4 posts from December 2007

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Irish Washerwoman

Dec 6, 2007
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Irish Washerwoman was one of many songs Laura wrote about Pa playing in her books. She mentioned this one twice, in Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie.

Here are two different interpretations of the song. The first one is very low key with a lone fiddler who just mastered the song after trying for a long time.

The second is a stage production with two fiddlers who are just incredible.

Personally I like the first one best, as it better represents Charles Ingalls version.

Irish Washer Woman

Dubliners & Andre Rieu - Irish Dance - The Irish Washerwoman

Bluegrass meets Irish Celtic

Dec 5, 2007
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I became seriously interested in bluegrass about 10 years ago. Over the past few years, the Chieftains have teamed up with some of the bluegrass greats and created some outstanding music. The videos below is a wonderful example, with the Chieftains joining Earl Scruggs on Sally Goodin. Below that is the Chieftains and Ricky Skaggs performing Cindy and Cotton Eye Joe. Both these songs are from the CD "Down the Old Plank Road" and is a very worthwhile purchase. These videos were taped in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.

Earl Scruggs & The Chieftains - Sally Goodin'

ricky skaggs and the chieftains at home of grand ole opry

Manchester, South Dakota

Dec 5, 2007
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Manchester lies a few miles west of De Smet. Harvey Dunn was born on a homestead in Manchester in 1884. Grace and Nate Dow also lived in Manchester.

Sadly, today if you google Manchester, all you see is web sites with photos and videos of the 2003 tornado. On my trip to De Smet in September of this year, I visited Manchester and looked at the monument that was erected close to the town square this summer. It was dedicated on the anniversary of the tornado that destroyed the town in 2003. I hate I never explored the town before it was wiped off the map. I am collecting all the postcards and info I can find to help form a image in my mind about life in the town and surrounding area.

Dean Butler and Legacy Documentaries

Dec 1, 2007
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Dean Butler created Legacy Documentaries as a offspring of his original company Peak Moore Enterprises, Inc. According to the Legacy website, they create documentaries that "captures life's defining moments".

There are clips of the various productions created by Legacy. All of them are quite good, but two stand out as my favorites. One is about Michael Landon with interviews with cast members and the other covers Marines visiting the island of Iwo Jima decades after the historic landing and battle.

You can see some of the clips on the Legacy website at: http://legacydocumentaries.com/