Feedback Received
Here are a few emails we received from readers and listeners. They all add something additional to Sound Your A. We welcome all information and feedback.
​
Keep it coming!
​Dear Enda,
I have to write to you.
To say how much we appreciate your hard work and value the compilation of music and stories and more in Sound Your A.
I’m sitting with my mum, Annie Hegarty, now 90. I have just read her excerpts from your book, with particular attention to page 31, where you tell of her bringing a gramophone home and sharing music with brothers Paddy and Michael Hegarty.
Thank you so much for this book and the recordings. Gerry Hegarty (my cousin) told me all about this book and I bought it pronto!
This book means so much to us all. This book has enthralled us all and brought back a past that we weren’t all able to share in. and for the future. My son playing some great Irish jigs and reels on his fiddle.. He is a talented musician descended from Ennistymon 😀. It’s amazing he is able to read and hear about his great Uncle Paddy’s musical achievements and be very proud of Paddy and of his own Irish roots... and of course the whole tradition of music from Clare.
I’m one of Annie’s 7 children, born in the UK
Now to read all the book
All best
Mary
Hello Enda
The book and CDs have arrived and are absolutely fantastic, thanks very much.
Great music. Your uncle George is fantastic on the piano too.
Also great to hear a recording of Tom Hegarty. In correspondence with the late Tommy Peoples he told me that Tom Hegarty had been in Chicago and had brought the reel Farrell O’ Gara back with him and introduced it to local musicians and it becoming very popular. I didn’t know anything about Tom Hegarty but found out that he was in the Kilfenora Ceili Band.
Incidentally my great friend Mick Leahy who is a relation of Tommy Peoples and Kitty Linnane is also a very good musician. Wondering if you might know him.
Anyway, thanks very much again for such great music and the fantastic book of history and photos.
All the very best
Lamond
​Enda
As an old (?) ex-native of the town and a friend of several of the
people featured in the book (Weeshie, Gus Arthur, Sean Conway etc) , I
find the book extremely interesting and way overdue. I also sent a copy
to a brother of mine in the UK who is equally delighted with it. Memories.
My name is Joe (Dermot) Leyden from Lower Main Street. Gus and myself
were slightly related (the same great-grandparents) and I was his
unofficial go for back in the 50/60s.
My mother played the piano and we spent a good deal of time in Arthur's
house with Gus and Nell (and frequent visits from Gabriel, Frank,
Charlie etc.).
My reason for contacting you: For several years I have been compiling a
database of Irish music recordings (using the Microsoft Access Database
Manager). I have added the Sound Your A tracks to the system. What I
would like to find out, if possible, are the approximate dates of the
various recording made by John, for example - the Jim Mulqueeney and the
Michael's C/B, the Paddy Byrt and the Sean Keane and the Galway C/B
tracks plus any other relevant dates you may know.
I well remember the sessions in the Square at the side of Paddy Healy's
shop with Ml Murphy, Sean Conway Michael Byrt etc), on the Sunday
afternoons.
I still have lots of well-worn music sheets of popular songs used by my
mother when she played now and again with John Madigan back in the
Thirties before she married. She was Marie O'Dwyer in those days. I can
also clearly recall the day the railway closed - there was a bit of
music (I played a drum).
Finally I also remember John Byrt's picture house at the Town Hall - he
always had a large advertising placard tied to the ESB poles at
Considine's and Gallery's corners. If there were any female legs
displayed on them, May Byrnes used to paint over them with a black
marker or brush!
Once again - well done.
Regards.
Joe Leyden
​Enda
As an old (?) ex-native of the town and a friend of several of the
people featured in the book (Weeshie, Gus Arthur, Sean Conway etc) , I
find the book extremely interesting and way overdue. I also sent a copy
to a brother of mine in the UK who is equally delighted with it. Memories.
My name is Joe (Dermot) Leyden from Lower Main Street. Gus and myself
were slightly related (the same great-grandparents) and I was his
unofficial go for back in the 50/60s.
My mother played the piano and we spent a good deal of time in Arthur's
house with Gus and Nell (and frequent visits from Gabriel, Frank,
Charlie etc.).
My reason for contacting you: For several years I have been compiling a
database of Irish music recordings (using the Microsoft Access Database
Manager). I have added the Sound Your A tracks to the system. What I
would like to find out, if possible, are the approximate dates of the
various recording made by John, for example - the Jim Mulqueeney and the
Michael's C/B, the Paddy Byrt and the Sean Keane and the Galway C/B
tracks plus any other relevant dates you may know.
I well remember the sessions in the Square at the side of Paddy Healy's
shop with Ml Murphy, Sean Conway Michael Byrt etc), on the Sunday
afternoons.
I still have lots of well-worn music sheets of popular songs used by my
mother when she played now and again with John Madigan back in the
Thirties before she married. She was Marie O'Dwyer in those days. I can
also clearly recall the day the railway closed - there was a bit of
music (I played a drum).
Finally I also remember John Byrt's picture house at the Town Hall - he
always had a large advertising placard tied to the ESB poles at
Considine's and Gallery's corners. If there were any female legs
displayed on them, May Byrnes used to paint over them with a black
marker or brush!
Once again - well done.
Regards.
Joe Leyden
​Thanks Enda,
That's all I needed to update the info in my music database.
My mother Marie was a sister to the chemist Willie O'Dwyer. There were
four in that family - also Vennie and Paddy. All except Willie played
the piano. I think my mother was just "on call" by John Madigan, when
Minnie Arthur (or maybe Georgie Byrt ) was unavailable. John never
seemed to have a permanent pianist.
I have some of the music sheets they used - one marked 'Kilrush August
1936' is the theme song from the movie "Paddy the Next Best Thing" with
wonderful words "Her dad called her Paddy because he hoped she'd be a
laddie". They don't make movies like that anymore.
Feel free to use my emails as you wish.
Gabriel is very good (for his age!). He lives now in Bristol in a place
run by nuns. He was with the doctor yesterday having his ears attended
to (pierced?).
Best wishes,
Joe Leyden