Description

Seoirse & Peadar Live in Dominique’s (Aug 1989)

OUT OF STOCK (But soon available as mp3 downloads)

The Continental Céilí

This aptly-named collection is a live recording from the last gig Peadar and I did in Co. Donegal, August 1989. It was in the tavern of Frenchwoman, Dominique Grasset, in Dunkineely, and I remember well the clientele: Peter and Lynn Petrie from Detroit (at that time living in Mountcharles); a few local girls out for the night; a group of eager American students on their way to, or from, the Irish language school at Oideas Gael in Glencolmbkille. The atmosphere was like that of a folk-club, such was the reverence for the music – to say nothing of the warm response and the clapping and whooping. The American students told me afterwards that they had been in some really dire session before they dropped into Dominique’s for a quick bar meal and were amazed at the quality of Peadar’s playing and decided to stay. One of them, a musician himself, said that Peadar played like a true champion when he performed straight traditional tunes (a champion he certainly was), but he thought that he was magnificent when he “broke all the rules”. He re-christened him “The Jimmy Hendrix of the button accordion”.

Peadar never rehearsed. It was impossible to sit him down with a new idea or a new tune and get him to practise it. On our way to the gig I told him that I had a special tune for him to play as a link-piece for the song “Go, Move, Shift”. I hummed it. He just puffed on his cigar and said nothing. As we were setting up the PA for the evening, I hummed it again and said “D minor – is that key okay?” Then the gig started and without mentioning the tune he launched straight into it when the song came up on the set-list. As it progressed, he embellished it. He also listened to my guitar riff and imitated that too. We had never done that song before as a duo. It was so spontaneous. Peadar’s musicality was supreme.

Keys are always a problem with box-players when they perform with singers like me who prefer the keys of F-sharp, E-flat and B-flat to the standard keys of D, G and A. On one occasion I forgot to put my capo on for a song that was meant to be in D and Peadar came in, as usual, with his blistering reel in between each verse. It sounded great. Afterwards he said: “That one threw me! I had to play that reel in C …and do entirely new fingering…and remember to put in all the ornaments.” “Sorry!” I said, “but it sounded fine to me.” He said “Try standing on your head, drink a pint o’ Guinness and play the Mason’s Apron at the same time!” “Well, you just did it, Peadar!” We laughed our heads off.

I have such warm memories of that evening. And every time I listen to this recording I’m back there in Dominique’s with him by my side. I can even smell his cigar!