Jimmy McCurry (James McCurry, 1830–1910), also known as Blind Jimmy McCurry or the Blind Fiddler from Myroe, was a blind Irish fiddler, singer and songwriter from Myroe in
County Londonderry
County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...
.
Life
James McCurry, one of six children of John and Isabella McCurry, was born in 1830, in
Limavady
Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,032 people at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census ...
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...
on 26 October 1910. Three days later he was buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of Tamlaght Finlagan Parish Church.
Repertoire
None of his songs was transcribed or recorded in his lifetime, but three were published by Sam Henry in the
Northern Constitution
The ''Northern Constitution'' is a weekly newspaper in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1875 under the title ''Coleraine Constitution and Northern Counties Advertiser'', and was renamed to its current title in 1908.
It is notable f ...
in the 1920s. These and several other songs survived in the repertoires of later local singers, such as John Fleming and
Eddie Butcher
Eddie Butcher (8 May 1900 – 8 September 1980) was an Irish traditional singer, folk-song collector and songwriter from Magilligan, County Londonderry. He had an extensive repertoire of songs that he performed in a sturdy, earthy style. ...
, and were recorded on tape between 1954 and 1975 by
Hugh Shields
Dr Hugh Shields (8 September 1929 – 16 July 2008) was an authority on Irish traditional music and a founder member of the Folk Music Society of Ireland and the Irish Traditional Music Archive. He was also a senior lecturer in French at Trinit ...
Irish Traditional Music Archive
The Irish Traditional Music Archive (or ITMA; ga, Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann), operating as a charity, is a "national reference archive and resource centre for the traditional song, instrumental music and dance of Ireland". Focusing on Irish t ...
.
There is clear element of satire in his songs, aimed at people whom his audience would have known. The many personal allusions, are, "if not malicious, at least intended to raise a laugh at the expense of the persons named."
The Londonderry Air
Local tradition now identifies Jimmy as the musician whose performance in
Limavady
Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,032 people at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census ...
Danny Boy
"Danny Boy" is a ballad, written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1913, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air".
History
In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, the English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly initial ...
, was heard and transcribed by Jane Ross in 1851. However, this tradition is first mentioned by Sam Henry, well after Jimmy's death, and has been called into question.
Songs
Seven of Jimmy McCurry's songs have survived:
*"Ballycarton Ball"
*"Killyclare (The Maid of Carrowclare)"
*"The Maid of the Foyle"
*"Coleraine Regatta"
*"The Myroe Ploughing Match"
*"Sarah Jane"
*"The Star of Moville"
There is evidence of a number of other songs, which, however have not survived:
* A song mentioned by Sam Henry, which "included the names of no less than twenty-five William Moores, all presbyterians resident in Myroe."
* "Paídín Rua", an abusive song about a woman who had offended him.
* A song "devoted to two girls by the name of McCausland bathing in the River Roe".
* A song about a trick played on him by a man named Phillips.
* A song about a Mrs Simpson, who gave him some unsatisfactory
buttermilk
Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...
.
* A song about Liz O'Neill's digestive problem with Kerry Blue
potatoes
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United ...