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Mirth-Making Heroes

By At The Racket


  1. The Adam And Eve Set
  2. Danny Meehan’s
    Where Would The World Be Without Women ?
  3. A Chuisle Mo Chroi
  4. Miko’s # 1
    Miko’s # 2
  5. The Ballinafad
    Turkey In The Straw
    The Tinker’s Stick
  6. Little Bridget Flynn
  7. Johnny Henry’s
    Handsome Sally
  8. The Dancing Dustman
  9. The One That Was Lost
    The Clare Shout
    Dinny Delaney’s
  10. Killarney And You
  11. Jackie Coleman’s
    The Hare’s Paw
  12. Fionn O’Donnell
    The Caucus
    The Gabe’s

Twelve comments

This is a traditional music group with a saxophone! The combination harks back to the Irish dance bands of the 1920s. The name At the Racket was apparently borrowed from a 78-rpm recording by the Flanagan Brothers.

Adam and Eve Set

Does anyone know the name of the second tune in the Adam and Eve Set?

Isn’t this the mirth making heros album?

Great stuff

This is a lovely album. Sure, it can put off the pure drop listener- but doesn’t the tradition include the dance bands of the thirties? Certainly Josie McDermott and Noel Sweeney would appreciate this stuff. I find it graceful and lovely and full of sweetness. I highly recommend this CD.
It’s great fun!!

Don’t like it

The soprano saxophone was making a great job in the Moving Hearts, but here it’s an alto and it’s too ‘heavy’. The phrasing doesn’t fit with the music at all.

Is it a problem with the instrument or the player, I don’t know. I just don’t like it. The talent of the other guys on the fiddle and the banjo (woaw, the tuning ‘on the fly’ on Splendid Isolation !) is just ruined by the sax. (The vibrato is probably the biggest problem, not to mention the absence of ornementation…).

I have to disagree!

Emmanuel delahaye, I have to disagree. I think the saxophone fits very well. Sure its not what we’re used to listening to in terms of vibrato and ornamentation but I think the tunes are well interpreted. He makes a saxophone version of the tune, influenced by the limitations of the instrument, the same way a fiddle player makes a fiddle version of a tune based on the limitations of that instrument.

The Saxo in At the Racket

I love it!
Irish Music meets “Razamataz”.
Seamus is a great singer too pity he doesn’t sing more on Mirth Making Heroes!

The atmosphere that At the Racket music evokes,(just like De Dannan on “Irish Molly O” or Martin Murray on the “Dark Horse” album), what was going on in the 1920’s when the Irish dispora in New York and Chicago heard jazz and klezmer for the first time. When I heard the Emile Vacher recordings on the Silex CD the same groove is present.

Emmanuel if you had been around at the time you would probably have said the banjo has no place in Irish music!

At least there’s no bodhran syncopation that’s a relief.

Re: Mirth-Making Heroes

Does anyone know the two tunes that are in Track 4 Miko Russell’s Set Thanks

Re: Mirth-Making Heroes

Had a listen on “iTunes”. The second tune is a version of Junior Crehan’s “Her Long Curly Hair… etc”. First one has a second part very similar to “Brendan MacMahon’s”, as recorded by “Patrick Street”, but the first part has differences. Whether that’s down to a matter of personal interpretation, or it’s a different tune altogether, I can’t say. Hope this helps.

Re: Mirth-Making Heroes

Its been a few years but I found the first one and it is
Ballinalacken. The name of one of the castles very close
to Doolin. It is on the session and I have that track pegged
to that reel so now how do divide it up and make space for
the second tune? ‘Her long Dark hair etc..’

Re: Mirth-Making Heroes

Okay I just learned how to edit the recordings.
I changed to ‘Miko’ track to two tunes but the
second one ‘Her long dark hair flowing down her back’
is only recognised as a Hornpipe but it’s definitely played
as a reel.