78rpm Disc of the Week: The McNulty Family: Stack of Barley/"Mom" McNulty’s Favourite

https://soundcloud.com/ward-irish-music-archives/the-mcnulty-family-stack-of-barleymom-mcnultys-favourite-hornpipes

78rpm Disc 188: The McNulty Family: Stack of Barley/"Mom" McNulty’s Favourite

This week’s disc is another recording from the McNulty Family, this time again featuring Ann McNulty’s melodeon work on a set of hornpipes. Alan Morrisroe notes that this disc (Decca W.5217)and the recording of "Eileen" from Decca W.5216 were issued only in Ireland (although recorded in New York).

From the Ted McGraw Collection, McGraw 78 00-846.

Man, that is a sound from another era! Or maybe I’m just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I love the big sound Ann McNulty is getting on that melodeon and the rhythmic spatter of dancing shoes is delightful. Now, I like glossy, highly produced studio music as much as the next person but that is just honest, from the heart pure dance music. Thank you.

Indeed! And the rhythmic piano is righteous bona as well!

I know the second tune as Follow Me Down to Carlow: https://thesession.org/tunes/3093

The McNulty’s are playing it down a step, in Ddor.

Stack of Barley is being played in C rather than the usual G, so I guess she was playing a C one-row box - that would explain the change to D dor.

Yep, it makes sense that the keys are due to the box key.

I don’t see what year this was recorded. Or am I missing it?

Forgot the date on this one, sorry - it was recorded in 1947!