by Bill Margeson – Originally published in Irish Music magazine, July 2004 – reprinted with permission

The music. Button box wizard Paddy O’Brien gets it. Really gets it. “What I like in a musician now,” states Paddy, “is the one who plays the nicest tune, even more than the technical musicianship.”

In that one sentence the legendary Offaly-born button box player encapsulates a life spent in the center and soul of Irish music. And that center is the music itself. Not the current fashion. Not the current “hot” group. Not “the buzz.” The music. Period. Full stop.

Born in Offaly in Castlebarnagh, he remembers his first instrument being a mouth organ purchased for him by his parents. Fondly recalling his Mother taking him to local ceilis to hear the music, even as a young lad he knew he had a natural love, memory and understanding of the reels and jigs cascading forth in the local venues. This memory was to serve him well. His parents again bought him another critical instrument—his first button box, a single row Hohner. Receiving it at age 12, Paddy remembers, “The idea of buying an accordion would be a real luxury!” Getting these precepts in hand is critical to understanding the foundation that led to one of the truly encompassing personalities and foundations in traditional music. It starts there. The knowledge. He could hear it. And, as he says, “there was a sweetness inside me for it.”

Employment with the national peat board, Bord na Móna in Boora, Co. Offaly and other efforts never took him far from the music. He didn’t ever want to be far from the music. The early gigs revolved around fondly remembered stints with fiddler Dan Cleary and The Ballinamere Ceili Band in Offaly, and then a transitional moment when Paddy joined The Castle Ceili Band upon moving to Dublin in 1968. It was around this time that he had his first tour with Sean and Kathleen Ryan. He laughingly recalls, “I got stung by the American bug.” Along the road, he found the button box still closest to his heart. It is a Paolo Soprani, tuned to B/C, “before Christ,” laughs Paddy. It is one of the rarest—the gray model, made in 1948, when the company still made them by hand. It originally belonged to the well-remembered and regarded Sonny Brogan.

Needless to say, the amazing amassing of tunes in that memory had become fully formed, and they kept pouring in. Much more on that particular encyclopedia later. He moved to America and New York full-time in 1978 with fiddler James Kelly and guitarist/singer Dáithí Sproule. Their first regular gig was in the famous Dubliner Pub in Washington D.C. This is the fond stuff of memory. A gifted musician meets America and the Irish community there, loves it and makes a career of it.

That would surely be enough for most. We are the beneficiaries of these musicians’ talents. That is really all that is necessary. But not if you’re Paddy O’Brien.

Here comes the “memory thing” again. Brace yourself. It is no exaggeration to say that there are over 4,000 tunes inside his brain and musician’s hands. 4,000. And, he good-naturedly corrects the acolytes who refer to him as a “collector.” Most would consider that he would be listed among the great collectors such as O’Neill, Frank Harte, Breathnach, and the Clancys. But Paddy does not see it that way. Paddy says: “I don’t collect. I accumulate.” The difference? He continues, “I’m not a collector. I never set out to collect in an academic sense. I’m not a crusader. Never planned on a book or anything like that. I guess I’m an accumulator. I’m surely a student. I love the tunes. Maybe it is that easy.” Well, love or not, 4,000 is a staggering amount. Oh, he had his idols as a young player, all right. Joe Burke and Tony MacMahon come quickly to mind. But again and again as one speaks to this musician, there is a quick shedding of the personal, the introspective. If you want Paddy O’Brien to talk, ask him about the music. “There are still geographical, stylistic differences within Ireland but they are disappearing. That is sad. I fear a lot of the music is coming out of books today, and is not being heard and understood before being played. This music takes time; it’s a long-term listening process. Simply playing notes is not enough.”

Asked what styles, or tunes still hold him Paddy shares another insight gained from the decades with those tunes. “A lot of the tunes were originally simple. Dance tunes. Then there were some wonderful pipe players and fiddlers who got hold of those tunes, as an example in West Clare, and actually added variations, phrasings, and filigrees and turned them into masterpieces. I especially love the West Clare way of playing jigs.” Does he still hear a tune that really hits him that he hasn’t heard before? “Well, not often, but sometimes. That is great, really great when it happens. You also hear wonderful and different styles of playing the same tune. Those tunes change titles so often. I first heard a famous tune as, ‘Around The World For Sport,’ but then years later Matt Molloy played it for me and titled it, ‘The Sword In The Hand.’ That also is fascinating.”

We caught up with him just back from a national tour in America. He had returned to his home in Minneapolis and reflected on his group, Chulrua. It includes Patrick Ourceau on fiddle, and Pat Egan on guitar and vocals. Chulrua’s first album was 2000’s, “Barefoot On The Altar” on an independent label. The group was picked up by Shanachie for its second album, “Down The Back Lane,” released six months ago.

“We really want to do a new one and we will release it sometime next year. I also am working along on a solo album, but that is still a ways off.”

So, then, there it is. All done, all down. Wrong! There is so much to say, and the main new plan comes forth in an excited rush. “What I’m really working on now is an ongoing project with Patrick Ourceau. He is a really marvelous fiddler, wonderful. He has such a deep knowledge of the music and he also favors the East Clare style of fiddling. He really is extraordinary, how he deals with a tune, how he deals with the sensitivity he has with the heart of a great tune. What we are really into now is melody making. It is our goal to play the music by putting the expression into it that is normally only offered by a solo musician. This is really difficult, but we feel deeply it is worthy of the music, if we do it right. We are going to do a CD, and we are also touring Ireland in September and October of this year.”

If traditional music is anything like it is thought to be; if it is respectful of its history, if it is sharing with other players, if it is important, then it is worthy itself of people like this. No hype. A love of the sharing with other musicians. Need help? Need a tune? A note? A grace? There are these fountainheads. The aforementioned Frank Harte. Kevin Henry in Chicago. Thank God, there are still these men and women around. Musicians come and go. Styles do, too. Everything changes. But to the Paddy O’Briens of the world, before anything else—albums, money, tours, teaching, learning—there is one light over the whole adventure. The notes. The tunes themselves. The music.

Alpha and omega.

It’s been a week since St. Patrick’s Day, but Moscow can’t get enough of that Celtic beat. Three legends of Irish folk, Paddy O’Brien, Daithi Sproule, and Patrick Ourceau, have been bashing out trad tunes and having the craic at the Irish party at Moscow’s B2 club.

The concert was a huge event for Russian Irish music fans. They flooded the B2 club to see the Irish folk stars performing in Russian capital for the first time.

Before the musicians took the stage, the public had been warmed up by the Moscow band Slua Si. And although an Irish proverb warns ‘never buy bread from a butcher’, the Irish folk from the Russian musicians was very palatable.

Finally the legends of Irish folk came out.

Daithi Sproule doesn’t just play Irish traditional music, he used to teach it at Dublin’s University College.

Patrick Ourceau is first fiddle in the world of Irish folk music. Performing traditional melodies, he always adds a twist of improvisation.

Paddy O’Brien knew that his vocation was Irish music from an early age. He has collected more than three thousand Irish melodies.

“The idea of playing a very technically involved kind of jig doesn’t necessarily bring out a feeling. Simplicity and beauty, and passion – so far, is my philosophy,” he explains.

It seems natural to dance when you hear the jaunty Irish melodies, and if St. Patrick himself had been present at that concert, it’s unlikely he’d have remained seated.

by Tom Clancy – Originally published in Irish Music magazine, Jan/Feb 2008 – reprinted with permission

The glowing reviews of Chulrua’s new album, The Singing Kettle, are steaming in. It’s a strong brew, rich and sweet, like a good pot of Irish tea. Chulrua is one of the musical combinations graced with the presence of box player Paddy O’Brien.

The band had a successful tour of Ireland in August and September, including performances at the Masters of Tradition festival in Bantry. There’s something beautifully pristine about the music on this second Chulrua recording–it leaps into life every time. O’Brien has an unyielding respect, even reverence, for the melody. He insists that you hear it in its purest, most memorable form. Not a single melody on the album sounds rushed–the reels have a definite, delicate forward momentum, the jigs jog along delightfully, and the hornpipes are deftly played. In Patrick Ourceau and Pat Egan, O’Brien has found two like-minded collaborators.

Ourceau plays the reels of the title track solo on the fiddle with memorable, maple-syrup sweetness. He seems to reach in and bring out the heart and soul of the melody for our consideration. It’s paired with “Gooseberry Fair,” a tune delightfully ornamented with a round of chiming double-stops.

I asked O’Brien to take us inside the making of the album. Where does that vivid, vibrant sound come from? “Our sound has a lot to do with the combination of the warm tone from the fiddle (Patrick plays a wonderful instrument) and the accordion specially tuned to blend with the fiddle tone. It’s the choice of tunes, and how they are matched together, really, that determines the pace and speed at which they should be played. This in turn allows the notes to breathe, or make their musical statement. If tunes are played too fast, it can choke the phrasing, if you’re not careful. It’s all about interpretation, which is so important in getting the feel and emotion out of Irish traditional music.”

O’Brien also talks about “…tuning the tune.” What does that mean, I wondered? “It helps the phrasing knowing the tune very well, so you can develop the melody for more appeal, i.e., the inclusion of certain variations, as in “The Gander at the Pratie Hole.” There are nice ‘filler notes’ in “Wellington’s Advance” which give it a better flow and more body, and the few variations enhance the melody. I do this kind of thing as I developed individual tunes, especially tunes I know a long time. There’s always something new to discover. I didn’t develop “Wellington’s Advance” just for the CD; I did it over a long period of time because I enjoyed the tune, and later decided to use it on the recording. I believe Patrick does the same with some of his tunes, e.g., “Eddie Moloney’s/Roll Her on the Mountain.” That selection I learned from Patrick.”

The version of “The Morning Dew” is especially brilliant. “There is an old three-part version of “The Morning Dew” recorded by Michael Coleman. The version on The Singing Kettle is a two-part version from Joe Cooley. Where he got it, I’ve no idea. These two Morning Dews are an example of two settings of the same tune.”

I love their version of “The Drunken Sailor;” what’s the modern history of that piece? “”The Drunken Sailor” is usually played in G minor, however, I play it in A minor. The original five-part version is in O’Neill’s. Tommy Potts made the tune his own; he played it in G minor, and put in little variations here and there that enhanced it greatly. He was the one who composed the sixth part that I play solo on the recording, and much of the way I play it is from Tommy Potts.”

Patrick Ourceau is a lovely fiddle player. His solo on the title track is a very fine bit of playing. I particularly like the tight unison playing on those tracks where you and he go note for note. Where does he get those chops from? “Patrick Ourceau is no doubt a great fiddle player, and has a great sense of melody. He is very good at honing into the notes and settings of tunes from East County Clare players like Paddy Canny and people like Joe Bane.”

How do you go about selecting tunes and combinations/sets for a recording? “As far as the selections are concerned, I usually come up with a basic outline, and we each choose our own solo material. Sometimes we record more than we need, so we’re able to pick and choose the best tracks. We do the layout of the tunes in order as part of the mixing, and I do it according to how I feel about the selections. They’re all in my mind as I work, and I try to create a mood and a sense of life throughout the album, a sense of movement from one selection to the next. It’s a matter of trying to keep the energy of the album up at a certain level. This is not a crowd-pleasing energy I’m talking about now, but the natural energy of the tunes themselves and the way they’re played.”

O’Brien is also on record stating that not every jig or reel can be used in track selection. Often a lot of research is involved to find the right tunes. You’re looking for a tuneful blend and older tunes are often better because they may be less contaminated by outside influences.

Pat Egan handles the songs with grace and conviction. Egan is a great collector with a magpie’s eye for shiny little gems. He has two fine songs from Dubliner Mick Fitzgerald. One, “Asha, Asha” turns the old childhood rhyme into a meditation on aging and dying. The other is “The Ballad of Capel Street”–a street that’s heard a lot of ballads over the years, now has one of its own. That song is plucked from Fitzgerald’s brilliant 2003 album, Light Sleeper, but delivered in a more straightforward version. It’s a modern Dublin song with a little Molly Malone tribute in the chorus. “Ashfields in Brine” is from the pen of Archie Fisher, the outstanding Scottish singer-songwriter. And, on the less serious side, a Percy French song, “Bridget Flynn” is given a lively makeover.

Paddy O’Brien is like a seasoned worker who has toiled in the vineyard for many years. His musical journey took him from Offaly to Dublin, London, New York and many other places where the old players plied their trade. In time, he settled in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he became the custodian of a large section of the vineyard that he has tended faithfully over the years. One thing O’Brien learned well from listening to and playing with some of the older masters was how to prune and preserve notes so the tune could bloom and blossom. And he believes in putting old wine into fine, antique glasses. The Singing Kettle is another hearty harvest, another O’Brien vintage.

by Sally K. Sommers Smith, Irish Music Magazine, November 2007

Chulrua • The Singing Kettle
Paddy O’Brien, Accordion; Patrick Ourceau, Fiddle; Pat Egan, Guitar and Vocal
17 tracks; 54 minutes, Shanachie Records

Paddy O’Brien has long been known and celebrated for his encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish traditional repertoire. He is adept at finding unusual tunes and variants, and in celebrating the individual voice in the flow of traditional practice. On this, his newest recording, he offers a tasty mélange of carefully chosen gems from a wide variety of sources. Tipperary fiddler Sean Ryan is recalled in the title track, a duo of the reels “The Singing Kettle/Gooseberry Fair.”

An unusual setting of “Drowsy Maggie,” credited to Mrs. Crotty but also known as “The Reel With the Birl,” appears alongside a resurrection of a fine old tune that was a favourite of Clare fiddler John Kelly.

Paddy O’Brien’s fondness for the music of one of the most original of traditional musicians, Dublin fiddler, Tommy Potts, is evident in his six-part version of ” The Drunken Sailor.” The inclusion of “Wellington’s Advance,” a fine jig associated with the playing of the other Paddy O’Brien (from Tipperary), is a welcome addition to this collection.

Although Paddy’s splendid playing and deep immersion in the tradition form the sturdy backbone of Chulrua, Patrick Ourceau contributes soulful, stylish fiddling, and Pat Egan’s excellent guitar accompaniment capably supports their melodies. Pat also possesses a wonderful singing voice, but it is shown to less advantage than it could be by the choice of almost uniformly doleful songs, which strike a somewhat lugubrious note in contrast to the exuberance of the dance tunes. The pace of the playing is relaxed enough to underscore the trio’s masterful variations and ornamentations, and serves as a graceful reminder that we often move too fast to appreciate the measured, cyclic passage of time. In its recalling of past masters, in its thoughtful and well-crafted performances, this recording is at once a wakeup call and a reminder of the things that matter in Irish traditional music.

See the original at the Irish Music Magazine website

FolkWorld – Issue 35 02/2008

Chulrua, The Singing Kettle
Shanachie; 23002; 2007;
Playing time: 54:48 min

The Irish-American music trio Chulrua is featuring Paddy O’Brien (button accordion), Patrick Ourceau (fiddle) and Pat Egan (guitar). Paddy has been born in Castlebarnagh, County Offaly, Ireland. He played with The Castle Ceili Band way back in 1968 and moved to America in 1978 where he has been ever since. He is famed for having collected some 4,000 tunes from where to (push and) draw. Paddy has found the perfect musical partners in French fiddler Patrick Ourceau and Tipperary man Pat Egan (married to Vermont flute player Laura Byrne).

The Singing Kettle is already their third album, after a pause of three years. The playing is excellent. There’s unusual tunes, variants and versions: The Morning Dew reel as a two-part version, courtesy of Joe Cooley; the jig The Gander in the Pratie Hole is a three-part setting inspired by Dublin fiddler Tommy Potts; the reel The Wild Irishman is a west Clare setting of the well-known recording by Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman; the jig Gallant Tipperary was used by Thomas Moore for his song The Young May Moon, here as a four part version, courtesy of Galway flutist Jack Coen; the reel Paddy Murphy’s Wife has been learned from County Tipperary accordion player Paddy O’Brien, plus an extra third part composed by County Offaly accordion player Paddy O’Brien. Well, don’t get confused here.

There are both fiddle and accordion solos. The former two reels by Sean Ryan, the latter the hornpipe The Drunken Sailor played in A minor plus an extra sixth part that had been composed by Tommy Potts (he played it in G). Pat Egan is also a fine singer with a smooth voice. He prefers contemporary songs but in a narrative style. Two songs are from Dubliner Mick Fitzgerald (Ballad of Capel Street, Asha), one by Scotmans Archie Fisher (Ashfields in Brine), and rather surprisingly one Percy French song (Bridget Flynn).

See original at FolkWorld site

Chulrua: The Singing Kettle
Paddy O’Brien, Patrick Ourceau, Pat Egan · Shanachie 23002

Chulrua’s long-awaited third recording, featuring Paddy O’Brien on button accordion, Patrick Ourceau on fiddle, and Pat Egan on guitar and vocals.

“In its recalling of past masters, in its thoughtful and well-crafted performances, this recording is at once a wakeup call and a reminder of the things that matter in Irish traditional music.” — Sally K. Sommers Smith, Irish Music Magazine

“Their playing together is stellar; it’s like listening to a conversation between old friends…” — Susan Gedutis Lindsay, The Boston Irish Reporter Featuring:

1. reels: Hughie Travers / John Byrth’s / Boil the Breakfast Early
   
2. jigs: Wellington’s Advance / The Gander at the Pratie Hole
   
3. reels: Jimmy McGettrick’s / The Master’s Return
4. song: The Ballad of Capel Street
5. reels: The Meeting Place / The Wild Irishman / The Ivy Leaf
6. reels (fiddle solo): The Singing Kettle / Gooseberry Fair
7. reels: Drowsy Maggie / The Steeplechase
8. song: Asha Asha
9. hornpipe/reel (accordion solo): The Drunken Sailor / The Gatehouse Maid 1
10. reels: Tommy Coen’s
11. jigs: The Kerfunten / Gallant Tipperary
12. song: Ashfields in Brine
13. reels: Eddie Moloney’s / Roll Her on the Mountain
14. jigs: Scully Casey’s / The Rookery / The Yellow Wattle
15. reels: The Golden Wedding / Paddy Murphy’s Wife
    
16. song: Bridget Flynn
    
17. reels: Jimmy McGettrick’s / The Morning Dew

Paddy O’Brien, Accordion; Jamie Gans, Fiddle; Dáithí Sproule, Guitar
Black Tea Tunes BTT012

“Those familiar with O’Brien’s exacting standards of performance will not be surprised to hear that Gans’ fiddle follows the accordion note-for-note, in a way which allows the listener to fully appreciate and reflect on the quirky twists and turns of O’Brien’s music.” -Phillipe Varlet, Celtic Grooves

Features

1. Mike Hoban’s / John Doherty’s / Charlie Mulvihill’s
2. The Cavan Reel / The Ivy Leaf / The Golden Wedding
3. Straddle the Donkey / Catherine Kelly’s / The Whinny Hills of Leitrim
4. The Hare’s Paw / The Boy in the Gap / Tom Morrison’s
5. The Wee Folks’ Revenge / O’Reilly from Aithcairne
6. The Cabin Hunter / Paddy Murphy’s Wife / The Howling Wind
7. Johnston’s Hornpipe / The Wooden City Polkas
8. McGettrick’s / The Boys of Tulla / The Flowers of Munster
9. Young Catherine (O’Carolan) / James “Lad” O’Beirne’s Reel
10. Eddie Kelly’s / Snug in the Blanket / Langstrom’s Pony
11. The Maids in the Cherry Tree / James Morrison’s / McGovern’s
12. Coleman’s Hop / O’Brien’s Hop / The Maid’s Request • Brisk Bob / McGoldrick’s / O’Brien’s Tower

Traditional Music of Ireland
James Kelly, Fiddle; Paddy O’Brien, Accordion; Dáithí Sproule, Guitar, Vocals
Shanachie 34014

Originally two LPs (Is it Yourself and Spring in the Air) re-released as one CD; regarded by most Irish music lovers as a classic, must-have recording.

“Virtuosic players who invest these tunes with an almost off-hand grace… ” -All Music Guide

“One of the great trios in the history of Irish traditional music…There’s never been a better blend of fiddle and box…” -Don Meade, The Irish Voice

Features

1. The Monahan Twig / John In The Mist
2. Humors Of Kilkenny / Drops Of Spring Water
3. The Foxhunter’s
4. Lovely Willie • The Rakes Of Kildare / The Horse’s Leotard
5. The Rights Of Man / McGibbney’s Fancy
6. The Small Hills Of Offaly / Farewell To Old Dacency
7. The Jolly Seven / McGettrick’s
8. Paddy Taylor’s / Anderson’s
9. Molly Bawn / The Stanpiper
10. Cul Tiubh Na Bpearl
11. Paddy Kelly’s / John Doherty’s
12. The Stage / The Western
13. John Doherty’s / The Antrim Rose
14. Man Of The House / Ryan’s Rant
15. Bracken’s / Mrs. Crotty’s / The Horse That Made A Haymes Of His Winkers / The Kinnegad Slashers
16. Jim Coleman’s / Patsy Touhey’s / Rodney Miller’s
17. The Boys Of Mullaghbawn 18
18. John Kelly’s / The Green Cottage / Cuil Aodha
19. The Gravel Path / The Wild Irishman
20. The Moving Cloud / Paddy Kelly’s Reels
21. Down the Hill
22. McCarthy’s Favorite / Spring in the Air / Miss Emily
23. Hughie the Graeme
24. The Duke of Leinster’s Wife / The Boys of Ballisadare
25. John Doherty’s / Kitty Come Down to Limerick
26. Sarah’s Delight / Seán sa Cheo

Paddy O’Brien, accordion; Dáithí Sproule, piano, guitar; Erin Hart, vocals; Karen Andersen, guitar
Green Linnet GLI 1091 (catalog acquired by Compass Records)

Re-Released on CD in 2008 and available for download at:

• iTunes
• eMusic.com
• CalabashMusic.com
• and many other fine online music sites…

Features

1. The Mountain Meadow / The Highlander Who Kissed His Granny
2. The Trip to Sligo / Dáithí Sproule’s
3. The Coachman’s Whip / The Foxhunters’ Chorus
4. Lady Lyle / Liz Carroll’s
5. Stranger at the Gate / Miss Ratray
6. The Wounded Hussar
7. Miss Hutton / Miss Johnson of Pitworth
8. Jimmy Powers’ Favorite / The Luck of the Toss
9. Paddy Fahy’s / Miss Patterson’s Slippers
10. The Traveler’s Reel / The Bird’s Nest
11. John Brady’s / Garrett Barry’s
12. Colonel Rodney / The Reel of Bogie
13. The Golden Eagle / Ed Reavey’s Reel
14. The Lament for Eoin Rua / The March of the Gaelic Order
15. Dr. Gilbert’s Wife / Gus Dolan’s Reel
16. Tiny the Trooper / The Girls of Knocknagow
17. The Miller of Draughin / The Humours of Castlefin

The Doon Céilí Band: Paddy O’Brien, Brian Miller, Laura MacKenzie, Kate Dowling, Jode Dowling, Django Amerson, Sean Egan Shanachie 23001

“A lot of energy and passion for the music…” — Irish Music International.com

“Fun… perform their sets with feeling, grace and expression.” — Folkworld.de

Featuring

1. reels • John Brennan’s / The Ballymahon / Mrs.
2. single jigs • What Ails You? / Get Up Old Woman and Shake Yourself / Come In from the Rain
3. reels • The Capelhouse Reel / Julia Clifford’s / Mary O’Neill’s Fancy
4. hornpipes • To Daunton Me / Hawkes
5. single jigs • Sergeant Cahill’s / Behind the Bush in the Garden / Smash the Windows
6. reels • McGovern’s / Captain Kelly’s / The Guns of the Magnificent Seven
7. jigs • The Foggy Morning / Ellis’s Jig / Jug of Brown Ale
8. reels • Around the World for Sport / The Speckled Hen / Miss McGuinness
9. march • The Battle of Aughrim
10. reels • Tom Bawn’s / The Rising Sun / Bill Maley’s Reel
11. polkas • Joe Bane’s / The Goat’s Polka
12. reels • The Cocktail / The Pretty Girls of the Village / The Piper on Horseback
13. slip jigs • Give Us a Drink of Water / Dever the Dancer / The Highway to Kilkenny
14. reels • Mrs. Crotty’s / The Lass of Carracastle / The Cavan Reel
15. harp tune • The Dew on the Grass
16. double jigs • Paddy Fahy’s / The Hungry Rocks / The House in the Glen
17. waltz • The Portuguese Waltz
18. reels • The Tailor’s Thimble / The Pigtown Reel / John Byrth’s
19. double jigs • Jackie Roche’s Favorite / The Kerry Jig / The Humours of Rahey