Incidentally, I meant to comment on one of John's songs,(given alternatively as 'My Name it is Sean McNamara' or Old Caravee')We recorded this several times under yet another title, but on each occasion we were asked not to play it to anybody else. The song tells of a Travelling couple who were married by a 'made match' - a formally agreed arrangement through a matchmaker (a fairly common practice in Ireland among both Travellers and settled people up to the middle of the 20th century - please note - these were not enforced marriages). The couple were still living when we recorded it and the singers did not wish to give offence. One singer said, "He's me cousin he'd murther me if he knew I'd sung it to you".
Mikeen McCarthy, from Kerry was at the wedding and described how the song was made by a group of Travellers sitting on a bank outside the church before the service - interestingly, he couldn't recall the names of any of the composers - it didn't seem important.
The song tells of the match being made because of the bride's ability to buy and sell mattresses - dealing in feathers was a traditional Traveller trade. It goes on to describe how eventually the woman became the dominant partner in the marriage - remember, this was actually made at the wedding - and eventually "wore the trousers down the main street of old Cahermee". John's 'Sean McNamara' was not the name of the groom!
Jim Carroll