From Dunkeld to Dunkineely - The Highlands & Strathspeys of Donegal

From Dunkeld to Dunkineely - The Highlands & Strathspeys of Donegal - Brand New BookThe highland is one of the hallmark rhythms of the dance repertoire in Donegal. The tunes mostly derive from Scottish strathspeys which were picked up by seasonal migrant workers from Donegal while in Scotland. The strathspeys were adjusted both in melodic and rhythmic terms so as to be used for the performance of the couple dance associated with the tunes.This collection contains 325 transcriptions including 261 various highlands and 64 strathspeys as played by a wide number of source musicians from Donegal. The sources extend back as far as the fiddlers who were members of John McGettigan’s Three Leaf Shamrock Orchestra of the 1920s up to the present day. Transcriptions can be found from such well known seminal players as John and Mickey Doherty, Tommy Peoples, Danny Meehan, Francie Dearg and Mickey Ban Ó Beirn, Proinsias and Mairéad Uí Mhaonaigh, the Campbells, Neillidh Ó Baoighill, Con Cassidy and Dermot Byrne to lesser known but significant source musicians as Jim Doherty, Francie McHugh and Jimmy Lyons.The text traces the current repertoire from the origin of the strathspey in the Spey valley in Inverness-shire and its first appearance in print in James Oswald’s 1745 collection to the present day.It outlines significant traditional links with Scotland and notes the more recent linkages with Cape Breton. A number of newly discovered pieces of evidence concerning the transmission of the strathspey in Ireland are also presented. This work is the culmination of over three decades of collecting by Caoimhín Mac Aoidh and a seven year transcription collaboration with Jack Schroevers.Highlands and strathspeys were always enthusiastically played by the old and great players when I was growing up. When I went to London and heard the players there from all over Ireland, I could immediately tell the highlands and strathspeys and our way of playing them set us Donegal musicians apart. They were our hallmarks and we played them proudly and full of life. This is a tremendous collection of an important part of our music. – Danny MeehanThis present ground-breaking collection and study of the highlands and associated strathspeys of Donegal by Caoimhín Mac Aoidh and the late Jack Schroevers is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the local and regional traditions of Irish music. It stands as a remembrance of the generations of migrant Irish farm-workers for whom this music mitigated the hardship of life, and those emigrant musicians who took the music with them to the recording studios of Irish America. Importantly, it makes a body of old local traditional music available to the present generation of musicians for their own pleasure and creative use. – Nicholas Carolan, Director, Irish Traditional Music Archive, Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann.