The Ivy Leaf
Name
The Ivy Leaf (Reel)
About
John first heard this tune from a recording of the concertina player William J Mullaly (1884-1959) in the 1930’s, as he states in one of the below recordings.
William J Mullaly was from outside Mullingar in County Westmeath. He emigrated to Liverpool and then later to New York where he recorded the record that John heard this tune from.
Credit: Photo of William J Mullaly, taken in circa 1926.
Audio
John Kelly playing The Ivy Leaf on the concertina and then after on the fiddle.
Credit: “John Kelly Fiddle & Concertina Player”, Topic Records. 1974. Link.
Audio
John Kelly Senior, James Kelly, Bobby Casey & Junior Crehan playing The Green Groves of Erin & The Ivy Leaf on the fiddle and then talking after about them.
“That was Green Groves of Erin and the Ivy Leaf. I picked an ivy leaf last night and I stuck it in my button hole, thought I was young again. I lost it, tis hanging on my bed. Well the names of the tunes are very spectacular. Imagine the man that thought of the Ivy Leaf. Immediately you sense greatness in the tune that’s going to come after comes after and it is a beautiful tune. And then the Green Groves of Erin, Well that’s one thing that erin has is beautiful green groves, unfortunately not as green as this year as we saw them last year. I think the Kelly green is gone Bobby. We need grace back to again to bring back to the bad weather. Well however those 2 tunes were always played in clare as far as I remember is that right Joe, Patsy Geary used to play the Ivy Leaf. He was an old fiddler that lived in my country and everybody played the Green Groves of Erin. It was recorded by Sligo people in the statses. And we got it back in record form as the Green Groves of Erin and a concertina player William J Mullaly played the Ivy Leaf. Way back in the 30’s he came out it was a beautiful tune. Beauful concertina player wasn’t he.”
Recording Details: ‘Reminiscences of Clare Fiddle Players’ – Willie Clancy Summer School
Location: Parochial Hall, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. Date: July 7, 1975
Credit: Recorded by Barry Taylor, part of his book “Music in a Breeze of Wind” about music in West Clare. Link.
Audio
John Kelly playing the Ivy Leaf on the fiddle
John states in the recording: “He used to play the ivy leaf” in refernece to Patsy Geary.
Recording Details: ‘Ceoltoiri an Chláir’, lecture by Seamus MacMathuna
Location: Parochial Hall, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. Date: July 8, 1975
Credit: Recorded by Barry Taylor, part of his book “Music in a Breeze of Wind” about music in West Clare. Link.
Notation
Notated from above recording.