Various Artists – Round The House And Mind The Dresser

An outstanding and remarkable collection of Irish traditional music edited by Reg Hall. Round the House and Mind the Dresser could almost be described as “The other side of Irish traditional music” in that much of the recording of the music over the last eighty years or so has concentrated on a repertoire largely dominated by reels and jigs. On this record we have brought together a programme of polkas, slides, flings, hornpipes, the mazurka, waltzes and barndances – music of the country-house dances of rural Ireland and the dance halls of Irish-America.

About one third of the recordings are taken from superbly re-mastered 78s, made between 1925 and the 1950s while the balance comes from studio and live recordings from the 60s and 70s – and every one is a classic. An unusual and exiting repertoire played by some of the masters and mistresses of Irish Traditional Music including Michael Coleman, Johnny Doherty, Johnny O’Leary, Jimmy Power, Julia Clifford, The Flanagan Brothers, Hugh Gillespie, Paddy Killoran, Frank Quinn and many others.

1 ERIN’S PRIDE ORCHESTRA Come To The Fair / Sixpenny Bit / The Barren Rocks Of Aden
2 JOHNNY O’LEARY accordeon Mike Sullivan’s / Tom Billy’s / Fling & Hornpipe For The Set
3 JOHNNY DOCHERTY fiddle The Twenty-One Highland / Fling For The Highland
4 GENE KELLY accordeon Sean Hayes’ / If There Weren’t Any Women In The World / Tunes For The Barndance
5 JIMMY POWER fiddle with Reg Hall piano The Little Fair Child / Song Air For The Old Time Waltz
6 THE FOUR PROVINCES ORCHESTRA Untitled / Limerick Races / Flings For The Highland
7 ROSE MURPHY fiddle The First Of May / The Last Of June / Polkas For The Set
8 TOMMY HEALEY flute & JOHNNY DUFFY fiddle Untitled / Tune For The First Part Of The Lancers
9 GARY OWEN IRISH RECORDING ORCHESTRA Casey’s Favourites / Flings For The Highlands
10 JULIA CLIFFORD fiddle Padraig O’Keefe’s : March For The Set : Untitled : Slide For The Set
11 FLANAGAN BROTHERS accordeon & tenor banjo Untitled / Untitled / Lord Moira
12 MICHAEL COLEMAN & J.P.DOLAN fiddles The Stack Of Barley / Bantry Bay / Hornpipes For The Stack Of Barley
13 ROSE MURPHY melodeon The Road To Ballasadare / Hornpipe For Sean Nos Stepdancing
14 HUGH GILLESPIE fiddle Untitled / Tune For The Mazurka
15 GENE KELLY accordeon She Hasn’t The Thing She Thought She Had / Single Jig For The Set / The Cat In The Corner / Polka For The Set
16 PADDY KILLORAN & PADDY SWEENEY fiddles McDermott’s / Memories Of Sligo / Tunes For The Barndance
17 JOHNNY O’LEARY & MAURICE O’KEEFE accordeon & fiddle The Worn Torn Petticoat / Denis O’Keefe’s Favourite / Slides For The Set
18 FRANK QUINN fiddle & voice Katy Jones Reel / Fling For The Highland
19 JOHNNY DUFFY fiddle with Reg Hall piano Mrs Kenney / Tune For The Old-Time Waltz
20 JOHN McKENNA flute & MICHAEL GAFFNEY mandolin-banjo Up And Away / The Merry Girl / Polkas For The Set
21 JULIA CLIFFORD fiddle Julia Clifford’s / Bill The Weaver’s / Polkas For the Set
22 FOUR PROVINCES ORCHESTRA Marquis Of Huntley / Skin-A-Ma-Rink / Flings For The Highland
23 BERNARD O’SULLIVAN concertina Stack Ryan’s / Polka For The Set
24 PADDY KILLORAN & PADDY SWEENEY fiddles Batt Henry’s Favourite / Untitled / Tunes For The Barndance
25 TERRY TEAHAN melodeon Reagan’s / Slide For The Set
26 MICHAEL GORMAN fiddle Margaret Barry banjo The Versavienna / Untitled / Untitled
27 JAMES MORRISON fiddle The Return Of Spring / The Mountain Pathway / Polkas For The Set
28 BILLY CLIFFORD flute The Flowing Tide / Hornpipe For The Cashel Set