Donegal fiddle tradition/Video

Videos

The following videos are hosted by YouTube. They are generally of decent quality but they do not represent the full breadth of Donegal fiddle playing.

• Altan play a lively set of reels; Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Ciaran Tourish on the fiddles here.
• Altan in an earlier (1991) incarnation, with Mairead again, with Paul O'Shaughnessy, playing "The Emyvale," "Ríl Gan Ainm," and "The Three Merry Sisters of Fate."
• Francie Byrne and Peter Carr playing "Dinky Dorian's Reel." From the RTE video Come West along the Road.
• James Byrne, bowing vigorously as usual here, playing "McCahill's Reels," two well-known Donegal reels, along with some other fiddlers, and encouraged by some enthusiastic (and probably drunk) "punters" (pub patrons).
• Canúintí Ceoil begins with James Byrne and a rare and brief, but very nice, snippet John Doherty (playing "The Black Mare of Fanad"). From TG4.
• Jimmy Campbell, playing the common Scottish reel on a bus for some sheep (it seems)--probably did not know he was being recorded, but does a fine job anyway.
• Vincent Campbell, Jimmy's brother, playing two mazurkas and a reel, "Bean a Ti ar Lar."
• Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh giving a Donegal treatment to the well-known reel "The Foxhunter's."
• Ciaran Mooney playing one version of "The King of the Pipers."
• Francie Mooney (father of Mairead, grandfather of Ciaran) in an interview (in Irish), in five parts. With music from various well-known Irish musicians with connections to Francie. Part 2 (in which Francie himself plays with Altan), Part 3 (singing), Part 4 (featuring Paddy Glackin playing three reels at an uncharacteristically slow pace; at end, Francie playing jigs with daughter and grandson), Part 5 (conclusion of the latter tunes & more). From TG4.
• Tommy Peoples playing two strathspeys, "The Laird of Drumblair" and "William Marshall's." From the RTE video Come West along the Road.
• Some younger Donegal fiddlers are represented here, including Mick Brown, Tara Connaghan, Ronan Galvin, and Derek McGinley.