John Cranny and Jack Carroll remember the days when Tallaght was a rural village in County Dublin.
A postman in Tallaght for thirty five years now retired John Cranny has seen many changes in the area.
Jack Carroll worked on farms for most of his life and he tells Iarla Ó Lionaird that Tallaght today is unrecognisable from the place of his youth.
I used to pick cowslips out in the field.
One of the ways people socialised back then was at a hooley (a house party) where there would be music and dancing. Guests dressed up and brought their own drinks, which were consumed discreetly through the evening.
Jack Carroll sings a comic song about the unfortunate piper at Mrs Gilhooley's hooley.
The tale gets off to a bad start when a group of friends almost forget to bring the piper along with them. Over the course of the night the party becomes a little too rowdy, resulting in damage to the pipes, and a fight ensues.
The song ends with a reminder of how musicians should be treated at social events,
So if ever you go to a party,
Always bear this in your mind,
Never annoy the bagpiper.
This episode of 'The Pure Drop’ was broadcast on 27 May 1991. The presenter is Iarla Ó Lionaird.
The Pure Drop' was an Irish traditional music programme produced by musician and broadcaster Tony MacMahon. The first series was filmed at the height of the summer festival season in 1987, with six of its nine episodes presented by fiddler James Kelly from Óstán Dún an Óir in Ballyferriter, West Kerry. It was first broadcast on 07 January 1988. Singer Iarla Ó Lionáird took over as presenter for the second, third and fourth series, which were filmed in Cultúrlann na hÉireann, the headquarters of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Monkstown, County Dublin. Fiddler Paddy Glackin presented Series 5 to 9, while fiddler Martin McGinley presented the tenth and final series in 1996. The last episode was broadcast on 25 February 1996.
