Father O’Grady’s Visit To Bocca (reel) on The Session

Also known as Father Grady’s Trip To Bacca, Father Grady’s Visit To Bockagh, Father O’Grady’s Trip To Bocca, Father O’Grady’s Trip To Bockagh, Father O’Grady’s Trip To Bucca, Father O’Grady’s Visit To Boca, Fr O’Grady’s Trip To Bocca, Fr O’Grady’s Trip To Broca, Fr O’Grady’s Visit To Bocca, Fr. Grady’s Visit To Bocca, Fr. O’Grady’s Visit To Boca, Fr. O’Grady’s Visit To Bocca.

Eleven comments

Father O’Grady’s…

This tune is by whistle player Josie McDermott. The first part has an unusual shifting structure, which makes it very confusing to play.

It’s this: https://thesession.org/tunes/180.

Go here for another transcription: https://thesession.org/tunes/817.

Another version

T:Father O’Grady’s Trip to Bucca
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Jason O’Rourke - The Bunch of Keys
R:reel
Z:gian marco pietrasanta
K:D
d3e fded|cAAG EG~G2|fded cAAG|EFGE D2de|
fded cAAG|EG~G2 A2de|fded cAAG|EFGE D4||
dcde fage|dfed cAFA|~G3A GE~E2|edcA GE~E2|
dcde fage|dfed cA~A2|fAdf gege|1fagc dABG:|2fagc dcde||

One of Josie McDermott’s best compositions

I believe that Altan’s version is the most listened to as they just called it "McDermott’s" which explains why it was submitted in 2005 under this name. Of course it does appear on The Session as "Father O’Grady’s Trip To Bocca" and it is composed by flute player, Josie McDermott. But there are many tunes with the name McDermott’s. Many times it is a different McDermott. The only shortcoming of this site is that once a tune, jig or reel is filed under one name (like McDermott’s) there is not room for another tune with the same name unless it is renamed. Or as in this case of the same tune appearing more than once under a different name.

Josie’s sleeve notes =

"… named after a missionary priest from the townland of Bocca, near Ballydreen, Co. Roscommon. On a visit home, he gave Josie a flute and in return asked that "You’ll make a tune for me". This is the tune."

Father O’Grady’s Visit To Bocca is actually Bockagh

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bockagh,+Ireland&aq=0&oq=bockagh&sll=42.746632,-75.770041&sspn=6.445331,9.876709&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bockagh,+County+Roscommon,+Ireland&t=m&z=15&iwloc=A

The above link is from Google Maps and will show you the town-land that Father Peter O’Grady was born. He was born May 23 of 1907 to Peter Grady and Catherine Morrisroe, both from Bockagh, Ballaghadereen, Mayo which today is Roscommon. Ballaghadereen was in Mayo prior to the Irish Revolution and was then re-assigned/evaluated to be part of Roscommon.

Father Peter O’Grady was my granduncle.

Mcdermott’s

This is not the tune McDermott’s on the CD "Round the House and Mind the Dresser"

McDermotts

No It is not the same McDermott. The name is not uncommon in both the South and the North of Ireland. McDermott’s is almost like having a tune called O’Brien’s name-wise that is. So there will be other McDermott tunes that do not come from Josie, like Master McDermott’s from a fiddle teacher who came from County Tyrone.