House Don't Fall On Me

An evocative memoir which will appeal to anybody with an interest in the traditional music and culture of rural Ireland, the migration of talented Irish men and women in the 1950s– 1970s and the charm of bygone days. This is the story of a young boy growing up in the West Kerry Gaeltacht in the 1940s and 1950s. It describes the fun and games of his schooldays, his accordion playing for céilís as a teenager, his emigration to London unknown to his parents, his meeting up with his brother and working there, his further emigration to Chicago and his marriage and eventual return to Ireland. Maidhc Dainín describes how the musicians he played with in Chicago lost their hearts and minds in the music. He describes piano playing, accordion playing and fiddle playing and the music (and the craic!) is resonant from his descriptions. Maidhc Dainín's Irish is colloquial, conversational and without any airs and graces.