After writing this tune I decided to call it the ‘Nun in the Forest’ after an encounter me and my Dad had. We were driving to our neighbour Jimmy Campbell to show him a duckling, and on our way we passed a nun standing by the road in the forest in full habit – and in her hand a mobile phone.

This piece was composed for the thematic Shorelines record which I recorded with Tara Breen and Tony Byrne. The first tune is intended to represent the challenging seaborne voyage of the female adventurer as she first sets sail… with the reel ‘Flow’, I saw the heroine with her sails unfurled- the wind at her back as things take a turn for the better!

This is the first tune I wrote after the start of the pandemic. My last gig was on March 6, 2020, and this tune presented itself on March 20th. You wouldn’t think a reel would come first, but there was emotion in these notes that day–prayers for people suffering, and hope for a solution.

When I was about 10 years old I was sent off on my bicycle 3 miles away to pick some messages (groceries) for my mother from Fogarty’s Shop and Pub in Crusheen village. I handed in my list with the money and my shopping bag to the woman of the house, our cousin Angela Fogarty.

When she had everything put in the bag she then cut me a wafer ice cream and told me to pick up an orange crate that was left on a bench across from the bar counter. I looked on in total surprise after hearing the chirping noises coming from the crate. She came out with me holding some string to tie it securely on the carrier of my bike. I had no idea what all this was about and was too shy to ask any questions till I got back home.

Once that was all done I hopped back up on my bike after relishing my ice cream and with Angela Fogarty issuing me orders to go easy and make sure that I brought the Day Old Chicks home safe and sound. Anyway, they chirped all the way down the road making their own music… happy as could be to my child’s mind.

In those days, it was common for everyone in the countryside to have their own hens and when there was a brooding hen and not enough eggs to hatch the woman of the house would send an order by post to the hatcheries in Limerick for an a dozen day old chicks which would be dispatched the following day by bus to local shops/pubs like Fogarty’s in Crusheen.

My epic journey home with these Day Old Chicks is the inspiration for this tune.

Fathach an Fhidil is a tune I wrote while remembering the late great Seán Keane. His style of fiddle playing and generosity in sharing his music had a huge impact on me and so many others. He was truly a giant of the tradition

In February 2021, myself and Shauna got the fantastic news that we were going to become parents for the first time. We are looking forward to being joined by a little girl in the coming weeks. When Shauna listened to these tunes, the little girl gave her a few kicks. I hope it was to compliment the music and not her asking for it to be turned off! In any case, this tune is for our little lady who we are very excited to meet!

The tunes were composed in the late summer of 2021. I found this period of the pandemic particularly stressful as I had adapted to being at home all the time and now there was work on the horizon which meant spending extended periods away from home again. Prior to the pandemic, I spent so much time away that I almost lost my sense of home & when the pandemic struck, I realized how the really important things in life could easily slip away from us and pass us by before we take the time to appreciate them. Around this time, most other people I knew were excited about ‘returning to normal’, or at least said they were. Instead of being excited, I found myself anxiously watching the news and constantly googling the situation regarding restrictions, travel bans etc. Leaving the little bubble I had grown accustomed to was completely stressing me out as I had found my new normal within the pandemic and I didn’t want it to end just yet.

Marches by their nature have a sense of resilience, of getting ready for the battle ahead, I think that may be the reason behind these compositions and although they are dark sounding the titles are anything but!

Tigry’s March [comp. Damien McGeehan]
There were 2 stray cats wandering around our house for a while. We would feed them whenever they appeared and to differentiate between the two my wife, Shauna, would refer to one as the ‘tigry’ one. When we were around home all the time during the first lockdown, Tigry eventually began to trust us and now we have a pet cat who sleeps in a basket by the fire. As such, she has done quite well out of the pandemic but her new owners wouldn’t be the greatest with names! To this day she remains known as ‘Tigry’.

I composed this march style piece while touring around Ireland with the amazing Mexican guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriella in the early 2000s. We did a lot of driving and often stopped to look at heritage sites on the road. One day we found a herd of white deer and climbed up over a huge fence to have a closer look. I badly cut my hand and still have the scar, and that crazy adventure inspired the name! It is in my favourite traditional mode – a lot of my tunes have the same notes. I also love the strong, slow rhythm of the traditional march.

Most of my tunes just come to me when I play the fiddle and this was another that felt like it wrote itself. I feel like it must be influenced by Carolan’s music or perhaps something Baroque-like.