The centenary of the birth of master box player Johnny O’Leary in June 1923 will be celebrated on Radio Kerry from 9am to 11am on Saturday June 24th.
Producer/presenter of the programme Frank Lewis and sound technician Siubhán Lewis recorded material for the programme in the Sliabh Luachra area over a couple of days earlier this month and they heard some of Johnny’s favourite jigs, slides, hornpipes and polkas and lots of stories guided by his daughter Ellen Healy on tin while and grandson Bryan O’Leary on accordion.
A Place of Music and Sadness
Looking down over the Paps at the ruin of the house where he was born at Maulykeavane, a place of music and a little sadness, Ellen and Bryan play Con Thadgo’s jig.
At the now empty house at Gullane where Johhny and his wife Lil raised their three children they remembering the regular music sessions with The Gullane slides.
At the entrance to the Fry Cadbury’s where, for 37 years, Johnny cycled the wight or nine miles from Gullaun to be there 10 minutes before the 8am clock work start, Bryan and Ellen play hornpipes, Cronins and Callaghans hornpipes.
Sunday Night Sessions
In Scartaglen in Lyons’ Bar Sunday night sessions .. the ghosts of Padraig O’Keeffe, Seamus Ennis, Ciaran MacMathuna, John and Julia Clifford – John Reidy told of Johnny’s advice on starting the Padraig O’Keeffe festival in 1993 – we have the Scartaglen Polkas from Bryan and Ellen.
To start Christy Cronin and Pat O’Sullivan sing A Lament for Johnny Leary at Jimmy O’Brien’s pub in Killarney where Michelle O’Sullivan on concertina, Ellen Healy on tin whistle and Bryan O’Leary on the box play two slides, The Quarry Cross and The Hare in the Corn.
Donal Hickey’s Story
Johnny first played in public as a 13 year old in Thady Willie’s hall in Gneeveguilla.
Donal Hickey tells the story and Ellen, Michelle and Bryan play two of Johnny’s slides, The Star Above the Garter and The Lisheen Slide.
For over 40 years Johnny played every Sunday and Friday nights in Dan Connell’s pub in Knocknagree.
For most of those years he played with Denis Murphy and we’ll hear the polkas, John Collins Fancy and The Knocknagree Polka.
In Ballydesmond at the memorial to Johnny’s first teacher the blind fiddler Tom Billy Murphy who travelled the country by donkey and cart, Bertie O’Leary remembers his father-in-law and to end the programme, Bryan, Ellen and Michelle play two jigs – The Trooper and Tom Billy’s.
Frank Lewis on Saturday Morning
Join Frank Lewis as the music and stories of master box player Johnny Leary unfold on the centenary of his birth on Saturday next, June 24 from 9am to 11am on the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry.
You can listen live on 96 to 98FM, or worldwide on www.radiokerry.ie or on podcast from the following Wednesday on the same site under podcasts/ saturdaysupplement/June 24th.
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