish Mandolin
Tunebook. The book comprises one hundred tunes in mandolin tablature
format, traditional tunes as well as a selection of tunes from those in this
section of Pay The Reckoning. Have a look!
Go To Aidan Crossey's Irish Mandolin Volume
One)
(STOP PRESS NUMBER TWO ... Aidan's recently taken the plunge and started
to post some of his home recordings to mp3.com. So, if you'd like to
hear how the man himself puts across his tunes, go to
www.mp3.com/Aidan_Crossey.
Don't forget to let us know what you think!)
|
The Road Home This tune combines Irish
and American flavours (I think). Hence the name The Road Home combines
the old Irish tradition of naming tunes after the road to somewhere (The
Road to Lurgan, The Tar Road to Sligo, The Road to Lisdoonvarna, etc.) with
a nod to Bill Monroe's "Long Journey Home".
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Boys of Derrymacash Derrymacash is where
I was born. A hole in the hedge to some, but when I was growing up
it was practically a universe. There hasn't been a "Boys of .." tune
written about any of the places near where I grew up. Time to even
the score.
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Guballanaun On Achill Island, near
Purteen Harbour, is a headland called Guballanaun Beg. I've spent many
happy hours fishing there, with the Minaun cliffs to my left, Slievemore
glowering behind me, Croaghaun to my left and Inishgalloon a half-mile or
so in front of me.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Singing Cement Mixer When I was going
to school, a certain lad, whom none of us liked particularly, used to bully
me. Because of his bulk and the fact that he was forever warbling for
the priests, he earned the nickname The Singing Cement Mixer. This
one's for him! Scores always get settled ...
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Beef to the Heel It is said in Ireland of
a woman (usually) or man (more rarely) who is well padded that they are "beef
to the heel - like a Mullingar heifer". I'm well padded myself.
Keeps out the cold.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Arty McShane A local character in Derrymacash,
now dead (RIP). Irish Catholic kids used to learn the "catechism" by
rote. The first question was "Who made the world?". A relative
asked my Aunt Angela the key question and she gave the required answer, "God
made the world". The relative decided to be mischievous and asked the
(non-catechism) question "Who made God?". Angela didn't miss a beat.
"Arty McShane, at Ballinary Turn."
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Wee Lough A small and practically inaccessible
lake, Lough Gullion - halfway between Derryadd and Derrytrasna, bounded to
the east and the west by The High Moss and The Reckie - is reputed - amongst
other "fortean" phenomena - to harbour "the hairy eel" (see the slip jig
below). No-one refers to it as Lough Gullion - it's known as the Wee
Lough.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Arthur John Donnelly My maternal grandfather
was a paradoxical character. Fond of the drink, impeccably turned-out
at all times, crooked as a hook, devoted to his grandchildren and great
grandchildren. I have a few of his dancing medals in a box by the bed.
Along with my dead Uncle Aidan's cycling medals, these are some of
the very few keepsakes I have accumulated in my life.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Raughlan A wooded headland on Lough Neagh.
A rare heavy fall of snow in late December 2000 gave Raughlan an almost
Bavarian feel and this tune was written shortly after a walk through its
frozen and silent woods.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Kitty Smith's Corner Halfway between Derrymacash
and Aughacommon, Kitty Smith's Corner for some marked the point at which
civilisation began to give way to the dark heart of the Montiaghs.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Benedict's Rambles At only 16 months
(January 2001), Benedict Crossey hasn't rambled far yet. But here's
hoping that over the course of a long and happy life he rambles for miles
and learns a lot on his way!
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Derryadd Bay A bay on Lough Neagh, near
to where I was born.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Rich View A house in Achill Island where
I spent a couple of very pleasant holidays a few years back. Shay and
Nessa were great crack. Memories of those long dinners on sunny summer
evenings will stay with me for a long time.
Later ... it's been pointed out to me that the A part of this tune is very
similar to the A part of "The Girls Of Banbridge". What can I say?
They are indeed almost identical. The B parts differ. It's
one of the dilemmas of writing tunes in traditional idioms. It is possible,
of course, to create tunes which sound totally unique. However sooner
or later there may come a point where the keen listener points out a
greater-than-passing similiarity to another tune. Do I therefore disown
this tune? I'm inclined not to ... but I'll be the first to admit the
similarity to that fine old jig "The Girls From Banbridge".
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Go On, Donkey! A saying in our house when I
was growing up was "Go on, donkey, it's only the ignorant Bay ones and they
know no better." It's provenance is lost in the mists of time.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Eating The Altar Rails A disparaging putdown
used in Northern Ireland for someone who is a bit over-officious in their
religious observances. In other parts of the world they would be referred
to as a God-botherer.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Red Flanagan's Last Throw The name of a cowboy novel
by William Tracy, a creation of Flann O'Brien in his brilliant experimental
novel At Swim Two Birds.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Bat Fowling - A cruel sport, but popular until quite
recently all over Northern Ireland. At night people would hunt roosting
birds. A flashlight shone in their eyes rendered them "frozen". It
was then a simple matter to rob the nest or take the bird. The Troubles
put paid to the "sport" ... it didn't do to be creeping around fields late
at night with a flashlight!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Boxing Day in Kane's - A pub local to where I
grew up. It has been the case for a few years now that a session is
held every Boxing Day. This is an odd tune ... your eyes don't deceive
you. Stick with the silences. Then hear how it cranks up in the
last eight bars of the B part.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Bordermen - When we were young, my dad
played in a folk band called The Bordermen. This one's for him. A
pity he can't be with us to play guitar while I whack out the notes on the
banjo!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Two-Day Hangover - We've all been there!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Ballinary Turn - At the foot of the
Kesh Hill, the next major junction after
Kitty Smith's Corner (see above). Where
Arty McShane made God (see above).
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Hairy Eel - The older generation of fishermen
in Lough Neagh and The Wee Lough speak in hushed tones about catching "the
hairy eel".
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Thirty-Bottle Hughie - I was told the story
when down the pub one night of a Lurgan man who, on a Friday afternoon,
found himself as usual in one of Lurgan's watering holes and settled down
"for the long haul". On the afternoon in question a fight broke out
in the pub and some weeks later, Hughie found himself in the witness box
being asked to recount his version of events. Hughie gave a long, detailed
and honest account of the battle, which showed the defendant in a very poor
light. After Hughie gave his testimony, the defendant's solicitor advised
the magistrate that Hughie's evidence should be taken with a pinch of salt
because he gathered that Hughie was drunk at the time the fight took place.
The magistrate took a dim view of this and peered over his glasses.
"Is this correct?" Hughie was hurt by the solicitor's remarks.
"Well ... I had drink taken, but I was far from what you might call
drunk!" "So, how much drink would you have taken at the time?"
Hughie pondered, did some mental arithmetic. "About thirty bottles."
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Wolfs Island Polka - I was born and raised
- as they say - in Wolfs Island Terrace. & The name has rather a desperate
ring to it. In reality it's about as conventional as you can get.
(Until, of course, you scratch the surface.)
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Stolen Moment - Most of the tunes I have
written have been scribbled down in odd moments here and there - usually
when I should have been doing something else! This one was no exception.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Head On You There! - When we were a bit younger,
my friend Sid Blaney and I were attempting to get a punk rock band together.
We used to "rehearse" (I use the word very loosely) alongside another
local band, whose guitarist's favourite phrase was "Head On You There!" I
don't know why he popped into my head when I was scratching around in my
head for a title for this reel!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Tea In A Bottle Out In The Moss - My grandad and
my mum used to tell me how tea never tasted so good as when it was drunk
from a bottle when they were out in the moss, digging turf. I'm not very
fond of tea, but I'll take their word for it!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Up With The Lark - I've always been a morning person.
So it's not unusual to find me strumming a few tunes on the mandolin
when most sensible people are still in their beds. Hence this tune
was written at 6.30 one fine Spring morning.
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The March Sky- I was listening to some Irish
people who'd gone to live in sunny climes talk about things they missed about
being in Ireland. One man simply missed the sky in March. I know
what he meant. This one's for him, whoever he is, wherever he is.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The New Arrival (For Joanna and Bob) - Two
good friends had a little boy this afternoon. This tune's for all of
you - Hester and the little one as well. Hope he has a good heart like
his parents and sister!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Two Arms The Same Length - An expression used
throughout Northern Ireland to refer to the fact that you have bought nothing,
or have nothing to give to a person you are visiting. As in "I can't
go to Johnny's wedding with my two arms the same length!"
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Away to Hell! - Swearing for amateurs!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Head of the Plain - An area in Lurgan.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Humours of Lewisham - Lewisham in South
East London is where I find myself living at present. There are plans to
move, but for the time being it suits.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Devil's Elbow - A very bad bend in the
road in the townland of Derrycrow. This is an intricate tune - I'm
not sure how "feasible" it is. Sounds interesting though!
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Gwynn's Fancy - A jig named after my wife.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Mill Quay - A fishing spot on the River
Bann. This is a big hornpipe which took me an eternity to get to the
shape it's in today!
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Galway Express - A trip on the Galway
Express from Lurgan to Galway was often as interesting an experience as arriving
in Galway itself.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Cliff Path - On trips to visit friends in
North Yorkshire we often end up walking along the clifftops. Large
freight vessels sail along these coasts and are often visible, just on the
horizon. On a fine Spring evening, with an offshore breeze, to
spend a few minutes relaxing on the clifftops is a pleasure that's hard to
beat.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Bishop In Flight - My wife owns a drawing,
the central character in which is a bishop, racing through a nondescript
landscape and closely tagged by a lesser cleric. It's a humorous piece -
but there's sufficient ambiguity to lend it a smidgeon of foreboding.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Cleggan Pier - The boat to Inishbofin, a small
island off the Galway coast, leaves from Cleggan. If you're in the area and
have a few days to spare, 'Bofin is well worth taking the time to visit.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Sid Blaney's - Sid was a constant companion
to me since we first met at the age of 16 or 17. One of the people
I feel most comfortable making music with. (Though he and I have never
played Irish trad music together and probably never will!)
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Accidental Jig - I didn't intend
to write a tune when I picked up the mandolin ...
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Siobhan Sinclair's March - My niece, Siobhan,
has a big event coming up soon. I'd like to come over to Ireland to
see her, but circumstances don't allow. So, Siobhan, this one's for
you. Good luck. (A waltz rather than a march, but there you go
... I've named it now!)
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Slievemore Polka - Slievemore dominates
Achill Island. A magnificent weathered cone.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Harald's Jig - Harald Jungst of the German band,
Sheevon, was a frequent visitor to our house when I lived in Ireland. I
was reminiscing about him shortly before this tune popped into my head.
(The tune has a deliberate echo of the Washerwoman in the closing
phrases.)
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Dollaghan - The dollaghan is a species
of trout unique to Lough Neagh and the River Bann.
Click here to
link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
McGurran's Shore - This hornpipe, like so many
of the tunes I compose, is named after a spot in the Montiaghs - a string
of townlands in the Lurgan area of County Armagh.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Grandpa Kennedy's Hornpipe - A hornpipe named
after a friend, Shay Kennedy - possessed of one of the finest singing voices
I've ever heard and a bloody good whistle player and piper to boot! I
heard recently that Shay's become a grandfather ... many congratulations,
Shay!
Click here to link
to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click here
to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The First Day Of Summer - The weather in England's
been crap all winter and through the Spring. Then suddenly, mid-May,
a day of fine sunshine. I wrote this polka in my back garden - it has
a bit of the feel of a nice day about it, I think.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
The Trip To Hammersmith - I recently went
to Hammersmith to see Paddy Keenan play. The next day I wrote this
jig.
Click here
to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Gerry Crossey's Hornpipe - There'll never be his
like again. In memory of my da.
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to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo tablature. Click
here to view the tune in musical notation. Click
here to listen to the tune (MIDI file).
Tom Lennon's - A slip jig written in memory of my
maternal grandmother's brother. Tom was a bit of a one for the lore
- a garrulous man, a sitter beside fires, a regaler. He had a shock
of white hair, streaked with yellow where his pipe - perpetually clenched
between his teeth had, over the years, left its stain. A lover of pipes and
Lambegs, and a bemoaner of the fact that "the Hibs" no longer played the
latter.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Royal Oak - The name of a pub in Vauxhall,
South London. The scene of many a misdemeanour in my youth. Its
halcyon days are, sadly, over.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
Distillery Hill - A hill in Lurgan, on the
way out of town towards Kilwilkie and Lurgantarry. I've always thought
that the name had a certain resonance.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Poorly Hand - On a trip to see some friends
in North Yorkshire, my wife had a bit of an accident which left her with
a burnt hand. I wrote this slide at around the time and - good thing
or not! - the title commemorates the event.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Wind In The Rye - I was on a small hill,
overlooking the sea. In the foreground a field of recently-planted
rye was rippling in the stiff breeze. A snatch of "The Irish Marche"
by Byrd, as played by Liam Og O'Flynn, kept repeating in my mind's ear.
When I arrived home I started twiddling on the mandolin...
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Cock Pheasant - In two of the fields near to
where I was stopping for a week's holiday, cock pheasants were staking their
claims to their respective territories. Their crowing could be heard
for miles around.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Old Pitch - When I was growing up in Derrymacash,
the local Gaelic football team, the Wolfe Tones, used to play on a pitch
(now "developed" as an estate of cheek-to-jowl commuter cells) which was
set on such a hill that the goalie in the northernmost goal could not see
the action in the opposite goalmouth and had to rely on the reaction of fans
in order to keep abreast of the flow of play. The Tones moved some
while ago to the new Rapparee Park ... technically a better playing field,
but lacking the charm of its predecessor.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
Derryveen Rampart - One of the many ramparts
running perpendicular to the main Derrytrasna Road. These ramparts
are the legacy of years of turf cutting - high banks of turf that were allowed
to remain uncut in order to provide access to the bogs either side. When
eventually tar roads were laid, they were built on top of the ramparts which
had served for years as key routes through the Montiaghs. My mum's
Aunt Mary Breen and her brood used to live here. The three Breen lads
were older than I was and their house was a magnet to a young boy. They
were into cars and motorbikes, airguns, eel traps, "big healthy women" and
lots of other paraphernalia that was dirty, dangerous, noisy or verging on
the illegal.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Bannfoot Ferry Many years ago, a
manually operated ferry plied its trade between the Bannfoot and Maghery.
I have vague memories of the Lurgan Mail's front page feature announcing
its demise.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
Jump The Drain I grew up in a swampy environment.
There was plenty of opportunities for the athletic to flaunt their
prowess by leaping some of the wide drains with which the countryside was
well-endowed. I wasn't in the slightest athletic! I learnt to
take the long way round and savour the walk.
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Skinful I've had my share of skinfuls
in my time. Invariably these days, now that I'm nearing 40, they give
rise to a two-day hangover (see above).
Click here to link to this tune in mandolin/banjo
tablature. Click here to view the tune in
musical notation. Click here to listen to
the tune (MIDI file).
The Last Bus To Glen On a trip round Donegal
one particularly wintry February some years back I found myself holed up
for a day or two in Killybegs. I can't remember the details, but one
evening I was talked into catching the last bus to Glencolumbkille. There
were quite a few people on the bus, and every last one was roarin' drunk
- including the driver! (Maybe I'm eexaggerating ... but that's how
I remember it.) As it was I got put up by someone after a late-night
session in the pub. I woke up early next morning on a strange sofa
and hitched my way back to Killybegs.
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The Leaky Currach We were fishing in Dugort
Bay on Achill Island. My da had borrowed a currach. The
owner had warned him that it was "letting in" and to be careful. The
rate of leaking increased as the day wore on, to the extent that as we were
heading back to Dugort Pier, I could only just about bale fast enough to
keep pace with the influx. I've rarely been so pleased to touch terra
firma.
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The Dabchick Another name for the Little
Grebe, dabchicks were a common sight on Lough Neagh when I was growing up.
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The Man From Freecrow Regular visitors
to Pay The Reckoning can't help but have noticed the contribution made by
Oliver Burns. Oliver lives in Freecrow, that area of Lurgan to the
back of St Peter's church. This tune's for him by way of thanks for
his generosity. Go raibh mile ...
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Bawdsey Mary and Martin have recently moved
to coastal Suffolk - a lovely part of the world. We went to visit and had
too much to drink. By the time we decided to play some music my fingers
were all over the place! Sorry! Here's a tune for you to make
up for it (and for the fact that I was knackered on the drive home). Next
time sense will prevail!
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The Tornado Written after experiencing a
mini-tornado on the beach of Perranporth in Cornwall. Not an experience
I wish to relive very often!
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The Heel Of The Hunt No story behind the name!
Just wanted to use the title!
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The Embers Of The Day I was scratching in my
notebook a poem/song about stirring the embers of the day, but was getting
nowhere slowly. I picked up my mandolin and started diddling this jig!
The poem was forgotten.
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Jimmy Creaney's Those familiar with the Rants
and Raves section of Pay The Reckoning will know the name of Lurgan's folk
philosophiser and chronicler of the commonplace. This wee jig's dedicated
to him.
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Margorie McCall's Margorie McCall is famous
in Lurgan as the woman who lived once but was buried twice. Keep a
weather eye on the Rants and Raves page ... the unfortunate woman's story
is due to be told in full there. For the moment, here's a reel in her
honour!
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Shancoduff One of Patrick Kavanagh's finest
poems is "Shancoduff". This is by way of a tribute to that poem,
but also to Kavanagh himself.
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Thirty Bob At one stage - when I was very young
- it seemed that everything in our house ccost thirty bob. I'm sure it wasn't
the case ... or was it?
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The Squall A sudden patch of bad weather at sea
can have disastrous consequences. I was reminded of this as I sheltered
under a rock by a beach in North Yorkshire and counted myself lucky not to
be out on the sea!
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Michaelmas Night This wee hornpipe wasn't
written on Michaelmas Night. I wouldn't even pretend to know when
Michaelmas Night was or is supposed to fall. (Other than it must be
in the autumn because that's when Michaelmas Daisies flower!) Instead
the verse from "Darby O'Leary" about his bad luck with the farmer he'd hired
on with came into my mind. "I well recollect it was Michaelmas Night/To
a hearty good supper he did me invite/A cup of sour milk that was more green
than white/And it gave me the trotting disorder/The wet oul' potatoes would
poison the cats/And the barn where me bed was swarming with rats/The fleas
would have frightened the fearless St Pat/Who banished the snakes o'er the
border"
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The New Leaf It was one of those days where
I woke up with a head that was less clear than it might have been. Right,
says I, I'm turning over a new leaf! Did I buggery, though!
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The Battle-Frenzy When the warriors in old Irish
mythology came to do battle, they were overcome with a battle-frenzy.
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Cuchullain's Courtship Of Emer The Cuchullain
myth is one in which mayhem and destruction combine with moments of great
tenderness. His courtship of Emer is one of the latter.
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Home On A High Tide I'm particularly pleased with
this hornpipe. The title hints at the sense of relief and joy felt
by the fisherman sailing back to see his friends and family after a long
time at sea. Hopefully some of that feeling is captured in the tune!
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The Montiaghs Mazurka I haven't written a
tune in this tempo before ... I think it works (even if, as someone pointed
out to me, it's got a touch of the Hey Jude about it!). Dedicated to
all hands who live in the Montiaghs ... may your wee wheels never need oiling!
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Mick Doran's Big Mick Doran was a good friend of
my da's. A "coorse" kind of a man, many might have dubbed him. But
I knew him only as a generous soul who'd give you his last penny, and glad
of the privilege! Mick drowned tragically one Sunday afternoon in a
boating accident on Lough Neagh, along with my cousin Seamie. May they
be at peace now, the pair of them. "Ni bheidh ar leitheidi aris ann!"
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The High Moss An area between Derryadd and Derrytrasna,
situated on a hill overlooking The Wee Lough.
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Charlie Murray One of my very earliest memories
was of the local coalman, Charlie Murray, delivering coal all round Derrymacash
from a flat wagon hitched to a huge horse. It feels like a memory from
a far more distant age ...
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The New Owner A slide written on the day I
sold my bouzouki to Derek Duffy. May it serve you well!
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The Giving Hand One of the favourite sayings
of that master of the bon (and not so bon) mot, Brendan Behan, was "May the
giving hand never falter."
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Nettle Champ Gather a big heap of young nettle
tips. Boil them up in milk for twenty minutes or so. At the same
time boil a big pot of floury spuds. When the spuds are cooked, drain
them and mash them to very smooth consistency. Add the boiled nettles
along with the milk they were boiled in (which will have gained a brownish
tinge). You may wish to add the milk a bit at a time. Aim for a creamy,
but not sloppy, consistency. Serve with a huge wedge of butter. This
was a delicacy in the Crossey household when we were growing up!
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The Crabbit Childer I'd written this wee jig
but hadn't given it a name. From upstairs came the sounds of the children
squabbling. Voila!
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De Selby's Reel De Selby is a character who appears
in much of Flann O'Brien's writing.
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Last Orders That point of an evening's drinking
when the reality of the next day intrudes on the pleasantness of the present.
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Hunker Slide In Northern Ireland to "hunker slide"
is to slide along as you squat on your haunches. A base form of locomotion,
hence the term "hunker slider" is mildly derogatory.
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Fa-laa Fa-laa One of my ma's expressions, it is
broadly equivalent to "etc. etc." or "blah blah". For example "He came
out with a load of fa-laa fa-laa that never took me in for a minute!"
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A Jig For Tommy Gunn Tommy Gunn passed away in
October 2001. I never knew the man. I was acquainted with his
son, Brendan, who was a lecturer when I was studying at "the Poly" (now "The
University Of Ulster") at Jordanstown. Tommy was a founder member of
that outstanding band, The Boys Of The Lough but left their ranks after they
made their first album. Whilst the other members of The Boys Of The
Lough have gone on to become household names in the trad world, Tommy's departure
from the band effectively relegated him to the sidelines as far as "stardom"
was concerned. As I say, I never knew the man. But for some reason
I was really moved to hear of his death. This wee tune's for him.
May he rest in peace!
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Slemish Looking across Lough Neagh from Derryadd,
in the far distance a small, rounded hill can be viewed. This is Slemish,
legendary resting-place of Saint Patrick during his perambulations through
Ireland.
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The Centenary Jig So-called because it was
the 100th in my little pen-and-ink list of tunes I've composed (not necessarily
the 100th in this list!)
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The Kesh Hill An old song, set in the Montiaghs,
goes as follows:
Come all ye fine young sporting blades that love to hunt and kill
The fields around with hares abound, with duck the skies are filled
The view me boys, will give you joy
As you're rounding The Kesh Hill
No ... I'm only teasing ... the oul' song, as you all know, goes
Come all you jolly ploughmen that love to toil and till
You'll think you've found the Holy Ground, with joy your heart will fill
For never was there better land for harrow or for drill
Than the land so green that you have seen from the crest of the Kesh Hill
No ... I'm having you on again ... it's just a place near to where I grew
up whose name has a resonance for me ... that's all!
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The Notionate Reel Back where I was born, someone
with fixed ideas - a bit stubborn, wilful, headstrong - might be described
as "notionate". Conversely, someone who fancied somebody, might also
be "notionate" (or "have a notion of" or "be in notion of" the
other person).
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Anita's Reel This reel is dedicated to my wife,
Anita Gwynn. Anita's not much of a fan of Irish music ... but she's
got a jig (Gwynn's Fancy) and now this (even if
I do say so myself) sparkly wee reel named after her. And me that can't
get enough of Irish music and what do I get named after me?
Bugger all! Is there any justice in this world?
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William James McAlinden William James McAlinden
was a musician who spent his life in the Montiaghs. Sadly, he died
towards the end of December last year. His funeral attracted a huge
turnout and no man better deserved such a tribute. I hope we would
have approved of this tune. Rest in peace.
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The Goat's Toe A slang expression back where
I grew up.
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Helen's Apology I once upset someone a long
time back. I spent days hunting her down to apologise. Years
later, I bought a 20-button concertina and, twiddling around with the buttons
in an endeavour to discover how to play this ingenious (for which read improbable
and extremely difficult!) system, this tune emerged.
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Sunday in Omeath When my granda Crossey was alive,
he'd occasionally slip me a fiver and take me off for a Sunday's boozing
and singing in a pub he frequented just across the border in Omeath, County
Louth. This wee polka's for him!
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The Hovering Dewdrop When I lived back in
Derrymacash, the local parish priest, who walked the roads in all weathers,
often sported a fine dewdrop in cold weather. Evident to everyone else,
he seemed not to notice its presence. We used to place bets on when it would
swell to a sufficient size to "disconnect".
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The Pike In The Boghole I remember checking
eel-lines one summer's evening when not much more than a cub. On one
of the lines in a very small boghole, was a miniature pike. It couldn't
have been more than a quarter of a pound. What a constrained life it
must have led!
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The Top Of The Tree A friend of mine (and a
flatterer if ever there was one) complimented a tune I had written. "It's
the top of the tree", he said. Whether or not it was or wasn't is not
for me to say. But I held on to his verdict as the name for this reel!
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Eoin's Welcome Very good friends of mine, Sean
and Lucille, recently had the good fortune to have a little boy, Eoin Louis.
This reel's my little tribute to him. I hope he's every bit as
much of a joy to them as his big sister, Emer, is!
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The Mad Road Named after a sequence on "Father
Ted".
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The Sconce Wildfowlers on Lough Neagh often construct
hides out on the lough from which to ambush the evening flight. On
a sharp afternoon, two hours in a sconce is a hard oul' station. This
wee slide would liven the time!
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Albert's Orange Eel Oliver Burns of Freecrow,
a good friend to Pay The Reckoning, recently loaned us a recording of Albert
Parkes and Jem McAlinden, two characters from the Bay Shore area of the
Montiaghs, in conversation with Bobby Hanvey, the Northern Ireland radio
interviewer. During the recording, Albert talks of having once caught
an orange eel.
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I Wrestled The Devil In Myles' Gap An uncle
of mine swore that he was once forced to engage in physical combat with Oul'
Nick in the gap between Myles O'Hara's house and Wolfs Island Terrace on
his way back from Kanes' pub. I think he might have had a few too many
Black Bushes!
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