The labour of writing has been rendered easy by my desire to preserve the music of my native province, which is fast becoming extinct, and should this work come into the hands of anyone desirous of becoming a proficient on the Irish pipes, he will have without any trouble, a supply of suitable music which it cost me some years to collect and set down in this form…
—— James Goodman, 1861
The Project
James Goodman (1828−1896), a native of Dingle, Co. Kerry, was a canon of the Church of Ireland and Professor of Irish at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). During his lifetime he compiled an exceptional music and song manuscript collection which was deposited in TCD Library following his death.
Now in collaboration with TCD, ITMA has digitised and made freely available online the six manuscript volumes. They contain over 2,000 melodies and upwards of 80 songs or poems compiled by James Goodman from oral, manuscript and printed sources at his disposal in mid-19th century southern Ireland.
This notable digital project enhances the published scholarly editions Tunes of the Munster Pipers Volumes 1-2 edited by Hugh and Lisa Shields (ITMA, 1998 & 2013) and interactive score access via the Canon James Goodman Resources on the ITMA website.
Manuscripts
Volume 1
TCD MS 3194
Volume 2
TCD MS 3195
Volume 3
TCD MS 3196
Volume 4
TCD MS 3197
Volume 5
TCD MS 11320
Volume 6
TCD MS 11321
More Information
The print editions of Tunes of the Munster Pipers Volumes 1 & 2 may be purchased online at: https://www.itma.ie/shop
The Irish Traditional Music Archive’s website has a number of other Goodman related resources which can be found on the Canon James Goodman Resources at ITMA page
This page includes recordings of tunes in the collections and interactive scores of Tunes of the Munster Pipers Volumes 1 & 2 and a biography of Canon Goodman.
Supplementary online resources to the Goodman collection, compiled by Lisa Shields, are also available.
Acknowledgements
The Irish Traditional Music Archive would like to sincerely thank the Board of Trinity College Dublin; Roy Stanley, Music Librarian, TCD Library; and Dr. Bernard Meehan, Head of Research Collections and Keeper of Manuscripts, TCD Library, for their co-operation in bringing this project to fruition.