Apologies for overlapping part of an earlier thread, but sources close to the Pentagon say the Micí Cumbá O’Sullivan wax cylinder may be in Chicago, New York, or at NPU headquarters in Ireland. Does any of this ring bells?
It was also earlier stated that Micí “went medieval” on the machine when he heard himself played back. I heard a version of that story this weekend which added a blackthorn walking-stick to the picture, it moving at high velocity with Micí on the other end. An anonymous party nobly extended a bare hand to stop the stick only millimetres away from the now-famous cylinder, Micí all in a rage and hollering something about how awful his playing sounded.
BC
Most of what is known of Mici Cumba’s exploits comes from O Neill’s Minstrels and Musicians, he gives a fairly long account of Mici. There are several cylinders of him by the way. His pipes have survived too and are in safe keeping in Ireland.
Thanks again, Peter. I’ve just found Minstrels in our library and am handily abandoning work to go do some reading. I suppose the original tale will turn out to be less dramatic, but you should have seen the expressions on storyteller and audience this weekend when it got to the blackthorn stick part! At any rate, I imagine they’ll remember Micí Cumbá for a while.
Most of you have probably heard it by now, but Pat Mitchell discusses Mr. O’Sullivan for just a bit during the Late Session interview archived on the Obsession pages.
Bok Choi, uilleann pauper