John Keehan: The Humours of Scariff
Guest Musicians:
Derek Hickey – Accordion
Ciara O’Sullivan- Harp and Vocals
Willie Kilkenny- Flute
Mary Noonan- Vocals
John grew up in Lough Cutra about 4 miles outside Gort in South Galway in the 1970’s, the youngest of a family of 4 boys, Seamus, Vincie, Joseph and 2 girls, Mary and Bridget, to parents Michael and Margaret Keehan. He began learning the fiddle when he attended lessons given by the then All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Champion ,Vincent Griffin from Feakle in Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare around 1974.
In the 1970s Traditional Music was going through a huge revitalisation and in common with many other households, there was a strong interest in music , song and dance at home . His father and mother were avid set dancers and were close friends with legendary Banjo player Dessie Mulkere who lived nearby at that time. Although neither played music, they passed a love of music and song onto all of the family, with John’s late brother Seamus an accomplished Tin Whistle player. His brother Vincie who lives in San Francisco play mandolin and guitar and has made a number of recordings and is a frequent composer of songs while his sister Mary Noonan sings on John new album “The Humours of Scariff” and was a regular at many singers’ clubs in Clare and further afield throughout the years
He was influenced at home by the music of De Danann, The Bothy Band, The Chieftains and many others as his brothers bought the latest cassette tapes at every opportunity. He was lucky enough to get to hear many of these wonderful musicians up close at The Clare Folk Club in Crusheen , which was run by Joe Galligan in the late 1970s and early '80s.
He was also influenced by the legacy of Joe Cooley in South Galway, as the Cooley Collins Traditional Festival set up to honour Joe and Kieran Collins memory in the early 1980s , took place in Gort every October Bank Holiday weekend and drew musicians from all over the country . It is a festival that holds fond memories for him and every year, he is regularly found playing in Johnny Kelly’s pub on the Sunday night of the Festival.
Later on in the 1980’s John would often travel to Mary Ward’s pub between Loughrea and Athenry to play in the Tuesday night sessions with Tom Cussen, Kevin Rohan, Charlie Harris and the late Paul McInerney and many others.
Since moving to Scariff in 2002 with his wife and family , John has been a regular fixture of the music scene in the East Clare area and regularly plays in sessions in Scariff, Tuamgraney, Mountshannon, Ballina, Terryglass and in Kilclaren as well as at Festivals in Louisburgh, Milltown , Corofin, Gort among others .
In recent years John has composed many tunes and in his debut album “ The Humours of Scariff” , he includes 3 of his compositions, Eimear’s Hornpipe dedicated to the memory of his niece Eimear Noonan who died when falling while out for a run in France in November 2017. The second tune “Lament for Barry” was composed in memory of his young neighbour Barry Nash who died following a car accident in January 2014 and the third tune is a jig called “ The Blue Chicken”, so named after an Oral Irish exam yielded that response from a student who was encountering some long pauses in trying to respond to the examiner’s questions.
Audio
Track 1: The Small Hills of Offaly
Track 2: Con Cassidy's Jig
Track 3: I Live Not Where I Love
Track 4: The Hairy Chested Frog
Track Listing
- By Golly, Kilglass Lakes & Con Cassidy's (Jigs) 04:41
- Pearl O'Shaughnessy's & Eddie Duffy's (Barndances) 04:21
- The Dunmore Lasses, Feeding the Birds & The Dublin Lads Reel (Reels) 03:50
- Eimear's Hornpipe & The Cloone Hornpipe 04:08
- The Blue Chicken & Patsy Geary's (Jigs) 03:35
- I Live Not Where I Love (Song) 05:10
- Hold the Reins & The Small Hills of Offaly (Reels) 02:58
- Lament for Barry 03:52
- A Parcel of Land, The Hairy Chested Frog & Kiss me Kate (Reels) 03:20
- Kilcooley Wood & The Good Natured Man (Hornpipes) 04:22
- The Leitrim Lilter & The Floating Crowbar (Reels) 03:52
- An Droimeann Donn Dílis (Song) 02:16
- Tinker Hill & The Lillies in the Field (Reels) 01:55
- When Sick is it Tea you Want Dominic Rooney's Up and About in the Morning & The Bride's Favourite (5.46)
- The Humours of Scariff & The West Clare Railway (Reels) 02:41
Press Reviews
Irish Music Magazine 4/21
John Keehan who lives in Scariff, Co. Clare, grew up in Lough Cutra near Gort, Co. Galway, and with him on this, his long-awaited CD are guest musicians Derek Hickey (accordion), Ciara O’Sullivan (harp & vocals), Willy Kilkenny (flute), and Mary Noonan, John’s sister, (vocals). There are two songs, several traditional dance tunes and three of John’s own compositions, and the combined ensemble provide us with what I am happy to describe as a pure listening pleasure. The recording, The Humours of Scariff, is given that title in honour of John’s adopted home.
But whatever Clare musical influences John might have experienced, he will quickly remind us that his musical roots are in Galway. His parents were excellent set dancers and while neither of them played an instrument, they instilled in their children a love of Irish music. Also, the radio was important in their lives, and Ciarán Mac Mathúna’s Sunday morning Mo Cheol Thú was a favourite. Indeed, I had the honour and the pleasure of ‘sitting in’ for Ciarán and presented the programme when he was away on other business.
John’s CD has an added feature that adds hugely to the enjoyment of listening to his playing and that of his guests, and that is the liner notes covering biographical details and fascinating information on all of the tracks. For instance, while most of the tunes are from the tradition, he tells he got the Cloone Hornpipe from his mother-in-law, Joan Giblin, who in turn found it in the Roche Collection of Traditional Music. Frank Roche’s collection was published in 1912. The other tune in the hornpipe medley, Eimear’s Hornpipe, is John’s composition, written in memory of his niece Eimear Noonan, Mary’s daughter, who died in a tragic accident in France in 2017.
Ciara O’Sullivan’s harp playing is heard to great effect throughout the recording and her rendition of I Live Not Where I Love, is just perfect. Indeed, the same applies to Mary Noonan’s singing of that great song - one of my favourites since school days, An Droimeann Donn Dílis. A flawless rendition to round off this gem of a recording. Aidan O’Hara
