I composed this tune during the 2021 lockdown. At the time I was thinking about how everybody, especially musicians had to change and adapt to their new world.
This reel conveys a happy energy and a sense of frivolity to me. I tried to match the title that conveyed something in a similar context.
I was unsure to what extent this tune fits into the tradition, and the thought that came to mind was that it’s a bit left of centre, so I thought that would make a good name. Left of Centre is a phrase that I have often heard used in a comical, non political way to describe something that didn’t fit exactly into mainstream thinking.
This jig conveys a happy go lucky optimistic feeling to me, similar to the feeling that I would associate with the time of the year when the evenings are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer, so I tried to come up with a title that conveyed a similar feeling.
This was a tune that I wrote during the lockdown. I think it is a very traditional jig so I tried to come up with a name that matched to some extent.
Just around the time I finished this jig, I heard someone using the phrase “Beggars can’t be choosers”. At the time I found the phrase and the context it was used in very amusing, so I decided to incorporate it into the name.
In 2006, after my composition “Cuisle Ceoil an Bhlascaoid” was chosen to commemorate the Blasket Islands, I got a great boost of creative energy and composed a number of pieces that reminded me of my annual trip down to spend the summer at my mother’s family home near Ballyferriter, Co Kerry.
The other tunes are “The road to Ventry”, “The Hairpin Bends” (between Tralee and Dingle) and Gleann na nGealt (also between Tralee and Dingle).
After finishing this reel, I was playing it on the tin whistle and looking out on our back garden I noticed an uninvited visitor in the garden, so I decided to name the tune after him!
The melody of this tune conveys a sense of optimism tinged with sadness to me, so I tried to come up with a title that conveyed a similar sense. I think that it also fits the “left of centre” category that I described in the previous tune!
The melody of this tune attempts to convey a sense of integrity and purity to me, so I tried to think of a name for it that conveys something along the same lines.
This was the first of many tunes that I wrote during the first lockdown of 2020.
After finishing this tune, I listened back to it and really liked the melody. I was slightly surprised with myself, so I tried to capture that sense of surprise in the name.
Kevin is the fifth generation of uilleann pipers / pipe makers in his family. In keeping with his family tradition Kevin worked with his father learning the craft of pipe making. He also studied woodwind instrument making at the London College of Furniture in the 1980s. Kevin and his wife Lorraine Hickey have two daughters, Tierna and Naoise who are both highly accomplished multi instrumentalists and both are excellent uilleann pipers.
Kevin has recorded two albums to date. His first album, titled ‘The Rowsome Tradition’ was released in 1999 and featured archive recordings of his father, uncle and grandfather. His second solo Cuisle Cheol na bPíob in 2016 was the culmination of over five years of research into archive traditional Irish music. The album also features some self-compositions including the air Cuisle Ceoil an Bhlascaoid.
Kevin has taught music and performed at many festivals throughout the world and has tutored third level students at the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University of Limerick,
