A Louth Lilt

Midleton Rare by duet John Cronin and Daithí Kearney is a critically acclaimed album developed from research on the music of the Sliabh Luachra region.
First coming together to play in a regular session in Wallis’ Bar in Midleton, John and Daithí brought their love of the musical traditions of Sliabh Luachra to a wider audience with their launch this year of Midleton Rare. This recording is a snap shot of the session in Midleton but draws heavily on the music of Sliabh Luachra and accordion players such as Johnny O’Leary, Denis Doody, Jackie Daly and John Brosnan.  It also features music sourced to John’s father DD, a fiddle player from Glenamuckla in the parish of Newmarket, Co. Cork.  
John’s connections to Sliabh Luachra are strong, coming from Glenamuckla in the parish of Newmarket, Co. Cork.  Pádraig O’Keeffe used to come to the Cronin house to teach his uncle John. Later Denis Doody, Julia Clifford and Con Curtain, as well as perhaps less well known visitors including Billy Mahony and Dan Fitz, would call in for tunes.  John’s father, DD Cronin (1917-1990), was a fiddle player and two tunes sourced to him appear on the album. DD used to play at a dance hall at Clapper Cross, near Ballydesmond, and Killnahulla, near Boherbue.  He would often go back to Dan Murphy’s in Ballydesmond and play a few tunes and many people would call for a session at the house.