Friday 11th January

This week:

This week we have the second of two special programmes drawn exclusively from the second series of RTE's flagship traditional music programme THE PURE DROP, which ran from October to December 1988. As with the first special, the presenter is Iarla O Lionáird, the music advisor is Sean Potts, the producer is Tony Mac Mahon, the venue is the headquarters of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann in Monkstown, Co. Dublin, and we present a selection of the performers who appeared on the series.

As always, THE PURE DROP begins with a group of musicians playing together, and this was the group appearing on 11 November 1988:

Philip Duffy from Sligo on fiddle, Desi Wilkinson on flute, Dermy Diamond on fiddle, and Tara Bingham on flute, with the reels 'Colonel Rodgers' and 'The Happy Days of Youth'.

Michael O'Brien, the uilleann piper from Artane in Dublin, had just got a new flat set of pipes in 'C' when he appeared on THE PURE DROP programme on 11 October 1988, and he gave them their first television outing with the reel 'The Morning Thrush' which was composed by James Ennis, father of Seamus, some three-quarters of a century earlier.

Also to be seen on the second series of THE PURE DROP in 1988 were Kerry musicians the late and much lamented Johnny O'Leary and his daughter Ellen.

As well as introducing his guests and chatting with them, PURE DROP presenter Iarla O Lionáird sometimes sang. On 4 October his choice of song was the macaronic 'Táim Cortha ó Bheith im' Aonar im' Luí', a song which had come to him from a relative in an older generation, Mrs Elizabeth Cronin.

The Roscommon flute player Patsy Hanley has been seen several times on COME WEST ALONG THE ROAD over the years, playing in general sessions, or for a dancer, or as a member of a group, but he's never been given justice as the excellent solo player that he is, or indeed for his humour.  We try to remedy that with these pieces from THE PURE DROP of 20 December 1988.

And we'll finish our visit to THE PURE DROP second series now with our opening group: Philip Duffy, Desi Wilkinson, Dermy Diamond and Tara Bingham and the evergreen jigs 'The Connachtman's Rambles' and 'My Darling Asleep"