I haven't written anything recently because my younger brother Paul passed away on September 25th aged 64 after a brave fight against cancer. He was not a distant brother; he has always been there. It will take a long time to get used to the idea that he is not around anymore. Music was an especially important part of Paul’s life. For ten years he ran a pub in County Mayo, Ireland which had been in our family for over 120 years. It was called Joyce’s in Kiltimagh. Our mother was born in that pub in 1920, her family surname was Joyce. Paul decided that the pub needed live music and the sessions in Joyce’s became legendary. I only went there twice during that period, but I know he put on some memorable performers. The Wailers, Henry McCullough, Luka Bloom and Eileen Ivers were just some of the great names to have played in Joyce’s. This year he was determined to go back to Ireland for one last visit. It was all planned for him to go and see his old friends this September. Sadly though, his declining health made that impossible. His friends from the old days in Joyce’s put on a gig for him online to try and make up for the disappointment. That was a wonderful thing to do and Paul loved the show. It was only about a month ago on September 5th. You can find it on youtube if you search for 'Paul Corley, Kiltimagh gig' if you would like to see it. I think you should because the music is great. It shows how popular Paul was, and even though he had been back in England a long time he was still a legend in Ireland.
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| Paul behind the bar in Joyce's |
I enjoyed every single performance in the show, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be the contribution of Eileen Ivers who sent a nice video message and played some music from New York. (Eileen is at 55 minutes into the video) She is a famous American fiddle player. I remember Paul telling me about Eileen, but I did not know who she was. Unknown to me though, I did know her music because she was a founder member of the band Cherish The Ladies which she founded along with her Bronx school friend Joanie Madden. I knew this group from listening to the Mike Harding folk show on the BBC. Although she is American, Eileen’s family came from Kiltimagh and she always spent her summers there, which is probably how Paul got to know her. I think I met her uncle Jimmy in Joyce’s one night. He recited a poem to me which was The Ballad Of Dan McGrew.
Anyway, because I thought she was such a nice person and a great musician I decided to order one of her albums. I did not know which one to buy, so in the end I bought an album from 2003 Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul because I liked the name. My intention was to play it to Paul when I next saw him. Sadly, it did not arrive until the day after Paul died. It is a very enjoyable album which mixes Irish traditional music with Latin and African rhythms. The opening track is called Darlin Corey which is an Appalachian song which Eileen revisits and infuses it with an Irish feel. Afro-Jig is just what it says, Irish music with an African vibe. At times, this album reminded me of the Afro-Celt Sound System who I have an album by, but I think Eileen is much better. Reconciliation is a song by Ron Kavana and the sound is augmented by the Omagh Community Youth Choir which brings together Catholic and Protestant kids in Northern Ireland. Paddy In Zululand is an infectious lively tune which gets faster relentlessly and shows what a wizard on the fiddle Eileen is. It is no wonder the New York Times described her as the Jimi Hendrix of the fiddle. Go Lassie Go is a classic traditional song also known as Purple Heather or Blooming Heather, revisited with vocals by Tommy McDonnell. Mundo Pequeno / Small World is a tune with a Latin flavour inspired by a hot summer night in The Bronx. Craic With Jack is a polka dedicated to her husband’s uncle Jack who passed away while Eileen and Joanie Madden were working on the tune. BX Style is a lively romp through Eileen’s area of New York. Dance All Night is a celebration of summer festivals. It is so catchy and infectious I think it could have been a hit single if it got the right airplay.
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| Joyce's own Guinness label. |
By comparison Parting Of Friends is a sad poem by her father-in-law Barney Mulligan who emigrated from Ireland to America like millions of others. When people left for America their family and friends knew they would probably never see them again, so they held what was called an American Wake. After that is the sad, but beautiful Parting Of Friends, Air. Eileen first heard this air played by the great Matt Molloy. I wonder if that was in his pub in Westport? Anyway, it is said to have been composed by the legendary harpist O’Carolan. Eileen obviously didn’t want the album to end on a sad note because the last track is Zululand-Reprise which is a happy lively tune to bring this most enjoyable album to a close. Thank you Paul for bringing the music of the great and wonderful Eileen Ivers to my attention.
