Happy Hour

What can you say? Just very tasty box playing.

Shouldn’t ‘Moss Murphy’s’ read ‘Boss Murphy’s’? And isn’t it ‘Gneeveguilla’?

In fact it should Gneevegullia, or to be more precise Gniomh go Leith. I’ve copied the spelling on the album; this place name seems to get many spelling versions. This particular tune is not in the data base as far as I can find, being a slide under that name

and Moss Murphy’s is correct

Which "West Kerry" polka is the first tune?

I know the tune but have no name for it myself

Except to say it is not the tune to which the data base links it

If it’s not in the database, is there any chance of you submitting it? 🙂

Transcribed it myself —
https://thesession.org/tunes/9983

Lovely sounding reeds, and some ‘tasty playing’, it’s a shame he spoils it all by with manic speed. The poor rag is torn to shreds, and the slides and polkas suffer similar abuse…

However, those sweet reeds, the handling of the reels, jigs and hornpipes almost earn enough forgiveness for me to consider adding it to my list of wants… 😉

And so it goes ~ it is now in our collection of listens. 🙂

Nope, it isn’t. It seems a friend had lent me his copy for a spell but we are still without this one, though we have other recordings featuring his squeezin’… So it’s still on the wants list, but remains a ways down on that list, not a priority. 😎

for the first track

I found the first polka to be

https://thesession.org/tunes/1719
Where Lillies Bloom

I found the 2nd polka to be
https://thesession.org/tunes/1825
Din Tarrant’s


Third polka does resemble
https://thesession.org/tunes/8918
Daly’s Mill

anyone know who played on this recording? Steve Cooney?

found it -
http://www.donalmurphy.net/reviews.html
Both Cooney and Tim Edey -

From All Celtic Music (https://www.allcelticmusic.com/music/1a65505e-9b8c-102c-a832-000f1f67beb1/Happy_Hour.html ):

Donal Murphy - Accordion
Steve Cooney - Guitars, Keyboards & Bass
Tim Edey - Guitars & Bass
Brian McGrath - Piano
Dan Murphy - Accordion
Sean Murphy - Banjo
Kevin Murphy - Mandola & Bodhran
Eilis Murphy - Flute
Melanie Murphy - Fiddle

It is in our collection of listens and has been for the last 6 years, with appreciation. While I do enjoy the listen I still find some of the tempos manic, preferring older ways and tempos with the music of Sliabh Luachra, pre the late 70s and the 80s and that set dance mania of a tsunami that came crashing through, mostly city driven - - - Cork, Dublin, London, New York…before there were ‘Set Dance Festivals’, before the set mad dominated The Willie Clancy Week, where until ‘81 I was a regular (‘82 is when the set dancing & dancers crashed the party)…

Dancing in Dan O’Connoll’s pub in Knocknagree was a lot more fun, sociable and nicer before that new dance extension and the tourist buses, IMHO… But Dan himself was always a ‘crazy’ dancer who had his own way with the dance, requiring more floor space than anyone else…bless him…