The Swallow's Nest Set
Peace spends the winter at the beach. Long stretches of sand all around the world are virtually deserted in the colder months. Robert Moses State Park, on the west end of Fire Island, New York was only sparsely populated one sunny but chilly day in early March, 2023 (see video linked below). Gulls soared overhead or walked the sand. A steady wind pushed through the scrub trees and reeds throughout the dunes.
I walked along the border between the sand the waves, then inland a couple hundred yards, along a well-maintained boardwalk through the dunes and marshes. An anonymous benefactor had left decorated clamshells at regular intervals along the boardwalk’s railing, with painted-on words such as, “peace”, “hope”, “endure”, and, “seize the day.”
I learned the three jigs I played for the soundtrack from a book called, “Ireland’s Best Session Tunes 1.” It’s part of a Waltons series of tune books for various instruments, available from Mel Bay Publications. I learn tunes by ear and from sheet music, but like most folk-style players, I end up modifying all the tunes I play as I’m influenced by other players, and by my own preferences. I played octave mandolin and bodhrán (an Irish frame drum played with a single stick) for the backing tracks.
