plans to publish them, mainly because of the volume of work involved in getting the notation of the tunes done, but I for one hope that, in the fullness of time, we’ll see the result of Bonnie’s efforts in print and (more importantly) on the lips of singers. There’s plenty of material there that deserves singing.
Mention of the written word moves us on to another aspect of Packie’s life that has been to the fore in recent years. His Recollections Of A Donegal Man was published in 1989. Edited by Steve Jones, it painted a fascinating picture of a life that had packed as much into itself as several ordinary folk might do. I can’t imagine the difficulties Steve must have had trying to get a coherent picture together.
Packie will freely admit that his own accounts of his doings vary from one telling to the next, and I’ve frequently accused him of being unable to recognise the truth if it jumped up and bit him! For Steve it must have been like trying to nail jelly to a wall. Packie’s own comment sums it up succinctly: “It’s a bit of a puzzle for people to figure out which is the true story – if any!” Nonetheless, if one reads the book in the spirit in which it was written, rather than as a purely factual account, it gives a superb picture of a life that has always grabbed opportunities with both hands.
“...a life that has always grabbed opportunities with both hands...”
He’s much more at home telling lies, and another book, My Friend Flanagan gave him plenty of scope for the elaboration and embroidery that have been his life-long trademark. Some of the tales in the book came down through the generations, long before Packie’s time, but all received an extra polish as they passed through his hands. He says this book gave him more pleasure than any other he’s been associated with. This surprised me a bit, for there’s been another book that I know he values highly, and that’s A Dossan Of Heather, a collection of traditional tunes from the repertoire of Packie’s family, as well as from people he’s met, together with many tunes
he’s made himself. Almost every item is accompanied by a story or reminiscence from Packie, and the book’s a treasure trove of unusual highlands, hornpipes, mazurkas and so on. Once again, Steve Jones was involved, as well as Packie’s good friend, the very talented Canadian musician Jean Duval, who painstakingly transcribed the music from Packie’s playing.
Packie seems to have an uncanny knack of never forgetting a tune or a set of words, despite the fact that he’s regularly turning out more of them. A year or so ago he said he was through with writing songs “but I was wrong!” People come and they ask him for songs, so he gives them one, either from his back catalogue (as it were) or one newly made for them; “what’s the point of writing them if no- one sings them?” Of course, the motivation is easier to understand when it’s often young ladies who come asking for the songs............
“
...Packie always had a reputation as a complete gentleman, and people don’t forget that...”
Many of his visitors are female, and people go out of their way to call in at Drumaghy Park, where there’s always a welcome. A list of his visitors can read like the guest list of a major folk festival, but this is hardly surprising. Packie always had a reputation as a complete gentleman, and people don’t forget that. Inevitably, he spends more time these days with his memories than he used to, but these are frequently refreshed by visitors, or on the occasions that he goes “raking” (although he rarely goes to pubs these days – too noisy).
At one house party in Glenconwell a few years ago, my friend (and Packie’s) Jimmy Campbell revealed the terrible mental scarring he’d suffered over 60 years before as the result of a visit from Packie Manus. Packie was bringing a mob of sheep from his home place to the Campbells, a distance of several miles. Any house with the Campbells in was, then as now, a great place for music, so Packie brought with him a round-backed mandolin. Jimmy and his brothers were young boys and, to entertain
The Living Tradition - Page 19
Packie with Vincent Campbell and Vincent’s father
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68