The Rushy Mountain: Classic Music From Sliabh Luachra 1952-77

http://www.rounder.com/index.php?id=album.php&catalog_id=5743

A compilation of tracks from the 6 volumes of LPs produced by Topic in 1977 - “Music from Sliabh Luachra”:

1.) Kerry Fiddles: Fiddle Music from Sliabh Luachra Vol. 1
Padraig O’Keefe, Denis Murphy, Julia Murphy/Clifford
Topic 12T 309 / TSCD309 - released also by Ossian: OSSCD10
https://thesession.org/recordings/519

2.) Music fro Sliabh Luachra Vol. 2: Star of Munster Trio
12TS310 - Ossian: OSS 45

3.) Music from Sliabh Luachra Vol. 3: The Humours of Lisheen - John and Julia Clifford/Murphy
Topic 12TS311 - Ossian: OSS 14

4.) Music from Sliabh Luachra Vol.4: Irish Traditional Flute Solos and Band Music from Kery and Tipperary - Billy Clifford, et al.
12TS312 - Ossian: OSS 11

5.) Music from Sliabh Luachra Vol. 5: Johnny O’Leary - Music for the Set
https://thesession.org/recordings/663
Topic 12TS357 - Released on CD by Ossian: OSSCD 25 / OSS 25

6.)Music from Sliabh Luachra Vol. 6: Jackie Daly - Traditional Accordion and Concertina Music from Sliabh Luachra
Topic 12TS358 - Released on CD by Ossian: OSSCD 30 - & by Green Linnet: GLCD3065
https://thesession.org/recordings/212

This is for Kenny - with some others to follow. Unfortunately I don’t have my LPs at hand but will try to complete the set of listings for these on this site, along with any other Sliabh Luachra related recordings that aren’t here and which I might have…

Well done, “ceolachan”. I have Vol.4 with Billy Clifford, and will post that. I can also post the track listings from the other missing 2 as I have a booklet which came out as a companion to the “Sliabh Luachra” recordings which gives very good information on all the tunes in the set of LPs, and also photos and information on the players. I think “Topic” did a great service to Irish music with recordings like these.

I have all the recordings and a number of other Sliabh Luachra recordings, and the book and a number or articles, but they aren’t doing me any good right now, though they are well preserved. We are hoping someday for a house where we can put it all. If we ever, on those rare occassions we buy a lottery ticket, win big money, our hope would be to establish ‘centres’ for the music, to supplement teachers of the tradition and to have resource libraries, practice rooms and a session/dance space. Hey I can dream. And it isn’t just about ‘Irish’. I’d love to have the dosh to sponsor something like that in Afghanistan, where for so long their music, all music, as outlawed. I’d, of course, want to lend support to instrument makers and maybe some kind of lending scheme and scholarship fund.

Maybe something will get me there, but first we need a house of our own to gather everything together. The scary thing is, we keep saving and the prices here in Britain just keep getting rediculous. We won’t buy into the lie some folks have done that we know, of saying they make more than they actually do, and getting deeply into debt. The banks are guilty, but they can never lose, we lose. Damn, I’m on that rant again. You think you’re getting a great deal for your house, but once you are outside the door you haven’t enough from the sale to turn around and buy it back. It is a vicious cycle and a lie we too easily fall into believing, that we’ve made the profit. Mind you, someone has - the banks and lenders.

So, for now, our possessions have ended up in several locations, but not mouldering away, at the disposal of those that will appreciate them, on the one hand the trad music, though I’ve just asked for more of my field recordings to be forwarded to me, and on the other side a library that has a large stock of books about literature, poetry and thought, not to mention the ‘nature’ library and the cookbooks….

Someday - we miss our Victrola too, and furniture we’d made and just stuff, like my multi-coloured trousers from the 60s, and my several kaftans… My brother-in-law stole my red boots and heaven knows where my several pair of opanke have gone…
’😉

I do have one complaint about this reissue. Dan O‘Connel’s daughter was accompanying Johnny O’Leary on some tracks, whistle, and this reissue has for whatever reason ended up swinging the balance so that you can barely hear her in the background. That is sad, and I know that Johnny O‘Leary wouldn’t have wanted it that way. I can see how a ’devotee’ might get carried away and want the focus more on the known star, but Johnny played a lot with others, and those others were often, as in this case, local folk from Sliabh Luachra, friends…as important to Johnny, if not more, as the music…

-1. The Kerry Fiddle Trio = Padraig O’Keefe with Denis & Julia Murphy (Clifford)
-2. Padraig O’Keefe
-3. Jackie Daly
-4. The Star of Munster Trio
-5. The Billy Clifford Trio
-6. John & Julia Clifford
-7. Johnny O’Leary
-8. The Kerry Fiddle Trio
-9. Denis Murphy
10. Jackie Daly
11. The Star of Munster Trio = John, Julia & Billy Clifford
12. Billy Clifford
13. Johnny O’Leary
14. Julia Clifford
15. Denis Murphy & Julia (Murphy) Clifford
16. Jackie Daly
17. John & Julia Clifford
18. Billy Clifford
19. Johnny O’Leary
20. John & Julia Clifford
21. Jackie Daly
22. The Billy Clifford Trio
23. Julia Clifford
24. Johnny O’Leary
25. The Kerry Fiddle Trio
26. Denis & Julia Clifford
27. The Billy Clifford Trio
28. Jackie Daly
29. John & Julia Clifford with Maurice O’Keefe

Also well worth considering -
“Ceol As Sliabh Luachra”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1291

1.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 1: Kerry Fiddles”
https://thesession.org/recordings/519

2. )“Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 2: The Star of Munster Trio”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1427

3.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 3: The Humours of Lisheen”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1433

4.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 4: Irish Traditional Flute Solos and Band Music from Kerry and Tipperary”
https://thesession.org/recordings/1286

5.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 5: Johnny O’Leary - Music for the Set”
https://thesession.org/recordings/663

6.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 6: Jackie Daly - Traditional Accordion and Concertina Music from Sliabh Luachra”
https://thesession.org/recordings/212

CORRECTION - as mentioned above, unsure I double checked - it was Johnny’s daughter on whistle not Dan’s, and - her playing was muted on the original LP and cassette as well, which I think is unfortunate…

“Padraig O’Keefe: The Sliabh Luachra Fiddle Master”
https://thesession.org/recordings/738

“Denis Murphy: Music from Sliabh Luachra”
https://thesession.org/recordings/164

“The Star Above the Garter”
Denis (fiddle) & Julia Murphy/Clifford (fiddle)
https://thesession.org/recordings/1073

“Ceol As Sliabh Luachra”
Julia (fiddle) & Billy (flute) Clifford
https://thesession.org/recordings/1291

“An Calmfhear/The Trooper” - Johnny O’Leary"
https://thesession.org/recordings/1282
17 tracks - Gael Linn CEFC 132 / CEFCD 132, 1989

“Johnny O’Leary of Sliabh Luachra: Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border”
Craft Recordings, Dublin - CRCS01
28 tracks - Craft Recordings - (CD) CRCD01, 1995
https://thesession.org/recordings/1284

“Denis Doody Plays Kerry Music”
Mulligan - LUN 019, 1978
https://thesession.org/recordings/1309

“Traditional Music From The Kingdom Of Kerry”
Jimmy Doyle (Melodeon) and Dan O’Leary (fiddle)
Shanachie 29007, and it was recorded in 1977.
https://thesession.org/recordings/1247

The last track, which was given as “Going for Water”, is possibly better known as
“The Scattery island Slide” https://thesession.org/tunes/641

https://thesession.org/recordings/3058

Another gem…