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The Quinn Manuscripts Robert Quinn (1854 - 1930), from between the Glass Moss and Ballyrickard a couple of miles east of Comber in East Down, taught his sons Adam (1885 - 1971) and Robert (1887 - 1918), and his daughter Eva (b.1902) to play the fiddle. The Quinn manuscripts have been passed down through the family. Robert's great grandson Andy Cooper gave me access to them in 2012. 1 Reel - The Black Haired Lass (HD ref RQ205) Reel - Touch it if you Dare (HD ref RQ206) 2 Reel - Push about the Jaram generally known as Miss Monaghan (HD ref RQ205) Reel - Fire over the Mountains (HD ref RQ204) 3 Jig - The Trip to the Cottage (HD ref RQ202) Reel - The Green Fields of America (HD ref RQ206) 4 Hornpipe - The Liverpool Hornpipe Reel - Down the Banks (HD ref RQ204) 5 Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Duncan Davidson (HD ref JW306) Jig - Pop goes the Weasel 6 Polka - The Ballroom Polka Varsovienna Tune - Untitled Polka - Heel and Toe Polka (a song tune I'll tell my ma ) 7 Jig - The Protestant Boys (HD ref RQ203) Reel - The Brandy Bottle (HD ref RQ206) 8 Reel - The Wind that shakes the Barley (HD ref JW328) Quadrille 2/4 - The Girl I left behind me (HD ref WS125) 9 Reel - Through the Broom (HD ref RQ206) March - Prince Albert's March (HD ref RQ204) 10 Waltz - The Scotch Waltz Song - Auld Lang Syne 11 Reel - Miss McCloud's Reel (HD ref JW319) Song - What's at the Steer 12 Jig - The Rakes of Kildare 13 Jig - Apron's On (HD ref RQ203) Jig - Lannigan's Ball (HD ref RQ203) 14 Polka - Inver Folk in the Shaws Reel - The Soldier's Joy (HD ref JD161) 15 Hornpipe - The Steamboat (HD ref RQ202) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Rob Roy (HD ref WS124) 16 Song - There's nae gude luck about the House Quadrille Tune 6/8 - The Quaker's Wife (HD ref JD158) Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Royal Charlie (HD ref WS128 ) 17 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - The Laird of Cockpen (HD ref TO191) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - The Lass O'Gowrie (HD ref WS126 ) 18 Schottische - The Danish Polka (HD ref WS130) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - My Love is but a Lassie yet (HD ref WS121 ) 19 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Off She goes (HD ref WS122) Waltz - Untitled Waltz generally titled The Fairyland Waltz (HD ref JW338) 20 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - The Laird of Cockpen (HD ref TO191) Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Untitled Quadrille locally titled The Maid of the Mill (HD ref SW216) 21 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Bonnie Dundee (HD ref WS118) Schottische - Untitled Schottische locally known as Hop Light Loo (HD ref WMcC101) 22 Reel - Green Garters (HD ref RQ205) 23 Hornpipe - The Showman's Fancy (HD ref RQ202) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - 5th Quadrille locally known as The March to the Battlefield and played for the 5th figure of the Quadrilles. 24 Quadrille Tune 2/4 - 4th Quadrille generally titled La Russe (HD ref RQ202) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Adam's 5th Quadrille 25 Yon Town Reel - Untitled Reel

David Carse - Part 5 1 Reel - Back at Dromore Hornpipe - The Butchers of Bristol (HD ref JW322) 2 Schottische - Untitled generally known as Miss Stewart's Highland (HD ref WMcC101) 3 Reel - The Wind that shook the Barley (HD ref JW328) Reel - The Miners of Wicklow (HD ref WMcC99) 4 Jig - The Irish Washerwoman Jig - The Campbells are coming (HD ref JW294) 5 Hornpipe - The First of May (HD ref JD148) Reel - Through the Broom (HD ref RQ206) 6 Polka - The Dargan Polka also locally titled The Dragon Polka (HD ref JD154) Polka - The Belfast Polka (HD ref WS116) 7 The Buck Hunt Schottische - Highland generally titled Miss Stewart's Highland (HD ref WMcC101) 8 Jig- The Blackthorn Jig also locally titled Jimmy Savage's Quadrille Tune (HD ref JSav173) Reel - The Soldier's Joy (HD ref JD161) 9 Reel - The Green Fields of America (HD ref RQ206) 10 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Burney's No 1 (HD ref WS119) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Burney's No 2 (HD ref WS119) 11 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Burney's No 3 (HD ref WS119) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Burney's No 4 locally known as La Russe (HD ref WS121) 12 Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Burney's No 5 locally known as The March to the Battlefield (HD ref WS126) Quadrille Tune 6/8 - The Rakes of Kildare locally known as The De'il set sail with my Darlin' 13 Reel - The Flowers of Edinburgh (HD ref JW323) Fling - Green grow the Rashes O ' (HD ref JW285) 14 Hornpipe - Skatings Waltz known locally as Her Golden Hair hung down her Back (HD ref WS113) Schottische - The German Schottische (HD ref WS130) 15 Hornpipe - Bony Crossing the Alps Polka - The Ballroom Polka 16 Jig - Unknown (in part, only 5 bars) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - Untitled , known locally as Old Molly Doodle will you not come out is the 5th figure of the Patience Lancers (HD ref WS124) Song - The Minstrel Boy 17 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - 1st Figure of the Quadrilles generally known as The Laird of Cockpen (HD ref TO191) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - 2nd Figure of the Quadrilles generally known as The Rakes of Mallow 18 Schottische - Louden's Bonnie Woods and Braes (HD ref WS129) Quadrille Tune 2/4 - The Lass O' Gowrie (HD ref WS126) 19 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - 1st Lancers also known locally as Jimmy Ward's No 6 (HD ref JW313) 20 Hornpipe - Sailor's Hornpipe (HD ref JW289) Jig - Nora Creana 21 Waltz - The Dewdrop Waltz (HD ref RQ207) Walrz - The Calcutta Waltz 22 Schottische - Highland Schottische Schottische - Money Musk 23 Hornpipe - Skating Waltz locally known as Her golden hair hung down her neck (HD ref WS113) Quadrille 2/4 - Rob Roy (HD ref WS124) 24 Jig - Tenpenny Bit Polka - Jenny Lynd Polka (HD ref JW302) 25 Jig - The Protestant Boys (HD ref JW297) March - The Boyne Water (HD ref JW309) 26 Jig - St Patrick's Day Jig - The Protestant Boys (HD ref RQ203) 27 Polka - Untitled Polka Jig - Untitled locally titled Hurrah for the Bonnets O' Blue in East Down (HD ref JS81) 28 Quadrille Tune 6/8 - Kenmure's on an awa' locally known as Nane o' yer Winkin' at Me auld Man (HD ref WMcC233) 29 Reel - Soldier's Joy (HD ref JD161) Hornpipe - Untitled Hornpipe (Illegible) 30 Schottische - Brighton Schottische (HD ref JD130) Jig - Nelly Flaherty's Drake (1001 Gems No 44) Jig - Untitled first part only, generally known as Roaring Jelly (HD ref WS113)

Beginnings My passion for Irish Traditional Music began around 1970. My close friends, Davie Wylde, Davy Graham, Charlie Gray, Dick Hogg, and I were all raised in Bangor, County Down. Our mentor Johnny Johnston, had also been raised in Bangor, but spent much of his childhood in the Mourne Mountains. He was a keen hill walker, so whilst he and his wife Anne lived in Bangor, they also had a small cottage in the Mournes. As a result, Davie, Davy, Charlie, Dick, and I rented a derelict house up the lane from Johnny’s. Above Johnny Johnston by the fire in his cottage down a long lane from the Kinnahalla Road, Stang 1976. Denis Reynolds is on the right. Above Wood's Yard, Kinnahalla Road, Stang 1973. Dick Hogg, Des Finlay, Mark Lomas, Davy Graham, Davie Wylde, Charlie Gray & Nigel Boullier. Johnny was a keen ballad singer and Irish dancer. He played the guitar and regularly invited his friend Ernie Swain down to his cottage at weekends. Ernie initially played the banjo, however he quickly moved to the fiddle. In the Mourne environment we all started playing traditional music – Davie the mandolin then the fiddle, Davy the guitar then the mandola, Charlie the guitar, Dick the tin whistle and I the tenor banjo. We started playing in the Saturday night session in Peter Doran’s, the Mourne View Bar, a couple of miles east of Hilltown and later in Tommy John McKay’s Bar beside the Square in Hilltown. Right; Stang, Clonduff 1976 Top Row - Denise Russel, George Russell, Davie Wylde, Charlie Gray Sitting - Dianna Skillen, Nigel Boullier, Ernie Swain, Davy Graham, Julian Friers. Back in Bangor, Davie, Davy and I played regularly in local sessions; Fealty’s Bar in Bangor and Finnegan’s Bar in Kircubbin. The sessions were a mixture of ballads and a few well-known tunes. Around Easter 1974 we were playing in a session in Finnegan’s with Joe Mullan (singer and banjo player), Stevie Egan (fiddle player) and Johnny Muir (singer, harmonica and bones player) when we met Geordie McAdam and Stanley Mooney. Geordie and Stanley had been playing regularly as a duet (fiddle and B/C accordion) and suggested that, since we were primarily interested in Irish Traditional dance tunes, we should go to the predominantly fiddle sessions in the Castle Inn, Comber and Balloo House. The many reels, jigs and hornpipes that we learned in Margaret’s (the Castle Inn) and Balloo stood us in good stead when we started going to the fleadhs in forthcoming years . In July 1975 we met up with four musicians in Fealty’s; Dianna and Norman Skillen, siblings who played tin whistles (Norman is also a singer), Julian Friers played whistle and flute, and George Russell the bodhran. Although they hailed from Bangor we had never met. We started meeting weekly on Friday evenings; the Fealty’s session commenced and although the session has changed over the decades it continued for 47 years. Dianna started playing fiddle soon after our all meeting up. Right Charlie Ferguson (flute), Davie Wylde (fiddle), Nigel Boullier (banjo), George Russell (bodhran), Davy Graham (guitar), Dianna Skillen (fiddle), Julian Friers (whistle/flute) Bangor - New Year's Eve 1975 By 1976 I had realised that the Comber and Balloo sessions were unique; many of the dance tunes played, such as various types of schottisches, polkas, quadrille tunes, strathspeys and mazurkas, had been long lost from the mainstream repertoire in Irish Traditional Music sessions. These tunes had been introduced by the mainstay of the session, Jackie Donnan. Jackie, from Shrigley outside Killyleagh, had learned much of his music locally in the late 1940’s and 1950’s from dance music fiddle players such as Toye William Savage and Willie McCloy. From this point I started collecting any information relating to the local style of fiddle playing; fiddlers’ lore, fiddle tunes and the crucial relationship (in terms of County Down) between the fiddle playing and the local dancing culture. On New Year’s Day 1993 Gerry O’Connor and I spent a quiet afternoon playing tunes with Jackie at his home in Shrigley. It was then that I decided to play the fiddle. So after playing the banjo with Jackie for 19 years, we then started playing the fiddles together at least once a week until his death in 2007. We travelled locally, meeting and playing tunes with fiddlers. This refreshed my interest in the fiddle culture and opened up more avenues for research. In 1996 Jackie and I started playing for the weekly dance in Greyabbey Village Hall; this finally stopped in 2016. In the period after Jackie's death in 2007 Willie Lindsay joined me at the dance in an effort to keep the twin fiddle tradition alive. Nigel Boullier & Jackie Donnan, Greyabbey Village Hall, 2002 Right; Jim Moore, Moybrick, 2004 Around 1998 I called in with Jim Moore, a fiddle player from Dromara. Whereas Jackie had played with Willie Savage and Willie McCloy in the late 1940s and early 1950s around Killyleagh, Jim had learnt his music from Sammy Thompson and Robbie Chambers in the 1930s around Dromara. Although the two districts were less than twenty miles apart Jim had, to large extent, a different repertoire of tunes for largely the same dances. Jim and I played fiddles together weekly for about 10 years.

Dianna Skillen Jigs - The Irish Giant & The Atholl Highlanders Dianna Skillen (fiddle) and Nigel Boullier (banjo), Frankie Kennedy (flute) and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (fiddle), play two jigs - the Irish Giant and the Atholl Highlanders . 1983. The first tune was introduced into sessions in the late 1970s by Caoimhín Mac Aoidh, who learned it from his uncle Vincent McLaughlin from County Derry; the second of Scottish origin. Reels - The Opera Reel & Jumping Geordie Dianna Skillen and Nigel Boullier play two reels; the Opera Reel and Jumping Geordie , 1995. The Opera Reel comes from the fiddle playing of Jackie Donnan (1933-2007), which he learnt from his fiddle playing mentor Willie McCloy (1886-1959). It can be found on page 99 of Nigel Boullier's book Handed Down, County Fiddling and Dancing in East and Central County Down 2012. The reel Jumping Geordie is known under various titles; the Pope's Toe , Walsh's . An early version, in the key of D, can be found on page 73 of the Athole Collection , 1884. Jumping Geordie can be found on page 99 of Dianna Boullier's book Exploring Irish Music and Dance , 1998. Jigs - Tatter Jack Walsh, Donal Staunton's & John Henry's Dianna Skillen & Sam McCaughey (fiddles), Nigel Boullier (banjo) and Davy Graham (mandola) play three jigs; Tatter Jack Walsh , Donal Staunton's and John Henry's . The second jig is better known as the Bush on the Hill and was often played in the 1970s sessions in Comber and Balloo, County Down where the founding banjo player Bob Davey had learned it from the fine Galway banjo player Donal Staunton from Spiddal. Dufferin Arms, Killyleagh, 1992 Mazurkas - The Spanish Mazurka & Rockin' the Cradle Dianna Skillen (fiddle), and Nigel Boullier (banjo) play two mazurkas; The Spanish Mazurka and Rockin' the Cradle . They learned both tunes from Jackie Donnan who in turn learned them from Willie Savage the fiddle player from the Toye, Killyleagh. Recorded 1983

Jackie Donnan (1933 - 2007) The following film clips of Jackie are reproduced with the kind permission of Raymond and Kate Beattie. They were recorded in Killyleagh in 1977. The Iron Man - Strathspey Jackie Do nnan plays the Strathspey The Iron Man which he learnt from his mentor Willie Savage from the To ye, Killyle agh. The Blackbird - Hornpipe Jackie Donnan plays the hornpipe The Blackbird which he played regularly in his weekly session in Comber. Untitled Mazurka Jackie Donnan plays a mazurka which he played for the dance the polka mazurka. He also played it often regularly in his weekly session in Comber. Untitled Polka & Buffalo Gals - two Plain Polkas Jackie Donnan plays two plain polkas. He never had a name for the first polka whilst he got the second one, a version of Buffalo Gals , from his mentor Willie McCloy. Jimmy McClurg's - 2/4 Quadrille Tune Jackie plays Jimmy McClurg's, a 2/4 Quadrille Tune, that he learnt from Davy Gray. It came from Jimmy McClurg who came from Upper Crossgare, a few miles from Dromara. Jackie played it for the last figure of the Lancers. Jackie showing the simple introductory steps of the two-hand dance, the Polka Mazurka - he was always shy and wary of recording hence the short duration and abrupt ending.

Brian Sutherland Jigs - The Whistler at the Wake, The Old Flail & The Rafters over the Waves Brian Sutherland, Finbar McLaughlin (pipes) & Cyril Maguire (flute) playing the jigs The Whistler at the Wake , The Old Flail and The Rafters over the Waves, accompanied by John Robertson (bodhran). The first two tunes were composed by flute player Vincent Broderick. Recorded c.2007. Strathspey - The Laird of Drumblair Brian Sutherland playing The Laird of Drumblair , a strathspey played regularly by Brian's uncle Jackie Donnan. Recorded c.2010. Reel - The Moving Bog Brian Sutherland playing The Moving Bogs of Allen , a well-known reel in the Comber session where it was usually titled simply The Moving Bog . Recorded c.2010. Jig - Tatter Jack Walsh Brian Sutherland playing Tatter Jack Walsh , a well-known jig in the Comber session. Recorded c.2010. Mazurkas - Jackie Donnan's Mazurkas Brian Sutherland playing two mazurkas that he learned from his uncle Jackie Donnan. Jackie usually called them Jimmy McElroy's (from whom he learned it) and The Spanish Mazurka. Recorded c.2010.

Sam McCaughey Jigs - The Eavesdropper , Sackows and the Knights of St Patrick Sam McCaughey (fiddle), Trevor Stewart (pipes), John Hughes (flute) and Frank Cassidy (bouzouki), collectively known as Curlew play three jigs which they called; the Eavesdropper , Sackows and the Knights of St Patrick . 1986 The second jig is often known as Tripping up the Stairs , whilst the third tune is not usually associated with this title. The third jig was introduced into the Comber session, County Down in the 1970s, where Sam regularly played, by Bob Davey who got the tune from Donal Staunton a fine banjo player from Spiddal, County Galway. Reels - Dowd's No.9 and The Cabin Hunter Sam McCaughey, Dianna Skillen (fiddles), Nigel Boullier (banjo) and Davy Graham (mandola) play two reels; Dowd's No.9 and the Cabin Hunter , Killyleagh, 1992 Jigs - Willie Coleman's & The Teddy Boy's Picnic Sam McCaughey (fiddle), Trevor Stewart (pipes), John Hughes (flute) and Frank Cassidy (bouzouki), collectively known as Curlew play two jigs; Willie Coleman' s and the Teddy Boy's Picnic , better known as the Dusty Windowsill . 1985. Reels - Buck from the Mountain, Tuttle's & The Boys of Portaferry Sam McCaughey, Dianna Skillen (fiddles), Nigel Boullier (banjo) and Davy Graham (mandola) play three reels; Buck from the Mountain (a reel version of the hornpipe), Tuttle's (or Bobby Casey's ) and the Boys of Portaferry . Dufferin Arms, 1992 Reels - The Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Staten Island & The Five Mile Chase Sam McCaughey (fiddle), Trevor Stewart (pipes), John Hughes (flute) and Frank Cassidy (bouzouki), collectively known as Curlew play three reels; the Guns of the Magnificent Seven , a composition of County Fermanagh bouzouki player Fintan McManus, Staten Island and the Five Mile Chase .

Harry Coulter playing the fiddle at home at Ballybryan on the shores of Strangford Lough, 1994 1/3 The slides above of Jim McBride & Edel McElholm - The Abbey, Greyabbey & Strangford Lough shore c.2005 are courtesy of Bernie Brown picture ©Bernie Brown, @berniebrown5 Joe Walker, 1910 Joe Walker c.1925 Harry Coulter, Jim Creaney & Kenny Thompson Joe Walker, 1910 1/9 Thomas Somerset & Co Ltd, Linen Manufacturing Factory, Greyabbey on an outing to Mount Stewart, c1910. Fiddler Johnnie Dunn. Johnny McKeating c.1970 Will's Billy Curran 1925 Jim Creaney & Paddy Brennan Johnny McKeating c.1970 1/6 Two fiddle players led a wedding party, thought to be in Portaferry

Andy Dickson 1 The following audio tracks were recorded by Bernie Stocks at Andy & Anne's home. Reel - The Boys of Cornacrieve Andy learned the reel The Boys of Cornacrieve from Willie McKeever at a session in The Crosskeys, County Antrim many years ago. I learned the tune from my friend Liam Donnelly in 1977 who collected it from James McMahon the well-known County Fermanagh flute player. It was composed by James McMahon and is included in Liam's book County Fermanagh Dance Tunes Book Number 2 , the tunes having been collected between November 1966 and March 1967. Boys of Cornacrieve Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:34 Reel - Untitled Untitled Reel Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:11 Jig - Cathal McConnell's Jig Cathal McConnell's Jig Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:11 Reel - The Cottage in the Grove Cottage in the Grove Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:51 Reel - Felix Kearney's Andy learned this reel from County Tyrone Fiddle player Felix Kearney. Felix Kearney's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:32 Hornpipe - Rickett's Hornpipe Rickett's Hornpipe Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:28 Reel - John Doherty's John Doherty's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:28 Reel - The Last Tune John Doherty's Dad Played Last Tune John Doherty's Dad played Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:37 Jig - Up and About in the Morning Up and about in the the Morning Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:59 Reel - Johnny from Gransha Johnny from Gransha Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:56 Reel - Maguire's Reel Maguire's Reel Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:19 Reel - Paddy Fahey's Paddy Fahey's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 02:20 Jig - Johnny Henry's Johnny Henry's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:10 Reel - Maids of Mullaghmore Maids of Mullaghmore Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:49 Reel - Charlie Harris's Charlie Harris's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:27 Reel - The Hills and Vales of Cork Hills and Vales of Cork Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:49 Schottische - Charlie O'Neill's Charlie O'Neill's Highland Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:27 Hornpipe - Eddie Clarke's Eddie Clarke's Hornpipe Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:31 Reel - Andy Dickson's Andy Dickson's Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:48 Reel - Untitled Untitled Reel No 2 Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:33 Barndance - Untitled No.1 Untitled Barndance 1 Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:23 Barndance - Untitled No.2 Untitled Barndance 2 Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:46 Hornpipe - The Plains of Waterloo The Plains of Waterloo Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:21 Reel- The Submarine Composed by Andy Dickson. The Submarine Andy Dickson 00:00 / 00:50 Reel - The Shaving Glass Shaving Glass Andy Dickson 00:00 / 01:14