More sad news : John Dwyer, fiddleplayer and composer from Cailroe on the Beara Penisnsula (and long time Co Waterford resident) died on August 18.
John was a long time member of the Castle Ceiliband and, like other members of his family, composer of many great tunes. He made a recording, The Dursey Sound, which featered a good few of his own tunes some years ago.
I remember learning a reel from an old tin whistle tutor years ago (the one with Micho on the front cover) called Dwyers reel that I always associated with John. I don’t know if he wrote it or just played it.
He did compose that one, supposedly his most wellknown one. I took up his ‘Woods of Cailroe/Caol Rua’ on the pipes some years ago and that sits pretty well. But he had other nice tunes as well on the CD, John Kelly’s College Groves became a favourite too after I heard him play it, although he obviously didn’t compose that one.
It’s another ‘terrible outbreak of dying’ as Con O’Drisceoil put it in his ‘Lear’.