The Monks of the Screw Trio - Liner Notes

The Monks of the Screw are a group of musicians who frequent the Monday night music session at Scully’s Pub in Newmarket, Co. Cork. This is their third album to date and it marks a significant departure from the norm for them. Here the brethren are reduced to just three and the tried and trusted blend of two fiddles and a flute. The recording was made with very basic equipment in Paudie Scully’s kitchen in Chapel Lane, Newmarket (a suitable address for the Monks).
One of the defence mechanisms built into traditional music is a strong streak of conservatism. Not a narrow, unyielding ‘no surrender’ type of doctrine but rather a healthy respect and admiration for the music and musicians of the past and a reluctance or indeed an inability to venture into the future without bringing along the best of what has gone before. A traditional musician is like a Janus figure, rooted firmly in the present, one face looking forward and the other gazing back into the past. Each generation produces its own innovators who push out the boundaries of acceptability and challenges and checks are the life-blood of the music. They give it relevance and keep it traditional.
In the scheme of things the new album probably represents the retrospective glance, a hankering after the past. The choice of Paudies kitchen and a tape recorder rather than the recording studio can be seen as an attempt to capture the real old fashioned sound of traditional music in a natural setting. You will miss the clinical crispness of modern recordings, the instruments are tuned in the sean nós (give me you’re A): the stopping and starting are not synchronized; sometimes the balance and the tuning are slightly out and at all times you are aware that there was no producer involved. But, paradoxically, it works like a dream. The boys are obviously relaxed and happy and the music has a raw, earthy quality reminiscent of the early pioneering work of Seamus Ennis.
If you would like to know what happens when three musician friends get together on a wet Sunday then lend an ear to this. The music is essentially ‘house music’. The kind of thing you might hear at a hooley after Stations or at a Strawing when any awkward embarrassments of a couple’s first night at home are waved away in a welter of waltzes and polkas.
This is more than just another record, this is an experience. If you are looking for the real thing then look no further. This is the album for you.

Raymond O’Sullivan (16/08/00)
Polkas

Tom Billy’s
From the playing of Jack O’Connell of Lighthouse, Ballydesmond who died in 1994. Jack learned most of his tunes from Padraig O’Keeffe but he got this version from Tom Billy of Glencollins, Ballydesmond. There are numerous versions of this tune in the district: another version called Billy Mahony’s was recorded by the Monks of the Screw in their first tape in 1991 (MKS1) and Padraig O’Keeffe, Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford recorded another version in one of the invaluable early Radio Eireann recordings.
The Britches Full of Stiches
This tune was learned from Jimmy O’Sullivan of Abbeyfeale, an accordion and banjo player. Jimmy originally came from Caherlevoy, Mountcollins where he got this tune from his grandfather, Daithín Davy Linehan. There are many versions of this tune played in the Sliabh Luachra area. Recently, this version was recorded by a group of young musicians of the Tournafolla district in a tape called Hold the Note

Slides
John Crowley’s
John Crowley of Mount Falvey, Ballydesmond, since deceased, diddled this tune for John Walsh in Ballydesmond some years ago. John Crowley learned how to play the fiddle from Padraig O’Keeffe but only played rarely, usually with a borrowed fiddle. He was also a fine singer.
John B. Murphy’s
A tune Maurice O’Keeffe, the Kiskeam fiddler, often plays. He got it from another Kiskeam fiddler, John B. Murphy of Knockavoreen who is also a close relation of Tom Billy Murphy, the famous blind music teacher from Glencollins, Ballydesmond.

Reels
Taylor’s
Mickey Rattler’s
These two tunes come from Paddy Cronin, a Padraig O’Keeffe pupil, originally from Reabuí, Gneeveguilla, who immigrated to America in 1945 where he lived for 45 years, mainly in Boston. He made many recordings there for O’Byrne de Witt. He also composes music.
He is now living in Killarney.

Jigs
Sullivan’s
Learned from fiddle players Ger Collins, Knockachar, Knocknagoshel and William O’Connell, Tullig, Castleisland. Ger and William have been playing together for years around the Sliabh Luachra district.
Wallop the Spot
From the fiddle player Dan O’Keeffe originally from Ballyhoulihan, Boherbue but now living in Knockballymartin, Kilbrin. Dan got it from a recording made in America of the Clare concertina player Chris Droney. It was made sometime in the 1960’s and is called Irish Dance Music.

Polkas
These two tunes came from Jimmy O’Sullivan of Abbeyfeale. He learned them from his grandfather Daithín Davey Linehan (1889-1973), a good friend of Padraig O’Keeffe. Daithín Davey taught music around the Mountcollins district all his life, mainly fiddle, box and war pipes. He was a founding member of the Mountcollins Pipe Band in 1927.
Lord Seaforth’s
The Seaforth Highlanders were a regiment of Scottish soldiers founded by Lord Seaforth in 1777. The regiment consisted mainly of McKenzies of Seaforth who were of Irish extraction. Pipers who were in the regiment compiled The Music Collection of the Seaforth Highlanders. The tune probably came from that collection.
Cutting Bracken
This tune is popular amongst war pipers and pipe bands. It probably comes from a Scottish Gallic song called Buain na Raiteach which in translation means Harvesting of the Bracken.

Hornpipe and Reel
Sonny Riordan (Andrew Riordan) of Tureencahill learned how to play the fiddle from Padraig O’Keeffe. He got these two tunes from him. Padraig would call to the house to give lessons to Sonny on Monday’s. He charged five old pennies for every tune he taught and wrote down.
The Devil’s Dream
This tune is not played very much these days in Sliabh Luachra. It was played a lot by old-time American fiddle players. Nowadays, it seems to have crossed over into the repertoire of the more modern Bluegrass musicians.

The Broomstick
Padraig O’Keeffe played three versions of this tune; The Broomstick, The Broom and Down the Broom, the latter being the most common version played today.

Polkas
A. The Goblachan Polka
This tune was composed by fiddle player John Walsh and is called after
an area close to his homeplace.
B. Gan Ainm
From the playing of Johnny Leary & Mikey Duggan whom we recorded playing it at a mighty session in Knocknagree in February 1985.

Reels
Cronin’s
From the playing of Paddy Cronin. There are many versions of this tune recorded. Paddy Cronin is noted especially for his reel playing and his own very personal style.
A Letter from Home
From the playing of Dan Herlihy. He recorded it on his album The Night of the Fair. Dan, an accordion player from Ballydesmond, immigrated to England in 1960 where he played with many of the Irish musicians living there at the time. Now he is living again in Ballydesmond. He is playing music full-time and is engaged in collecting local music.

Waltzes
Brosna Town
This is a very popular waltz melody in the locality. The Song Brosna Town was composed by Dan Hannon from Knockavinna, Brosna who immigrated to New York in 1948. He worked as a bus driver, a publican and a trade unionist and was engaged in fund–raising in Irish circles. He had a life-long interest in composing songs. He died in 1989.
Moonlight on the Yellow River
From the fiddle playing of Jack Connell of Lighthouse, Ballydesmond. Jack had a great repertoire of waltzes. Except for the last years of his life, he played every day at home. Padraig O’Keeffe told him that one should play daily for at least fifteen minutes. Padraig was his main teacher but he also got lessons from a Mrs. Cronin of Rathmore.

Polkas
John Walsh’s
From John Walsh of Derrygallon, Kanturk, fiddler and composer. He can’t remember where he heard this one.
The Gallope
Sonny Riordan, the Tureencahill fiddle player, got this polka from Padraig O’Keeffe. The Gallope (gallop) is a fast round-dance in 2/4 time that originated in Continental Europe around 1825 and was fashionable there up to the end of the 19th century.

Slides
Follow me down to Carlow
A tune from Mikey Duggan the fiddle player from Knockrour, Scartaglin. Mikey plays it in slide time but it was also played in jig time in Sliabh Luachra. There is a version of it in the Dublin Piper’s Club collection of Johnny O’Leary’s music.
Thade Guiney’s
From the fiddle playing of the late Paddy Fitzgerald of Meenahela, Abbeyfeale who learned it from Thade Guiney of Ballycommane, Tournafolla. Thade was button accordion player who died in 1984 at the age of 82. He played a lot for Wren dances, house parties and gatherings.

Jigs
No Name
Sonny Riordan got this tune from Padraig O’Keeffe. Tom Carroll, a fiddle player from Kiskeam also plays a version of it.
No Name
The late Julia Clifford (Julia the Weaver) recorded this in The Humours of Lisheen. It has a lot of similarities to The Walls of Liscarroll which Julia recorded on Ceol as Sliabh Luachra and which The Monks of the Screw also recorded in their 1995 recording (MKS2)

Polkas
Cashman’s
This polka was composed by John Walsh. John, whom has composed numerous tunes, had fiddle lessons from Dan Roger O’Sullivan of Newmarket, a music teacher who died in 1967. He named this tune in honour of Patrick Cashman, a neighbour, accordion player and singer who died in 1987. Patrick played with the Sean Lynch Ceilidh Band and for years he played with Jackie Daly and Jim O’Keeffe at Bill Sullivan’s stage (a dancing platform) at Knocknacolon, Kanturk.
B. Bridgie Con Matt’s
Learned from the Rathmore box player Johnny O’Leary, it is noted down in his collection of music by the Dublin Piper’s club. He also recorded it on his tape The Trooper. It is called after Bridget Kelleher, nee Murphy of Lisheen, Gneeveguilla. Bridgie was the oldest of the Weaver Murphy’s. She died in 1993.

Musicians
Paudy Scully, flute
Dan Curtin, fiddle
Tim Browne, fiddle

All arrangements by The Monks of the Screw Trio
Sponsored by Mick Scully of Scully’s Bar, Newmarket
Sleeve notes by Paudy Scully
Recorded by Eoin O’Sullivan