The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #117495   Message #2534872
Posted By: Jim Carroll
08-Jan-09 - 04:28 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Well Below the Valley/Maid & Palmer
Subject: RE: Origins: Well below the valley - discuss!
"but they're all relatively well-known and printed on broadsides"
Not from field singers in Ireland they're not - and, as I said, in our experience, (and Tom M confirmed that as being his opinion) generally Travellers did not learn songs from print. The only example we have of one learning from a record was one who sang The McNulty Family's Old Ballymow'. The same singer learned to read in prison and put a tune to R L Stevenson's 'Heather Ale'.
The version of Edward common among Travellers was similar to that recorded by Kennedy in the 50s from Mary Connors . The 4 sets we recorded in the early 70s (What Put The Blood being the most popular title) were all learned from parents or other family members.
Yes, the 1967 recordings listed were those made by Tom Munnelly alone; Tom gave us copies which are more or less in the same recorded order (the 5" reel order differs).
Jim Carroll