The 77 interactive music scores on this page have been notated from one of three sets of manuscripts written by Pádraig O’Keeffe for fiddle pupils, and donated to ITMA by Paud Collins from Knockacur, Knocknagoshel, Co Kerry. They have been transcribed from O’Keeffe’s unique form of fiddle-music tablature. It is clear from the manuscripts that he was a conscientious and imaginative teacher who continuously shaped the music that he taught to the proficiency level of his pupils. As his notation was used primarily as a memory-aid for pupils following on from his personal tuition of them, it sometimes lacks essential rhythmic and other information. The re-creation here of some song airs particularly is therefore to a degree speculative. For more tunes, further information and copies of the original manuscripts see Pádraig O’Keeffe Resources at ITMA.
Nicholas Carolan, Treasa Harkin & Jackie Small, 19 April 2014.
