By Golly jig

This is a very old-fashioned jig from Peadar O’Loughlin and Maeve Donnelly’s beautiful duet playing. It’s also on Chulrua’s 2nd album “Down the Back Lane,” and I heard Charlie Piggot playing it very recently in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.

The title refers to an expression much used by Chicago fiddler Johnny McGreevy, according to the notes of O’Loughlin & Donnelly’s album “The Thing Itself.” Charlie Piggot couldn’t recall what it is called, but knew it comes from McGreevy’s playing.

I love this sort of simple tunes. You’ll also like it if you are a fan of piping classics such as “Hag with the Money,” and “Fraher’s.”

Brian MacNamara writes: “Neary’s jig is associated with the Mayo born fiddle player Jimmy Neary who emigrated to Chicago in the 1920s. The home of Jimmy and his wife Eleanor was regarded as a musical haven in Chicago for Irish musicians and this jig is one of a number of rare tunes associated with them. This tune was recorded by Johnny McGreevy on his Philo LP.”
From “Tune of the Month” page of Brian MacNamara’s website: http://www.piperbrian.com/music/music_tunes.html

So, it was another Chicago-based musician Johnny McGreevy who most likely learnt this jig from Jim Neary and brought it back to Ireland.

You can listen to a nice concertina and fiddle duet playing of this jig here: http://www.myspace.com/maireadhurley
The one played after the Boys of Tanderagee, of course.

Mairead Hurley is from Ballymote and won the All-Ireland a couple of years ago. I know a few members of the Hurleys personally, but have never met her yet. I don’t know anything about the fiddler Jacqui Martin. I guess they play together on a regular basis somewhere in Dublin.

Neary’s, transcribed from the playing of Geraldine O’Callaghan on Echoes of Erin 2006.

Jimmy Neary’s as taught by Breda Shannon (concertina) at the Seosamh Mac Gabhann Summer School via Facebook during lockdown in June 2020. The first bar of the turn was played in octaves.