Fonds P17 - The John McCarthy Collection

Identity area

Reference code

IE 2135 P17

Title

The John McCarthy Collection

Date(s)

  • 1905-1906, c. 2005 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

16 items

Context area

Name of creator

(1885-1966)

Biographical history

John McCarthy was born in Cappamore, county Limerick in 1885 to William and Ellen McCarthy as the second of seven children. His parents owned a farm, a public house and a bakery and while his siblings all went to college, John remained at home to run the family businesses. When in his early teens, John began taking violin lessons from John Corbett, a highly respected but strict music teacher in Cappamore, who insisted that his pupils learnt to play from sheet music rather than by ear. Under Corbett’s tutelage, John developed into an accomplished and note-perfect player. At the turn of the century, Irish traditional sheet music was rare and, to increase his repertoire, John began to collect popular tunes in the East Limerick and North Tipperary area. Some of the notations he wrote down himself, others were given to him by friends and fellow collectors, his sister Eily McCarthy, his cousin Justin McCarthy and his friend Cornelius Collins among others. Music notations were commonly circulated among players and some of the sheets collected by John appear to date from as early as 1876. He used the music to play with other musicians in pubs, dances and local houses. Having married in 1916 Hannah Lally of Knockshambo, county Mayo, he reared a family of twelve children. He died on 5 February 1966.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Donated by the McCarthy family to the University of Limerick on 9 November 2005.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

This collection comprises musical notations of jigs, reels, hornpipes, mazurkas, flings, gallops, quadrilles, lancers, schottisches, mazurkas and waltzes popular in Ireland at the turn of the twentieth century.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

All records have been retained.

Accruals

No accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

The bound volumes and accompanying photocopies have been arranged to match the arrangement of Noel McCarthy’s book.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

No access to bound volumes until they have been conserved.

Conditions governing reproduction

Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Physical characteristics and technical requirements

    Bound volumes in fragile condition and paper documents in good condition.

    Finding aids

    A hard copy of the descriptive catalogue is available at the Special Collections and Archives Department, Glucksman Library, University of Limerick.

    Allied materials area

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    Related descriptions

    Publication note

    A detailed description of the three music books, their contents and their compiles is provided in Noel McCarthy’s book John McCarthy of Cappamore, Ireland. His Irish Traditional Music Manuscripts 1876-1912 Collected from the Cappamore/ Silvermines Area. A copy of the book is available in the Leonard Collection (OS/694) in the Special Collections and Archives Department.

    Notes area

    Alternative identifier(s)

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    Subject access points

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    Description control area

    Description identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition (2000), Irish Guidelines for Archival Description (2009), National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (1997) and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services (2018).

    Status

    Level of detail

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        Sources

        Archivist's note

        Papers arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba in June 2022.

        Accession area