{"id":466,"date":"2015-10-06T14:06:14","date_gmt":"2015-10-06T13:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/half-door-the\/"},"modified":"2016-01-25T11:39:53","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T11:39:53","slug":"half-door-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/half-door-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Half-Door, The"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"t:seinnteoirin1\">Play recording: Half-Door, The<\/h2>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-466-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/half-door-the.mp3?_=1\" \/><source type=\"audio\/ogg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/half-door-the.ogg?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/half-door-the.mp3\">https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/half-door-the.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<div class=\"dmeite\">\n<p><span id=\"neasc-nocht-ceilth\" class=\"nmeite\">view \/ hide recording details [+\/-]<\/span><\/p>\n<ul id=\"clarMeiteashonrai\" class=\"meiteashonrai\">\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Teideal <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Title)<\/span>:<\/span> Half-Door, The.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Chatal\u00f3ige Ollscoil Washington <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(University of Washington Catalogue Number)<\/span>:<\/span> 855415.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Chnuasach Bh\u00e9aloideas \u00c9ireann <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(National Folklore of Ireland Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Roud <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Roud Number)<\/span>:<\/span> 5275.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Laws <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Laws Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Child <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Child Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Cnuasach <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Collection)<\/span>:<\/span> Joe Heaney Collection, University of Washington, Seattle.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Teanga na Cro\u00edmh\u00edre <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Core-Item Language)<\/span>:<\/span> English.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Catag\u00f3ir <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Category)<\/span>:<\/span> song.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Ainm an t\u00e9 a thug <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Name of Informant)<\/span>:<\/span> Joe Heaney.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Ainm an t\u00e9 a th\u00f3g <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Name of Collector)<\/span>:<\/span> Robin Hiteshew.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">D\u00e1ta an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Date)<\/span>:<\/span> 12\/12\/1981.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Su\u00edomh an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Location)<\/span>:<\/span> Philadelphia, United States of America.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Oc\u00e1id an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Occasion)<\/span>:<\/span> concert (Ancient Order of Hibernians).<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Daoine eile a bh\u00ed i l\u00e1thair <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Others present)<\/span>:<\/span> unavailable.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">St\u00e1das ch\u00f3ipcheart an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording copyright status)<\/span>:<\/span> unavailable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>As I was walking down the road,<br \/>\nI spied a cozy neat abode<br \/>\nThe half-door swinging open wide:<br \/>\nYou&#8217;re welcome and drop in here.<br \/>\n&#8216;God save all here,&#8217; I kindly said.<br \/>\nA sweet colleen popped out her head.<br \/>\n&#8216;God save you kindly, sir,&#8217; she said,<br \/>\n&#8216;Come in and close the half-door.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;d a basket placed upon her knees,<br \/>\n&#8216;Twas full of potatoes I could see;<br \/>\nAnd every one of them carefully<br \/>\nShe peeled before my eyes there.<br \/>\nShe looked at me with a roguish smile,<br \/>\nShe said, &#8216;Come in and rest awhile;<br \/>\nSince you came back to Erin&#8217;s isle,<br \/>\nWe never close the half-door.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>She said, &#8216;Play up the Shaskeen Reel,<br \/>\nAnd I will make you happy feel.&#8217;<br \/>\nShe turned right upon her heel,<br \/>\nAnd lifted off the half door.<br \/>\nI played that tune with grace and style.<br \/>\nWith every note she winked and smiled,<br \/>\nUntil she had my heart beguiled,<br \/>\nWhile dancing on the half-door.<\/p>\n<p>She said, &#8216;Now, S\u00e9an! You&#8217;ll have to stay,<br \/>\nUntil I wet a cup o&#8217; tea;<br \/>\nAnd then you can be on your way,<br \/>\nAnd I&#8217;ll hang up the half-door.&#8217;<br \/>\nShe didn&#8217;t have to ask me twice,<br \/>\nHer currant cake and tea was nice;<br \/>\nBefore I left I kissed her twice,<br \/>\nShe leaned across the half door.<\/p>\n<div class=\"n\u00f3ta\u00ed-bun-leathanaigh\">\n<h2 id=\"t:notai\">Notes<\/h2>\n<p>Joe Heaney&#8217;s description of what he calls &#8216;break-down dancing&#8217; might not be needed these days, given the worldwide revival of interest in traditional sean-n\u00f3s solo dancing. Unlike the highly-stylized, choreographed solo dancing that required high kicks, ringlets, outlandishly-embroidered &#8216;celtic&#8217; costumes and an expressionless demeanour, sean-n\u00f3s dancing &#8211; which originated in Conamara &#8211; requires stout shoes, an improvisatory approach, and willingness to communicate enjoyment with the audience.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most influential sean-n\u00f3s dancers was C\u00f3il Neaine Ph\u00e1id\u00edn Mac Donncha from Rath Cairn, Conty Meath, whose family had moved east from Conamara in the 1930&#8217;s as part of a government resettlement scheme. C\u00f3il&#8217;s style represented a tradition whose origins are untraceably old and his family &#8211; especially his son, M\u00e1irt\u00edn &#8211; have followed in his footsteps, so to speak. They have been to the fore in transmitting the tradition to an enthusiastic generation of Irish youth. Today, the sean-n\u00f3s dancing events probably draw more people to the Oireachtas than the annual competition among singers for Corn She\u00e1in U\u00ed Riada.<\/p>\n<p>The use of the half-door &#8211; or perhaps the kitchen table &#8211; as a dance surface enabled the dancer to get maximum resonance from the battering of his feet upon the hard surface. At the same time, the dancer wasn&#8217;t expected to cover much ground. Breand\u00e1n Breathnach writes that &#8216;the good dancer danced, as it were, underneath himself, trapping each note of music on the floor, and the use of the half-door and table for solo performances indicates the limited area in which he was expected to perform.&#8217; [Folkmusic and Dances of Ireland]<\/p>\n<p>Joe told Lucy Simpson (UW85-39.15) that he learned the song at a young age from a gramophone recording that was sent to them from the United States, probably by one of the aunts that lived over there. They had to take the large 78 rpm recording to the neighbour&#8217;s house &#8211; presumably the home of Se\u00e1n Choilm Mac Donncha &#8211; as Joe&#8217;s family didn&#8217;t possess the means of playing it. The recording was one of those made by the McNulty Family, a musical family originally from Co. Roscommon whose recording career in in the States lasted from the 1920&#8217;s to the 1960&#8217;s. American recordings of Irish music and songs constituted an important means by which both singing and instrumental traditions in Ireland were broadened and reinvigorated following the great waves of Irish emigration at the turn of the 19th century. Such recordings were at least partly responsible for the large number of songs composed for the Irish music-hall stage that made their way into the repertoires of Irish traditional singers.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amhrain","category-amhrain-i-mbearla"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1487,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions\/1487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}