Coil The Hawser Lord Macdonald Reels - Music

Born In 1915 Some Sources Say 1922 John Was The Youngest Of Ten Children. His Six Older Brothers Were All Taught To Play The Fiddle By His Father. However As He Was Too Small His Father Had A Dulcimer Made By John's Brother Alexander A Carpenter Using A Borrowed Dulcimer As A Pattern And That Became John's Instrument. This Instrument Was In Turn Used As The Pattern For Many Other Instruments Made For Other Local People. In Contrast To The Wooden Hammers Generally Employed By Today's Players John Used Hammers Made Of Thick Steel Wire Wound With Wool He Made These Himself From Old Bicycle Spokes. His Repertoire Consisted Mostly Of Traditional Irish Tunes Though With A Significant Scottish Influence He Also Played A Number Of Strathspeys Which He Referred To As "highlands" . His Father Taught Him A Number Of Jigs By The 18th Century Composer Walker "Piper" Jackson From The Townland Of Lisdaun Parish Of Ballingarry Aughrim County Limerick . John Appeared On Stage With The Well-Known Group The Chieftains. John Died On November 15 1983. read less