St. Patrick Was a Cajun - L.E. McCullough

St. Patrick was a Cajun

     94 page softbound book

 A prolific and respected scholar, performer and producer of Irish music since 1972, L.E. McCullough has long been noted in the traditional circuit for his original compositions, beginning with his first prize award for the New Dance Tune Competition at the 1976 All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil in Buncrana, Donegal.

His tunes have been recorded and performed by Irish music luminaries such as Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey, Daithi Sproule, Tony DeMarco, John Carty, Katie McMahon. Lunasa, Brian Finnegan, Caladh Nua, Padraig Rynne, Deiseal, Noel Sweeney, Sualtam, Cormac Breathnach and more.

 St. Patrick Was a Cajun represents a return to the roots of McCullough’s engaging, high-energy tinwhistle style. The tune selection spans the spectrum of Irish traditional genres — reels, double jigs, hornpipes, slow airs, waltzes and a set dance, polka, slip jig, planxty, march and courante.

The 61 tunes are presented in 24 medleys and supplemented by extensive notes about the circumstances of their creation and other matters of musicological interest. In addition, McCullough offers a thoughtful essay surveying the evolution of original composition in traditional Irish music and includes an interview detailing insights into his own composition process.

 For players seeking new and interesting tunes to swap at sessions, St. Patrick Was a Cajun is an excellent find. It’s also valuable as a first-hand glimpse at the tradition in evolution, showing how Irish traditional tunes are crafted from start to finish — don’t you wish somebody had done this in O’Carolan’s or Coleman’s day?!