Annotation:Father Grady's Visit to Bockagh

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FATHER GRADY'S VISIT TO BOCKAGH. AKA - "Father O'Grady's Visit to Bocca." Irish, Reel. Ireland, County Sligo. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Composed by Ballyfarnon, County Sligo, flute and whistle player Josie McDermott (1925-1992), who also was a lilter, singer and saxophone player. According to Brian McNamara (2004), "The title recalls the occasion of a visit by a missionary priest to his home townland of Bocca, near Ballydreen, County Roscommon during which he presented Josie with a flute with which to compose this tune for him." See also the similarly-entitled (but musically different) Charlie Mulvihill tune "Father Grady's Trip to Brocagh" (which is actually P.J. Kelly's "Derry Craig Wood").

Sources for notated versions: flute player Colm O'Donnell (b. 1962, Aclare, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker].

Printed sources: Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 11. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 119, p. 36. Treoir, 1992.

Recorded sources: Drumlin Records BMNCD2, Brian McNamara - "Fort of the Jewels" (2004). Green Linnet SIF 1095, Altan - "Horse with a Heart." Josie McDermott - "Darby's Farewell" (1977). Larraga Records MMR112000, Mike and Mary Rafferty - "The Road from Ballinakill" (2001). Catherine McEvoy with Felix Dolan.




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