Peter Laban and Kitty Hayes (RIP) are also on this show at around 46 minutes.
Also more on the Dorans coming up in the next 2 weeks on the Rolling Wave.
Liam
The Rolling Wave
Coming Up: Special programmes to mark the centenary of the birth of piper Johnny Doran.
To mark the centenary of the birth in 1908 of the famed and very influential travelling uilleann piper, Johnny Doran, The Rolling Wave is re-broadcasting two documentary radio programmes first heard on radio as part of the Long Note series on 28th March and 4th April 1988. These programmes, presented by Jackie Small and produced by Harry Bradshaw, tell the story of Johnny Doran’s life and music and his travels around Ireland playing at fairs and race meetings. There are memories included from friends, family, acquaintances, musicologists and people who heard him play and never forgot it.
He made only one set of recordings for the Irish Folklore Commission in 1947 and these have now become very valuable for learners and students of piping. They show him to have been an exceptionally tasteful and talented musician. On the 30th January 1948, a wall collapsed on his caravan where it was parked in Dublin and Johnny Doran was very badly injured. His health never recovered and he died on January 19th 1950, aged only 42.
These skilfully made and thoroughly researched programmes tell the full story of the life and music of a famous traditional uilleann piper.
4th June: To mark the centenary of the birth of the famous travelling piper Johnny Doran, the first of two Long Note documentary programmes on his life and music by Jackie Small and Harry Bradshaw broadcast in 1988.
11th June: The second of two Long Note documentary programmes on the life and music of Johnny Doran by Jackie Small and Harry Bradshaw broadcast in 1988. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/therollingwave/
Programme 23: 4th June
To mark the centenary of the birth of the famous travelling piper Johnny Doran, the first of two Long Note documentary programmes on his life and music by Jackie Small and Harry Bradshaw broadcast in 1988
I got the Doran-recordings for years - on a shelf, collecting dust. Due to this link - thank you, Liam - I listened once again and I wonder, why I rated Johnny Doran´s playing more towards the open side. Nowadays I find that it isn´t open at all: Behind every tone a little short stop is clearly audible. The Italians wouldn´t call it “legato”. They also wouldn´t call it “staccato” but “portato”. However, I am not up to date. Could somebody supply some main ideas of Pat Mitchell´s talk on Johnny Doran´s playing?
Cheers,
Hans
Great link. I was interested to hear that JD had more than one set and that he played flat pipes also.
Regarding the definition of tight/open piping, I don’t think the staccato/legato definition is 100% accurate. On a recent Rolling Wave interview about Seamus Ennis (http://dynamic.rte.ie/quickaxs/209-rte-radio1musiccollection-rmc-2007-06-20.smil) and his thoughts on the travelling style, Pat Mitchell mentions that open playing tends towards legato but what seemed more important was the number of fingers used by a piper to play particular notes - for the A, all fingers below the A would be open, except the bottom finger. He goes on to comment that JD played staccato runs by “flapping up and down a whole heap of fingers” which he considers more difficult than a staccato run by a tight piper.
Hans, for the other Pat Mitchell interview on JD (on the Late Session) scroll down the following link to 09/02/2003:
The second Doran program is on the RTE website now.
Programme 24: 11th June
The second of two Long Note documentary programmes on the life and music of Johnny Doran by Jackie Small and Harry Bradshaw broadcast in 1988.
