Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney

Subject: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Barry Finn
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 11:27 AM

Fiddler Of Dooney (sp?) I think is the name of the song. I heard it once near 20 yrs ago by a singer from somewhere near Shannon while I was in San Francisco. It was sung in sean-nos style & was about a fiddler who had won the prestigious Fiddler Of Dooney award. Thanks to any. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From:
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 11:51 AM

Barry, it's on Gordon Bok, someplace. I've listened to it recently, but I won't be around until Sunday. If no one else posts it, I can then. He plays his cello/di gamba/bass instrument with it. (I've heard him call it a cellambalonio, don't know if that's for real tho). I'll check when I get back and see if you still need it.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: Lyr Add: FIDDLER OF DOONEY (William Butler Yeats)
From: Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 02:06 PM

It's a poem by William Butler Yeats from "The Wind Among the Reeds", published in 1899.

When I play on my fiddle in Dooney,
Folk dance like a wave of the sea;
My cousin is priest in Kilvarnet,
My brother in Mocharabuiee.

I passed my brother and cousin:
They read in their books of prayer;
I read in my book of songs
I bought at the Sligo fair.

When we come at the end of time
To Peter sitting in state,
He will smile on the three old spirits,
But call me first through the gate.

For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle,
And the merry love to dance.

And when the folk there spy me,
They will all come up to me,
With 'Here is the fiddler of Dooney!'
And dance like a wave of the sea.

Lhiats,

Bobby Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Barry Finn
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 02:20 PM

Thanks Bobby & Ellan,, I don't recognise this, I'm not sure I'd recognise it even if it was. I think it had something to do with the father passing on his fiddle to his son & the son becoming a master but I still can't be sure about this. I do remember it was quite a long song though. Thanks again. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Nov 98 - 11:01 AM

The Yeats poem is what I heard on Gordon's tape. I think he wrote the tune to it, tho I'll need to check. Do you want that or do you want to see if you can dredge up any more of the original song you recall?
Blessings
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: harpgirl
Date: 01 Nov 98 - 05:23 PM

I first heard this done by "County Down" on their Fretless Records album of 1983. Fretless was a division of Philo Records. They are Anne Zimmerman, Sarah Ehrlich and Debbie Suran. The words were the same and the music was arranged by Jo Ellen Bosson.
The album has lots of other nice tunes such as Green Rocky Road, Oh My Little Darlin, Home Deary Home, and Bright Morning Star.
They are fine musicians and I would like to know how they have morphed in the passing years. Perhaps you can find it on the Philo site. harpgirl

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Barry Finn
Date: 02 Nov 98 - 11:59 AM

Thanks all, the Yeats poem isn't the one I'm looking for. It's was in the sean-nos style, not your usuall style for Gordon Bok & was fairly long, the man I heard it from was Jerry Shannon still in San Francisco I hear, he does alot from the singing of Joe Heaney but I've never heard anyone who new Joe's songs & that being one of them. Still at a loss, Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 07:41 AM

Heard this for the first time today on the radio (Radio National Australia, presented by Lucky Oceans on the Daily Planet) and is from the newly recorded albim by Sean Doyle, the 58 year father of John Doyle, and never before recorded - Sean that is.

This will be in the ABC's Real Audio Archive for the next week or two at abc.net.au/rn. I'm experimenting with a new free browser (OffByOne) and can't capture Real Audio for the time being. I'm having problems with Opera at the moment and can't even fire up IE.

BTW, Sean Doyle is a very fine singer and the backing instrumentation is very good.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 09:55 AM

There's a great arrangement of it by Geoff Pollit of Siansa too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 11:09 AM

except the Yeat's poem

IS NOT THE SONG BARRY IS LOOKING FOR!!!!,

Sean Doyle's is the Yeats poem. I'll see what I can dig up, Barry, I have lot's of sean nos recordings, though this is sunbg in English I'm assuming.

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: harpgirl
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 12:44 PM

Have you seen this Barry?Joe Heaney

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 10 Dec 04 - 08:12 AM

With the able assistance of the Brisbane State Library at the Queensland Conservatorium I today tracked down a score arranged (?) by Ivor Gurney. Having read the forward to 'Ivor Gurney A Fourth Volume of Songs - Oxford University Press", it is not entirely clear to me whether Gurney has composed the melody or the score is merely his harmonisztion
What I do know is that I'll need to brush up on some music theory before I attempt to notate the tuplets and changes in time and key signatures and the means of enacting these in NWC or ABC.

Regards, John

PS I note that in Gurney's published works that he includes some other Yeats' works, including Salley Gardens. I must chase up some of the lesser known ones.

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 10 Dec 04 - 10:14 AM

John in Brisbane, once again he does NOT want a setting of Yeats' Poem, it is a different song altogether than the Gurney he's looking for.

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 04:44 AM

Thank you all for your input. I can't believe this 5 yr old thread is still out there. I remember less at this point than I did back then, of course it's been 25 yrs since I heard it sung last.

Again, thanks all

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Fogie
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 04:48 AM

Its worth checking out an eponymous tune written by a group called Finality Jack (UK) on their first CD -very beautiful.

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Brían
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 06:56 AM

Barry, I must admit this has me stumped. Can you give us anymore info?

I did find this: Gerry Shannon



Brían

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 04:44 PM

Thanks Brian, that is the same Gerry Shannon.

Now if he recorded it & if I could get a hold of the recording if he did?

Thanks Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Wanted: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Sandy Paton
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 11:05 PM

I know it's not the song you've been seeking all these years, Barry, but the "Fiddler of Dooney" that Gordon Bok sings is the Yeats poem sung to a tune *written* by Joellen Bosson, not "arranged" by her. I just wanted to clear that up a bit.
    Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 04:13 AM

Yes Bill K, I do realise that but anyone in future years looking for either version will quickly see that there are at least two versions of a song known as 'Fiddler of Dooney'. Your reminders will help to reinforce that.

I've done a 'near enough for folk' notation of the Gurney version and it is clearly different to Sean Doyle's. If I can squeeze in the time before Christmas I'll sumit the two MIDIs to Joe for posterity.

Regards, John

PS There is a THIRD version for which I'm chasing the score and Barry's possibly makes FOUR.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Brían
Date: 16 Sep 05 - 01:11 PM

Barry,

On my trip through County Clare, I made inquiries into your song. I might ask if Gerry Shannon is a flute player and brother to Sharon Shannon?

Two recitations I came across seemed of interest. One was an anonymous poem I heard a Jimmy Clune recite in Feakle called The Master's Hand:

It was battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile
"What am I bidding, good folks?" he cried, "Who will start the bidding for me?
A guinea. A guinea. Now, two guineas. Who'll make it three?"

Another that comes to mind is a poem by Sigerson Clifford titled, The Fiddler:

A black cap lumped on his skull
A pipe stuck into his mouth
His fingers fondled a fiddle
And his elbow jerked in and out

His music was mad and merry
I pranced like a circus clown
He called away and I followed him
Out of Cahersiveen Town

Do either of these sound familiar? If so, I think I have someone who can put an air to them.

Brien

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Stewart
Date: 16 Sep 05 - 01:57 PM

"The Touch of the Master's Hand" was a poem written by Myra Brooks Welch in 1936 and set to music and sung by Sally Rogers on her CD "The Unclaimed Pint".

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Brían
Date: 16 Sep 05 - 02:08 PM

Thanks, Stewart. It's too bad when Anonymous always gets the cedit.

B.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Barry Finn
Date: 16 Sep 05 - 03:00 PM

Hi Brian, thanks for the post card

Jerry (or Gerry?) wasn't, as far as I know, a flute player. He attended so of the same sessions I did but I never saw him with an instrument. As far as being brother to anybody I don't know though he was at the time husband to very nice ft+ redhead.

What I do remember of the song was that the fiddler prized the 'Fiddle of Dooney' award above all of his musical accopmlishments. I'm going back now 25 yrs so at this point I'm not sure that I'd recognize the song if you drove it down my throat. Brain, thank you for keeping one eye opened for this. I very much appreciate it.

Hope you had a great time

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Brían
Date: 16 Sep 05 - 08:24 PM

Mere words cannot expess the experience. I am seeing the world through a yellow haze between the jet lag, the late night sessions site seeing and conversation. I knew I had finally bought enough books, periodicals and CDs when I picked up my bag a Logan and it had a little tag on it that read, Heavy. I hope to see you saturday.

B

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: GUEST,Cattia Salto
Date: 22 Jul 20 - 08:41 AM

I'm writing a post for Terre Celtiche Blog on the Fiddler Of Dooney / Il violinsita di Dooney. In addition to the Italian version of Branduardi (on the text translated by his wife Luisa Zappa) I also included the version of Sean Doyle from his first album "The Light and the Half-Light" (2004 or 2006?). I listened to the song on you-tube and I don't have the cd booklet, my question is: is the melody composed by the father or the son? I know that John did all the instrumental arrangements, being his father essentially a singer.
The melody is so "traditional" anf fit perfectly with words! Thank you

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddler Of Dooney
From: Zhenya
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 02:20 AM

I have Sean Doyle's excellent CD, but there's no reference to the tune in the liner notes. The melody is the same that Gordon Bok sings on his CD “Return to the Land”. I only have an abbreviated CD booklet for that, and can't find the liner notes online, but the CD gives the credit Yeats/Bosson. If you look above in this thread on 12-11-04, Sandy Paton posted that the tune was composed by Joellen Bosson. So, not composed by either of the very talented Doyles, but that looks like the answer to your question.