Just got this email from the German IrTrad-Forum. Somebody recommended “Accordion Crimes” by Annie Proulx and was asking after any further novels about instruments. Can you give hints?
Cheers,
Hans
I really enjoyed a book called “The Bodhran Makers” by John B. Keane. It takes place in rural Ireland in the 1950’s. Music certainly plays a role in the book, but I read and enjoyed it long before I was specially interested in Irish music. It’s a book that would be enjoyed by anyone, in my opinion.
Caiseal Mor has published a novel about Turlough O’Carolan: ‘Carolan’s Concerto’. I haven’t read it, but enjoyed several of Mor’s other novels, so this one might be a good read as well.
I read a novel recently called “The Little Country,” which is sort of a fairy tale/ romance kind of novel. It’s pretty light reading, but the main character is a female Northumbrian piper. (Yes, that’s why I read it). 
The chapter titles are named after tunes (some Irish), and Becky Taylor gets a mention in it.
Justine
I was just thinking of that book when I saw this! A friend loaned it to me in college. The main character seems pretty heavily based on Kathryn Tickell…although she’s from Cornwall or something, which seems odd for someone playing Northumbrian pipes & fiddle. I think the author wanted to tie in some old Cornish myth or something like that…I seem to remember that the author included some of his original tunes in the back of the book…Any of them any good?
I also remember hearing once that Brian McNeill (ex-Battlefield Band fiddler) had written a couple of novels in which trad. music figured prominently. Not sure if they’re still in print or not…
It may not be (entirely) fiction, but Ciaran Carson’s “Last Night’s Fun” is still one of the best books out there. Some of his descriptions of trad. musicians (like Seamus Tansey, Joe Cooley, Mick Hoy, Darach O Cathain, etc.) are fascinating to read. Plus he manages to romanticize black pudding in a way that I don’t think any other writer possibly could…
You can read the first few chapters of Danny Carnahan’s novels starring San Francisco Irish fiddler Niall Sweeney, “Death Dances in Jig Time,” “Fortune Turns the Wheel,” and “With His Dying Breath” online at:
The Little Country by Charles DeLint is pretty okay, but in terms of CdeL it’s not his best book. It was funny to run across Becky’s name when I read it (she’s aware of the mention, btw). Charles DeLint has a lot of trad references in most of his novels.
Another one that’s worth reading, is a little less of a light read, has some good tunes / fiddler / music mentioned in it is The Wild Reel by Paul Brandon. Similar genre to The Little Country.
There’s a much better novel involving a fiddler who lost his wife who moves back to Scotland. Unfortunately I’ll have to open some boxes to find the title. It’s much better, less fluffy, captures the feeling of performance really well and is thankfully dark.
The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries (WY Evans-Wentz) has a lot of non-specific (and some specific) references to music in relation to Na Daoine Maith. Meeting the Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan also has similar stories in a more literary form.
Carolan: The Life Times and Music of an Irish Harper is a good biography with a decent collection of his tunes if you can find it.
I’ll try to find the title of the book with the fiddler and think of some others. I’m posting with a headache, so my mind’s not 100%.
Dionys
CdeL’s “Jack Of Kinrowan” and “Forests of the Heart” feature instrumentalists and sessions. There’s a female uilleann piper that pops up in his novels and short stories too.
He even has a novel called “The Road to Lisdoonvarna” and a short story anthology called “Waifs and Strays.” The cover art for the latter features somebody playing a flute and reveals that the artist doesn’t know how flutes work.
I’d be interested in finding out the title of your Scottish fiddler novel, Dionys.
Hardly about isntruments but I suppsose Dermot Bolger’s Father’s Music and Kater Thompson’s The New Policeman would qualify. Peter Woods’ writing I nthe Living Note too.
I confirm the reference to Charles de Lint. Several of his books have trad. Irish musicians in them. I recall one story that had a young woman named Amy that played uilleann pipes. (Hey, I know an Aimee that plays UP) In the story, I recall her complaining about her reeds too! : )
I believe that the book ‘the little country’ is partly set in Penwith in Cornwall (where I was born/grew up) and it references a session in The Ship Inn in Mousehole (which I used to frequent some time ago)? Which is the same pub that the dish starry gazey pie is served every Tom Bawcocks eve (night before Xmas Eve). There, folkloric stuff… Starry Gazey Pie, yummmmm
Does the ‘Red Violin’ count or is that about classical fiddling?
I’ll add two books to the list:
The Book of Kells, a fantasy novel by R.A. Macavoy, mentions the piping of Finbar Furey.
Turlough, by Brian Keenan, is a very interesting novel about the last days of Turlough O’Carolan.
Jamie
I’ve nearly finished my latest novel “Admiral Nelsons Ukulele”.
John S
There is a book called(I think), Grace Notes and Bad Thoughts, by John Kelly. Here, some fellow who is something like a refuse collector, makes a deal with the devil to swap bodies with Liam O’Flynn! I kidd you not.
There is a book called(I think), Grace Notes and Bad Thoughts, by John Kelly. Here, some fellow who is something like a refuse collector, makes a deal with the devil to swap bodies with Liam O’Flynn! I kidd you not.
Hans - back to your original question. I just finished “The Shipping News” by Annie Proulx and there were several scenes involving a woman playing an accordion. (The book is better than the movie, BTW). This author also wrote the short story that Brokeback Mountain is based on. So I suspect “Accordian Crimes” might be a good read as well.
I haven´t red it so far. On this listees recommendation I bought it (ebay) and will get it in the next few days. I found this short description and reading excerpt. BTW, thanks for the hints!
Your welcome, Hans. Also, I hope you are enjoying that Matt Kiernan chanter. There are times when I sure do miss it’s mellow sound. It is a nice stick that needed a good home. I’m glad you ended up with it.
- Tom
Hi Jonathan,
I just read a bit of the first one online; It’s about the Plough & Stars!
Looks like the author plays with Kevin Carr, huh? I may pick up a copy,
J.
Hi, Justine. Good luck finding one; I don’t think any of the three have been published yet.
Danny plays with Kevin Carr in Wake The Dead. You’ll find other thinly veiled familiar personalities from the Northern California music scene in his work, like Mickey Zekely. A quote from Danny’s site:
Rose Sweeney’s plum job hosting a graduate retreat in the remote Mendocino redwoods turns to a nightmare for the young San Francisco lit professor when she learns that a man once her mentor, but who bedded and betrayed her, will also be on staff. When Rose’s Irish fiddler husband Niall Sweeney is lured up at the last minute to teach at a folk music camp held in another part of the woodlands, they are thrown together just in time to witness the horrible demise of Rose’s betrayer. He chokes to death after playing a borrowed bagpipe, to the shock of hundreds of onlookers.
To help calm his panicky musical friends and save the camp from threat of ruin, Sweeney joins his friend Max, the camp director, in investigating the mysterious death. Max is certain that the death is part of a sinister lumber company scheme to close the camps and clear-cut the woodlands. Sweeney is left to discover why a stranger would die after playing a bagpipe that didn’t harm two other pipers. Rose is left with a more chilling puzzle—who planted evidence to link her with the murder?