Marty O’Keefe interviewed by Mike Stoner at O'Keefe's home in Rochester, NY, July 23, 1975.



Tape 1, Side A

Reel: "The Bucks of Oranmore"

Hornpipe: "The Stack of Wheat"

Reel: no name given

Discussion of modern vs. old tempos

Jig: "Saddle the Pony", modern tempo

Jig: "The Geese in the Bog", old tempo

Figure dance music

Two polkas, no names given

Reel: "Toss the Feathers"

Reel: "Mary Ann" (If you listen carefully you can hear piping in the background, but it is not so loud as to seriously impair the quality of the fiddle playing.)

Discussion of lilting

Reel: no name given, first played and then lilted

Types of dance events for which O’Keefe played: Spontaneous gatherings, House parties, American wakes, Crossroads dancing, Events in the parish dance hall

Primary types of instruments used in Co. Clare: Fiddle, flute, concertina, button accordion, various percussion

Discussion of how O’Keefe learned to play music

Discussion of the relationship between drink, dancing and music, and poteen stills in Clare vs. in the rest of Ireland

Discussion of how “tambourines” (bodhrans) are made and cared for



Tape 1, Side B

Discussion of music’s function as entertainment

Discussion of how one would learn a tune from an older musician, and more about how O’Keefe learned to play

Discussion of the nature of dances and American wakes

Discussion of the evolution of traditional music in Ireland and America, especially of the evolution of popular tempos

Discussion of music for the feiseanna in Rochester, upstate NY and Canada, types of set dances performed and types of individual choreography, and the Oireachtas

Discussion of the Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland and America

Slow hornpipe: "The Orange Road"

Set dance, hornpipe time: name not audible

Discussion of O’Keefe’s immigration and opportunities to play music in America

The men pause to eat and converse about how corned beef and cabbage is not a traditional Irish dish and that ham and cabbage boiled together is much more common, and how O’Keefe met his wife.

Discussion of tune names, stories and mutations of names, the meaning of “planxty,” and compositions vs. traditional tunes (NOTE: somewhere in here the bleeding of sound begins, O’Keefe can be heard talking about the Oireachtas, which is earlier on this side of the tape, and playing the "Orange Road".)



Tape 2, Side A

Discussion of tempos in dancing competitions: Standard vs. non-standard, Choice of dancer, Soft vs. hard shoe

Necessity of keeping heritage alive

Discussion of O’Keefe’s current playing situation: Feis music, Other performances, Playing alone vs. with others

Discussion of other instruments: jaw harp, tin whistle, comb and paper

Discussion of why O’Keefe stopped playing after coming to America and how he began to play again: Did America want Irish music, Irish community in Rochester, Irish music clubs/halls, Mobility of Americans vs. Irish, popularity of weekly gatherings

Dancing is no longer “The Thing,” it is now more common to play music in pubs, which had previously been reserved solely for drinking

Discussion of modernization as a trend in Ireland and the world in general: Mobility and communication increased, Traditions being revived for purposes such as tourism

Idle chat with Teresa O’Keefe, Marty’s wife, from Tuam, Co. Galway.



Tape 2, Side B

Discussion of tourism and the popularity of the bicycle in Ireland

Discussion of different styles of playing based on different types of popular dances: Clare, Kerry, Roscommon/Sligo

Rochester as opposed to the rest of America

Reel: no name given Reel: "The Morning Star" Jig: no name given Reel: "The Star of Munster"