Songs and stories from Jim Carroll’s and Pat Mackenzie’s recordings of Irish Travellers in England.

Songs and stories from Jim Carroll’s and Pat Mackenzie’s recordings of Irish Travellers in England.

This 2 CD set includes the tracks from the EFDSS cassette Early in the Month of Spring (VWML 001, 1986), marked in the track list with *.

Musical Traditions booklet notes by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie;
Musical Traditions review by Mike Yates

Musicians

Bill Bryan, Gorey, Co. Wexford;
Andy Cash, Co. Wexford;
Mary Cash (née Berry, Andy Cash’s sister-in-law), Co. Wexford;
Bill Cassidy (‘Pop’s’ Johnny’s brother-in-law), Co. Wicklow;
‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors, Co. Wexford;
‘Rich’ Johnny Connors, Co. Waterford;
Mary Delany, Co. Tipperary;
Peggy Delany, Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry;
Jean ‘Sauce’ Driscoll (Mikeen McCarthy’s daughter), Co. Cork;
Joise Moorhouse (née Connors), Co. Wicklow;
Mikeen McCarthy (Peggy Delaney’s brother), Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry;
Paddy Reilly (Mary Delaney’s brother), Co. Tipperary

Tracks

CD 1

Mary Cash: Lady in Her Father’s Garden (Roud 264; Laws N24) * (5.15)
Mikeen McCarthy: Early in the Month of Spring (Roud 273; Laws K12; G/D 6:1245) * (3.24)
‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors: There Is an Alehouse (Roud 60; Laws P25; G/D 6:1170; Henry H683) (2.26)
Mary Delaney: Donnelly (Roud 863) (2.53)
Mary Delaney: Town of Linsburg (Roud 263; Laws P35; G/D 2:200) (5.40)
Andy Cash: The Half Crown (Roud 16988) (1.28)
Mary Delaney: Charming Blue Eyed Mary (Roud 3230) (5.45)
‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors: Gum Shellac (Roud 2508) (2.34)
Josie Connors: The Constant Farmer’s Son (Roud 675; Laws M33; G/D 2:221; Henry H806) * (7.21)
Bill Cassidy: Sam Cooper (Roud 16726) (3.38)
Mary Delaney: If Ever You Go to Kilkenny (Roud 16989) (1.51)
Mikeen McCarthy: Go for the Water (story) * (2.38)
Jean ‘Sauce’ Driscoll: The Sea Captain (Roud 3376) (2.40)
Mary Delaney: Fourteen Last Sunday (Roud 1570; G/D 7:1334) * (4.09)
Bill Cassidy: Biscayo (Roud 22567) (6.44)
‘Rich’ Johnny Connors: Appleby Fair (Roud 16699) (1.34)
Mary Delaney: Peter Thunderbold (Roud 1453) (4.06)
Mary Delaney: Going to Clonakilty the Other Day (Roud 16694) (1.14)
Paddy Reilly: Buried in Kilkenny (Roud 10; Child 12; G/D 2:209; Henry H814) * (3.45)
Mikeen McCarthy: Flowery Nolan (Roud 16693) (3.22)
‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors: Poor Old Man (Roud 2509) * (1.37)
Mary Delaney: In Charlestown There Lived a Lass (Roud 1414; G/D 6:1155) (3.37)

CD 2

Paddy Reilly: The Blind Beggar (Roud 132; Laws N27; G/D 5:1061) * (4.32)
Mikeen McCarthy: Selling the Ballads (story) (2.36)
Bill Cassidy: The Factory Girl (Roud 1659) (4.42)
Mary Delaney: I’ve Buried Three Husbands Already (Roud 16725) (1.39)
‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors: John Mitchel (Roud 5163; Henry H179ab) (4.45)
Peggy Delaney: Maid of Aughrim (Roud 49; Child 76; G/D 6:1226) (2.35)
Mary Delaney: My Brother Built Me a Bancy Bower (Roud 199; Child 106; G/D 1:163) (2.55)
Bill Brian: Marie (Maureen) from Gippursland (Roud 7269; G/D 7:1434) (3.04)
Bill Cassidy: Pretty Polly (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) * (7.08)
‘Rich’ Johnny Connors: Rambling Candyman (Roud 2163) * (1.46)
Mary Delaney: Green Grows the Laurel (Roud 279; G/D 6:1138; Henry H165ab) * (3.46)
Andy Cash: Barbary Ellen (Roud 54; Child 84; G/D 6:1193; Henry H236) (4.46)
Mary Reilly: The Kilkenny Louse House (Roud 12933) (3.01)
Mikeen McCarthy: Malone (The Half Crown) (Roud 16689) (1.17)
Mikeen McCarthy: Finn MacCool and the Two-Headed Giant (Aarne-Thompson 1149) (4.49)
Andy Cash: Mowing the Hay (Roud 16878) * (2.51)
Mary Delaney: Phoenix Island (Roud 267; Laws N37; Henry H826) (2.00)
Mary Delaney: Navvy Shoes (Roud 516; G/D 4:787) (3.50)
Mikeen McCarthy: Dingle Puck Goat (Roud 8220) (2.41)
Bill Cassidy: Enniscorthy Fair (Roud 5312) * (3.53)
Mary Delaney: New Ross Town (Roud 277; Laws O17; G/D 4:791; Henry H152) * (2.57)
Mikeen McCarthy: One Fine Summer’s Morning (Roud 2329; Henry H582) (2.45)
Mary Delaney: What Will We Do When We’ll Have No Money? (Roud 16879) * (1.57)

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Pat Mackenzie and Jim Carroll

Jim Carroll, a Liverpudlian of Irish descent and Pat Mackenzie, a half-Scottish Londoner, have been involved with the traditional arts, particularly song, since the early 1960s. They met in London in 1969 as members of a singing workshop run by singer, songwriter and playwright Ewan MacColl, who was to be a major influence on their lives. Individually and together, they organised and sang in folk clubs and singing workshops in Manchester and London and were instrumental in introducing many Irish traditional musicians to folk clubs in London, particularly Clare men Tom McCarthy and Bobby Casey. Pat and Jim not only recorded musicians playing and talking but, in 1973, commenced a twenty year project with Irish Travellers in London, recording a huge amount of songs and much information on travelling life and lore, in Ireland and the U.K.

Also in 1973, they visited Clare where they met singers and musicians including singer Ollie Conway, and fiddle player Junior Crehan, who invited them to record “a few tunes”, as well as songs and stories. They returned in 1974, met Tom Munnelly and family, and started recording singers and storytellers, initially with Tom and then, independently, on annual visits to Miltown Malbay, where they finally settled in 1998.

In 1978, an L.P. of their recordings of Tom Lenihan, ‘Paddy’s Panacea’, was issued in London and they have contributed to many CDs of field recordings, including the 20 volume Topic series, ‘Voice of the People’. Double CDs of songs and stories from Irish Travellers; ‘From Puck to Appleby’ and of their West Clare recordings, ‘Around the Hills of Clare’ were issued in 2003 and 2004.

Pat and Jim have participated in and featured in several radio and television programmes including a three part series on their work with Irish Travellers for Lyric FM in 2008, produced by Paula Carroll.
They have lectured at conferences, festivals, seminars and gatherings, including at University College Dublin and the University of Limerick, and have written numerous articles on their work and interests for traditional music journals, magazines and other publications.

Copies of the Carroll/Mackenzie collection are housed at The Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, The National Folklore Collection at UCD and also The National Sound Archive at The British Library in London.