The Humours Of Lisheen

Recorded in Reg Hall’s house in Croydon in 1976, this was the 3rd rcording in “Topic’s” “Music From Sliabh Luchra” series. Julia on fiddle, and John plays piano-accordion, with accompaniment by Reg Hall on piano. Unusually, only 1 set of reels out of 20 tracks.

Topic 12TS311 - Ossian OSS 14

1.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 1: Kerry Fiddles”
Padraig O’Keefe with Denis & Julia (Clifford) Murphy
Topic 12T 309 / TSCD309 - Ossian OSSCD10
https://thesession.org/recordings/519

2. )“Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 2: The Star of Munster Trio”
Topic 12TS310 - Ossian 45
https://thesession.org/recordings/1427

4.) “Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 4: Irish Traditional Flute Solos and Band Music from Kerry and Tipperary”
Billy Clifford, et. al.
Topic 12TS312 - Ossian OSS 11
https://thesession.org/recordings/1286

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

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

“The Rushy Mountain: Classic Music from Sliabh Luachra 1957-77”
- a compilation of tracks from the six albums in the Topic series “Music from Sliabh Luachra volumes 1-6”…
https://thesession.org/recordings/1274

5.) "Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 5: Johnny O’Leary -
Music for the Set"
Recordings made 1976-77 - 18 tracks - Topic /Ossian OSSCD 25
https://thesession.org/recordings/663

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

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

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

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

“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

http://ceolalainn.blogspot.com/2010/01/john-julia-clifford-humours-of-lisheen.html

More piracy from Dragut Reis (aka Robert Ryan - https://thesession.org/members/9589) who has no permission from the Topic label to make this album available freely or otherwise.

Note on some of Gan Ainms in the tracklist from the back cover of LP:

#2 The Blue Riband = The Blue Ribbon
A slightly different version from the one posted here:
https://thesession.org/tunes/5535
Listen to Denis Murphy’s fantastic set Tarrant’s - The Blue Ribbon on his album as well as to Julia’s solo recording of it (not sure which album it’s from).

I think this track is swapped with track #6 on the LP I’ve seen. The second tune is also named ‘Up and Away’ on LP, which might be a mistake…

#4 Biddy Crowley’s Ball (noted as a jig) = This Is My Love, Do You Like Her? (a slide) A nice ‘slippery’ version by Julie.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1791

#5 is listed as The Bold Trainor O (described as an air from the song Julia’s mother used to sing) and also identified for me by Nickie McAuliffe as a beautiful rendition of the slow air called The Green Linnet. Here there’s another nice version of this air by P.J. Crotty
https://thesession.org/recordings/408

It is followed by a slide which Julia learned from Padraig O’Keeffe.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1527

When you listen to it, you feel the eternity. Julia’s soul-touching playing with some droning of G string creates a very special atmosphere.

#8 is a nice polka known as Tom Sullivan’s
https://thesession.org/tunes/1820
I’ve heard Mick O’Brien & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh play it as a reel, sounds mighty on flat pipes.

#10 is linked to a slide, but actually it’s a lovely polka from the playing of Padraig O‘Keefe referred to as O’Callaghan’s. It’s played by Padraig in a set with this one:
https://thesession.org/tunes/2069
Same story with a set on Caoimhín’s album:
https://thesession.org/recordings/1880

#12 John Mahinney’s No.2 is also know as Scully Casey’s or Bryan O’Lynn’s
https://thesession.org/tunes/4139
https://thesession.org/tunes/830

There’s also an opinion that there’s some confusion with the names in this set:
https://thesession.org/tunes/8185

#14 the first of the two slides is known as Maurice Manley. Doesn’t help too much either… But wait, that must be a slide version of (in)famous Ballydesmond polka!
https://thesession.org/tunes/238
Sliabh Luachra creativity in full flight 😉

#16 is a slide known as Going to the Well for Water or The Kaiser
https://thesession.org/tunes/455/details

#18 is listed as an unknown jig from Padraig O‘Keefe’s playing. It’s hard to tell but to my mind Julia rather gives it a feel of a slide. The tune itself is known as The Rolling Waves (not to be confused with the popular jig under that name, though. I think it was Kevin Burke who named it this way on his album ’Portland‘ but he gave no reason for this, only mysterious ’unknown’ commenting the origin of the tune in sleeve notes. He might have learned it from Julia back in his London times, why not). It is more commonly known as Maguire’s Clan March.
Later identified as ‘The Clan March of the Maguires from the Gunn Book (Fermanagh 1865)’ where it is named as ‘The Sprig of Stradone’ - courtesy of Sharon Creasey.
https://thesession.org/tunes/515
One of my most favourite tunes ever. One of the most mysterious ones too. If you like it, you should definitely listen to Julia’s take on it.

Hope I didn’t exceed the maximum number of chars in this message 🙂

I’m also very thankful to Ceol Állain for letting this music shine, as well as many other people who got some rare albums from his blog. Whatever that block says, if you browse through Robert’s posts here you’ll know that he always supports musicians and tries to get albums from them directly or, if that’s impossible, by some other fair way. But why support labels, not musicians, labels, that do not even consider reissuing these records?!

Here’s a quote of RR for you::
“I don’t particularly like infringing copyright, but there’s little choice when old albums have to be copied from LP and cassette.”

Totally agreed. Those accusals of ‘piracy’ sound funny to me as even well-known Irish musicians see nothing wrong in copying old rare recordings to anyone interested. Those opposing this natural sharing of cultural GEMS think about money and profit, but not about the living tradition which MUST be heard, known and respected in all its vast variety.