Brendan Tonra (b. 1935)
Brendan Tonra is a fiddle and flute player from Mayo who now lives in the USA.
Brendan was honoured as TG4 Gradam Ceoil Composer of the Year in 2002.
He was composed over 100 tunes, 68 of which have been compiled in the book A Musical Voyage. This book contains many as yet undiscovered gems.
Some of Brendan's tunes have become part of the tradition. These include by far his best known tune Tonra's Jig (mistakenly named Tony Rowe's) and another jig simply called Brendan Tonra's.
Other tunes of Brendan to have been recorded include the jigs Farewell to Kennedy and the Man in the Bog (both recorded by Marcas O'Murchú) and Josie's Visit (recorded by Mary and Josie Nugent), and his reel The Old Road to Charlestown (recorded by Siona).
The following biography was sourced from
http://comhaltas.ie/music/treoir/detail/brendan_tonra_at_the_culturlann/
Brendan Tonra, a native of Gowlan near Doocastle on the Sligo-Mayo border, emigrated to America over forty years ago and has resided in the Boston area ever since.
Perhaps best known to musicians as the composer of the popular Tonra’s Jig, Brendan has composed literally hundreds of tunes. He composed his first tune in 1954 at age 19, entitled the Gowlan Reel, when left at home digging potatoes while his father went to a County Council meeting. Brendan related that since then ‘many tunes have come to me while riding the bus or subway, sitting quietly at home, at work, or most anywhere it seems.’
In 2001 Brendan, together with his close friend Helen Kisiel, collaborated to publish a book of his tunes, totalling nearly 100 compositions. It is entitled ‘A Musical Voyage with Brendan Tonra.’
Says Brendan, ‘My father played the fiddle and my mother knew all the tunes, but I didn’t learn the fiddle from my father. I just picked it up when I was seven or eight years old and my mother showed me how to get the notes. Then my grandfather, John Henry, left me his fiddle, so after that I learned to play, listening to recordings at my Aunt Peg Ryan’s house. She had a phonograph and there I heard recordings of Michael Coleman and Paddy Killoran. At about age 16, I started playing at porter sprees and dances, hearing the likes of Johnny ‘Watt’ Henry, Pack Spellamn, Mick Joe Ryan, Jim Durcan, Johnny Cawley, and others, playing in the local Sligo style.
Once a month, a fine night of music was had in the local creamery, musicians playing for the dancers who battered out the sets on the stone floor, ‘and you wouldn’t need a mike, either,’ says Brendan. Kennedy’s in Doocastle was always a good place for a session, especially on a Fair Day. The boss of the house always had a fiddle or a flute under the counter, and once the music began, the poor cows were soon forgotten.
Brendan continued playing music in Boston with the Tara Band whose members included Mickey Connolly, accordion; Larry Reynolds, fiddle; Frank Neylon, flute; Tom Garvey, piano; George Shanley, drums; and Terry Landers, accordion. Later he joined the Connacht Céilí Band formed by Mike McDonagh which, over the subsequent years, made a record and two tours to Ireland.
The following information was sourced from http://www.cceboston.org/BrendanTonra.html
Brendan Tonra - (fiddle, concert flute, tin whistle) came to Boston from Doocastle, Co. Mayo— a man known to have done a lot for Irish music in a quiet way. Many musicians will know his jig, "Tonra's" or "Tone Rowes" as it is sometimes called—a tune recorded by Sean Maguire, the Liverpool Ceili Band, Catherine McEvoy and others. In fact, in the last few years, Brendan has continued to put together tunes likely to be as popular as his double jig.
Brendan grew up amidst the traditional music, his father a good fiddle player. Once a month, a fine night of music was had in the local creamery, musicians playing for the dancers who battered out the sets on the stone floor, "and you wouldn't need a mike, either." says Brendan.
People like Jim Durcan, Johnney Cawley, Pat Kelleher, John Henry and Mike Joe Ryan provided the music. Kennedy’s in Doocastle was always a good place for a session. especially on a Fair Day. The boss of the house always had a fiddle or flute under the counter, and once the music began, the poor cows were soon forgotten.
Says Brendan, "My father played the fiddle and my mother knew all the tunes, but I didn't learn the fiddle from my father. I just picked it up when I was seven or eight years old and my mother showed me how to get the notes. Then my grandfather, John Henry, left me his fiddle, so after that I learned to play. listening to recordings at my aunt Peg Ryan's house. She had a phonograph and there I heard recordings of Michael Coleman and Paddy Killoran. At about age 16, I started playing at porter sprees and dances, hearing the likes of Johnny "Watt" Henry, Pack Spellman, Mick Joe Ryan, Jim Durcan, Johnney Cawley, and others, playing in the local Sligo style.
I wrote my first tune in I954 at age 19, "The Gowlane Reel." I was left at home digging potatoes while my father went to a county council meeting, and since then many tunes have come to me while riding the bus or subway, sitting quietly at home. at work, or most anywhere it seems....but to get back to my playing days, when I was 16, my neighbor brought home a tin whistle from England—the first D whistle I'd ever seen—all the others I'd seen were in C. He gave it to me and I taught myself how to play. There Was a fife and drum band in my town and to get into it, I borrowed a band fife and practiced on that, and that is how I got into flute playing, but I never got into a ceili band until I came to this country. In fact, the Connacht Ceili Band was the first band in which I ever played the flute. The first band I played in was the Tara Ceili Band on Dudley Street, Roxbury, in the late fifties and early sixties, and there I played the fiddle.
The first night my sister Frances took me to Dudley Street, the Tara Band was playing "Cooley's Reel". I was surprised to hear that music here, so when the dance was over, I went over to the band and said. I never thought I'd hear music like that in this country." They asked me how long I'd been in this country. and I said, 'a fortnight.' They introduced themselves to me: Mickey Connolly, accordion; Larry Reynolds, fiddle; Frank Neylon, flute; Tom Garvey, piano; George Shanley, drums; and Terry Landers, accordion. They asked me to play a tune on the fiddle. and when I was finished, they asked me if I had a fiddle and a white shirt and black bow tie. and if so, to show up next Saturday night and I could play with the band for $12 a night, not bad for those times, and that's how I started playing in this country. After that band broke up and people stopped playing at Dudley Street, Mike McDonagh put together the Connacht Ceili Band. We did a record and took two trips to Ireland. Oh, we had some great times all right."
Since being in this country Brendan has been an active member of Comhaltas, teaching flute and tin whistle to many students in the Boston area. He has also, over the last 45 years, compiled a book of tunes—composed back in Ireland and up to the present—tunes named for special people and events to honor them in the best way he could, with his own music, which is said to have his special brand of cheer and heartiness. Other artists have recorded Brendan’s tunes: musicians mentioned above as well as Seamus and Martin Connolly, Marcas O'Murchu, Dezi Donnelly, Seamus Tansey, Brendan Bulger and Andy McGann.
