Past Masters of Irish Fiddle Music
Topic TSCD605; 77 minutes; 2001
Described as ‘A collection
of Irish fiddle music re-mastered from rare 78 rpm records’, selected and
edited by Reg Hall, this follows in the footsteps of his earlier compilations
for the label, Irish Dance Music and Past Masters of Irish Dance
Music. However, its most immediate comparison is to the Rounder label’s
1998 compilation, Milestone at the Garden, though there are substantial
differences in focus. Whereas Milestone at the Garden offered a breadth
of scope that spanned fiddlers as varied as Denis Murphy, Danny O’Donnell and
Seán McGuire while paying a nod to the Sligo masters, Reg Hall’s
selection is far more restricted. 
Firstly, there is a
marked Sligo emphasis since no fewer than ten of the album’s 25 tracks are
devoted to Paddy Killoran, Michael Coleman, James Morrison and Michael Gorman
while another two feature Hugh Gillespie, born in Donegal, but heavily
influenced by Coleman.
The second slant is
towards early recorded examples of ensemble playing represented by seven
tracks, including the Ballinakill Traditional Players and the Moate and Aughrim
Slopes Céilí Bands (all of whom have featured on Reg Hall’s earlier
compilations). Apart from the sedate Halpin Trio, this leaves a mere five
tracks for the likes of Dubliner Frank O’Higgins (who gets three of them),
Donegal’s Néillidh Boyle and Kerry’s Mike Hanafin.
Naturally, bearing in
mind their prolific output, one would expect a leaning towards the Sligo
fiddlers (though Milestone at the Garden managed to avoid such). Reg
notes that ‘the golden age of fiddle 78s produced few strong recordings of
non-Sligo fiddle players, and this anthology is inevitably dominated by Sligo
music’, but this cannot explain the absence of Danny O’Donnell who recorded a
substantial number of 78s for Regal Zonophone in 1939 and 1945
However, the presence
of the BTP and céilí band recordings smacks of padding. Reg’s explanation is
that these ‘have a strong fiddle bias’, but this is hardly the case on the
Moate’s pair of reels Sheehan’s/The Travellers, where the
accordion of John Joe Gannon is so well to the fore. There have been so many
compilations drawing from the rich resource of the 78 era that it is just
possible that the well of previously un-remastered material is beginning to run
dry.
This review by Geoff Wallis originally appeared on the Musical Traditions site at www.mustrad.org.uk.
More details about the Topic label and its releases can be found at www.topicrecords.co.uk.