Track 5 : Jigs

The Wandering Minstrel, Fasten the Leg in Her

Seamus Ennis' recording of The Wandering Minstrel defined the tune for me. We have been playing it on and off since, one time around Christmas a few years ago, we chanced the icy roads to McCarthy's in Cloonlaheen to have some tunes with accordion and whistle player Margaret McMahon, who was back home for the holidays. Kitty's son Michael, not usually a player, unexpectedly picked up Eamonn McGivney's fiddle and played the tune.

The Wandering Minstrel is usually paired with Fasten the Leg in Her, following the example of Michael Coleman's classic recording from November 1930. On the fly here, we follow suit. Kitty says she plays the second tune exactly as her father had it: emphasising the long note at the start and bringing out the best in the tune.