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My Uncle Dan McCann” - Performed in May 1929 in Ireland Another gem for you from the University of South Carolina which was filmed on the 15th of May in 1929 on the West Coast of Ireland. The four minute film is of a young boy called Dennis Donahue singing repeat verses of the song “My Uncle Dan McCann”. The song is known in the traditional repertoire and it’s incredible to hear this young boys voice from 92 years ago. He is a pure pro too and there are four or five takes of him sitting by a stream, supposedly fishing, singing the opening and closing verses of the song. Lovely natural voice on him and great little performer. I am unsure of exact location but I’m guessing Galway, Clare or Kerry going by the other clips the camera crew filmed. (I’m guessing Kerry myself based on accent.) Great lines in it about the singer travelling to America looking for his Uncle Dan McCann, a Galway man who we are told became a very prosperous Yankee Man, who took a seat in Congress and became the leader of his Clan. What struck me was how we can reach back into history so easily with this clip as in the opening lines he says “he left the County Galway about the year of ’61”. In the scheme of things, 1861 wasn’t that far back from where he was sitting in 1929. Anyway - I’ll stop talking - have a listen to this as it is pure gold.
