Special thanks to:
My family, especially my Mom and Dad, whose continued nurturing of my interest in music and dance from an early age has given me this musical gift; To the Reavy family, for their support and generosity in allowing me to celebrate their father’s music with this recording; To my Suzuki violin teachers at BTEC, Ms. Dana Goode, my classical violin teacher of many years, and especially Brendan Mulvihill, whose caring mentoring developed my roots in Irish fiddling; To Mr. Joe Byrne of J. Patrick’s Irish Pub in Baltimore, for inviting me and all aspiring Irish musicians into his pub to develop our skills and our appreciation of traditional Irish music; To Billy McComiskey, for his patience and encouragement with my step dancing and my music; To Chris & Bob Seay and Mark Grasso, for giving me my first band experience sitting in with “Relatively Irish”, and to Bob Smith for inviting me to be a member of the ceili band “Custom House” ; To John Whelan for his guidance and all the touring and recording experience while a member of his band; To the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, O'Neill-Malcom Branch, the Greater Washington Ceili Club, the Emerald Isle Club in Baltimore, and the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis and Elkins College, Elkins W.Va., for their generosity and encouragement; To Andy Thurston, Mark Evans, Peter Fitzgerald, and Eliot Grasso, for their wonderful musical contribution and especially Myron Bretholz for his guidance and support with this project.



Composition:
All tunes composed by Ed Reavy and arranged by Jim Eagan, except, “The Irish Washerwoman” traditional, arranged by Ed Reavy and Jim Eagan. All tunes used with the kind permission of Ed Reavy, Jr., President, Ed Reavy Non-Profit Foundation, and the Reavy family. (P) 2003.

Players:
Jim plays a German fiddle of unknown origin and uses Tonica Strings made by Pirastro (www.pirastro.com). The fiddle is maintained by Violinmaker Kevin Cardiff, Baltimore, Md. (www.kcardiff-violin.com). Players
Andy Thurston plays a 1997 Collings CJM Guitar, a 1924 Martin T18 Model Tiple, and a 2001 Weber Absaroka Mandola.

Andy Thurston plays a 1997 Collings CJM Guitar, a 1924 Martin T18 Model Tiple, and a 2001 Weber Absaroka Mandola.

Mark Evans plays a bouzouki made by Richard Beard, Rutherfordton, N.C.

Eliot Grasso plays a 3/4 concert set of pipes made by Kirk Lynch of Weston, Missouri.

Peter Fitzgerald plays a tenor banjo made by Windsor.

Myron Bretholz plays bodhrans made by Albert Alfonso and Fred Halpin, and uses tippers made by Aran Olwell.



Productions Credits:
Produced by Jim Eagan
Engineered by Rennie Grant
Mastered by Bill Wolf
Recorded January-May 2003 at Mission Media, Baltimore, Maryland, USA www.missionmedia.net
Photography by Regina M. Lansinger
Design and Layout by Mission Media

Liner Notes:
1. Reels: John Roarty’s, The Starry Lane to Monaghan, Aughamore* (4:07)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar, Mark-Bouzouki
Jim has chosen three powerful reels to open the album. "John Roarty’s" is named for a Philadelphia fiddle player who operated a taproom in the 1930s. "Starry Lane to Monaghan" refers to Cavan’s neighboring county. Ed Reavy’s homeplace Barnagrove is close by the Cavan-Monaghan border, and the story had it that one could see Monaghan from Cavan on a starry night. Ed’s mother came from Monaghan, and he always had a special fondness for that county. The great northern flute player Fintan Vallely held this tune in such high regard that he not only recorded it, but named his 1991 album (done with guitarist Mark Simos) after it. "Aughamore" has been recorded by accordionist Joe Burke and fiddler Oisin MacDiarmada. Jim plays these tunes in C major, E minor, and D major. The key changes make for a dramatic opening set.

2. Reels: Where the Shannon Rises, Pat Boyle of Glencolumkill* (3:08)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar, Mark-Bouzouki
The first reel, “Where the Shannon Rises,” is also the name of the book which contains the collected compositions of Ed Reavy. The Shannon Pot, which is the source of that great river, is in County Cavan, a fact of which Ed was proud. The second reel, “Pat Boyle of Glencolumkill,” is named for a Donegal fiddler who moved to Cavan and encouraged musicians in Ed’s locality. Some of Ed’s best tunes were inspired by Pat Boyle’s playing.

3. Jigs: The Traditional Jig, Beyond Ballybay, The Neale* (3:42)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar, Myron-Bodhran, Mark-Bouzouki
The jig which opens this set is derived from one of Ed’s favorite reels, "McKenna’s." "Beyond Ballybay" commemorates the town, which Ed recalls as being, "full of grand music on a market day." "The Neale" is named for the Mayo region, which is home to his daughter-in-law’s family, the Murphys. Ed made a visit there in 1969 and felt that he would have liked to settle there if he ever returned to Ireland.

4. Hornpipes: Kipeen Scanlon’s Hornpipe, The Road to Drum* (3:52)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar, Mark-Bouzouki
The legendary Sligo fiddler, Michael Coleman, once told Ed that he regarded fellow fiddler Kipeen Scanlon as the best player in Ireland. The first hornpipe pays tribute to Scanlon, whose one surviving recording can be heard on the excellent Rounder Records archival reissue "Milestone in the Garden," co-produced by Philippe Varlet and Dick Spotswood. "The Road to Drum" marks an occasion when a young Ed first heard fiddles and flutes at a session in the town of Drum, and it left an indelible impression on him.

5. Reels: Reilly of The White Hill, Hughie’s Cap, Eleanor Kane’s* (3:37)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar and Mandola, Myron-Bodhran
" Reilly of the White Hill" was one of the "White Hill” people who lived beyond the northern borders of Ed’s farmland. No one knew his first name, and he had a reputation for cheating at cards. "Hughie’s Cap" refers to a friend of Ed’s who was known as an easygoing sort who took on a fierce look only when he wore a certain cap. He was often called on to break up fights, but was considered harmless unless he was wearing that particular hat. This unusual tune has just recently become more popular, having been recorded by fiddlers Oisin MacDiarmada and Maeve Donnelly. The final reel is named for one of the most influential pianists in Irish music, the late Eleanor Kane [Neary] from Chicago, who was a great friend of Ed’s. She recorded one of the first traditional Irish piano solos, the reel "Shark’s Favorite."

6. Jigs: Gene O’Donnell’s, The Irish Washerwoman * (2:48)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar and Tiple, Myron-Bodhran
" Gene O’Donnell’s" was written for the Derry fiddle player who lived in Philadelphia for many years before returning to his native Ireland. He and Ed were close friends from the 1950s to the time of Ed’s passing. Of course, "The Irish Washerwoman" is known wherever Irish music is played or heard, but Ed Reavy’s setting, to quote from the book, "elevates the strains of the old tune and gives it more dignified footing." The original name for the tune is "Jackson’s Delight."

7. Reels: The High Hill, Brefni O’Reilly, Ann from Monaghan* (4:31)
Jim-Fiddle, Eliot-Uilleann Pipes
This set of tunes showcases the duet of Jim with his good friend Eliot Grasso on Uillean pipes. Ed had a fascination with Ireland’s bygone times, legends, and folk tales, and the first tune pays homage to the mythical hill people. The second reel refers to one of the old family names of County Cavan. Ed’s favorite aunt on his mother’s side was Ann from Monaghan, and the final reel commemorates her. She was an animated storyteller and she knew everyone who lived in her locality.

8. Reels: Mairedelia, Johnny McGoohan’s* (3:37)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar, Mark-Bouzouki, Myron-Bodhran
Mairedelia is Ed’s granddaughter, who herself has won several first-place medals for her fiddle playing in Feiseanna in Philadelphia and New York. Johnny McGoohan and his wife, Katey, were great supporters of the music, and often hosted sessions at their house. A lovely version of this second reel appears on one of Jim’s favorite CDs of late, "Happy to Meet," which features the playing of James Cullinane (fiddle), P.J. Crotty (flute), and Carol Cullinane (piano).

9. Hornpipes: Brigid of Knock, Munster Grass* (4:08)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar and Tiple, Peter-Banjo
" Brigid of Knock" is named for Ed’s wife. "The Munster Grass" is one of Ed’s most popular hornpipes, but Ed actually meant it as a companion piece to another hornpipe he composed, "Connemara Skies," which has not been accorded anywhere near the recognition of "The Munster Grass." Both titles are derived from words by William Butler Yeats, whose poetry inspired Ed in the naming of many of his tunes.

10. Jigs: The Town of Cootehill, The Bearded Fiddler* (2:47)
Jim-Fiddle, Mark-Bouzouki
Cootehill is the nearest large town to Ed’s native village of Barnagrove. When Ed visited Cootehill in 1969, he remarked on how little it seemed to have changed since he had last seen it. "Only the lane where the fish was sold has changed," he remarked. "It's still the same old Cootehill." "The Bearded Fiddler" was one Farley, who traveled throughout Monaghan and Cavan on fair days. His daugher used to accompany him to sell the family wares while he played for the customers. This second jig seems to bear an uncanny resemblance to the first two parts of "The Derry Hornpipe," although Ed never mentioned this in his book.

11. Highlands: Lovely Bannion, The Merry Wives* (2:06)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar
Ed claimed that "Lovely Bannion" was not even one of his own compositions, but no one has ever been able to disprove that he did, in fact, write it. "The Merry Wives" does not have anything to do with the Windsor merry wives, but rather the anonymous and hard-working women of Ireland of yore, who would keep the home fires burning while their husbands were off making music.

12. Air/Reels: Silent the Lonely Glen, The House of Hamill, Love at the Endings* (4:49)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar and Mandola
The first tune, the sole slow air on this recording, is given a great reading by Jim, who clearly demonstrates that Ed was quite a capable composer of airs, as well as dance tunes. Andy’s guitar bridge serves to introduce the first reel of the set, "The House of Hamill,” which pays tribute to Ed’s mother, a Hamill from Monaghan, who did not play any instrument, but was known as a great lilter. "The House of Hamill" has certainly gained a firm toehold in the tradition, owing in no small part to its having been recorded by fiddler Kevin Burke. "Love at the Endings," certainly one of the most widely-known and oft-recorded Reavy tunes, takes its title from the speech of O'Killigan to Avril in Sean O'Casey's play Purple Dust. O’Killigan beseeches his beloved Avril to leave her British lord and make a home with him out in the west of Ireland, where they'll both find "things to say and things to do, and love at the endings."

13. Reels: WhiteCross, The Exile* (3:40)
Jim-Fiddle, Andy-Guitar
The first tune is named for the Armagh birthplace of the great fiddler Louis Quinn, a dear friend of Ed’s, whose encouragement and support enabled Ed to continue writing tunes throughout his life. Ed named several of his tunes after Louis and his family, and, fittingly, all of the Quinn sons continue to carry on the tradition with pride, as evidenced by their recent CD," Thirsty Business." The second tune, like so many other tunes and songs in
the tradition, celebrates Ed’s longing for his native home. It should also be noted that the Exile may very well be the last tune that Ed composed according to his son Ed Reavy Jr., which makes it a fitting tune to end the
album with.