Joe Holmes - Here I am Amongst You: Songs, Music and Traditions of an Ulsterman

Len Graham

Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2010. 328 pages. Illustrated. Paperback.

Here I Am Amongst You is an account of the folklore and repertoire of one of the most influential singers and traditional fiddlers in Ireland - Joe Holmes (1906-78) of County Antrim. It journeys into the heart of a diverse traditional life in Ulster, giving a detailed and comprehensive account of the world of a singer musician in the twentieth century: one which knew few religious or community boundaries - with house dances and song sessions, mumming customs at Christmas, shinny playing and haymaking in summer, whilst journeying to other parts of Ireland to share music with great musicians such as Sarah and Rita Keane of Galway, John Doherty of Donegal and Denis Murphy of Slieve Luachra in Kerry. The book publishes some eighty songs of love, politics, early classic ballads, songs of emigration and of local interest, together with transcriptions of over fifty dance tunes ranging from mazurkas, polkas, schottisches, quadrilles, lancers, and hornpipes to jigs and reels, reflecting the varied influences and traditions of Ireland and Scotland.

USED. A very good copy

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