The Parson & The Peas - "Finding Sharon"

Finding Sharon is an original three part composition by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown ~ © 2023. It was composed for Sharon Brown to mark the 20^th year of their marriage. Performed here at the Uniting Church Sunday Market Concert, Armidale NSW.

The Parson & The Peas - "Captain O'Kane"

Captain O'Kane" is thought to have been composed by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan for his friend Captain O'Kane, a "sporting" Irishman of a distinguished County Antrim family. Performed here by "The Parson & The Peas" at the High Country Matkets in Uralla, on Sunday June 4^th 2023.

The Parson & The Peas - "Chuck Brown's Rake & Snoopy's New Toy"

Both of the tunes in this set are original compositions by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown ~ © 2023
Snoopy's New Toy was written for his late Jack Russell "Snoopy".

The Parson & The Peas - "Gan Tae The Kye"

Performed at Armidale Farmer's Market - Sunday April 9^th 2023. A medieval song from Northumbria. The local Northumbrian dialect figures prominently in this song. The song/poem stems from a time when the English/Scottish borders were unclear.

The Parson & The Peas - "Hurry The Jug (Set)"

This is a set of 4 tunes (jigs) in the key of D, and with 6/8 time. The set begins with "Hurry the Jug", followed by "Lock the Door", then "Mulvihill\’s Jig" and finished with "Patsy Geary’s Jig".

The Parson & The Peas - "Sally Gardens"

"Down by the Salley Gardens" is a poem by William Butler Yeats published in The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems in 1889. The verse was subsequently set to music by Herbert Hughes to the traditional air "The Maids of Mourne Shore" in 1909.

The Parson & The Peas - "Spanish Ladies"

This ballad was registered in the English Stationer's Company on December 14, 1624. "Spanish Ladies" is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of an enlisted sailor of the Royal Navy.

The Parson & The Peas - "The Springtime It Brings On The Shearing"

This song seems to have been derived from a poem called 'The Wallaby Track', by E. J. Overbury, which was first published in 1865 in a collection of Overbury's verses called "Bush Songs". Martyn Wyndham-Read commented that, "It is a gentle, matter-of-fact sort of song; it paints a contented picture, which verges on the romantic image of bush life."

The Parson & The Peas - "Carrickfergus"

This well known ballad appears to be a lament written about a loved one buried in the Ballygrant graveyard in Scotland, the lyrics recalling their wonderful times together and now, feeling his life is at an end he remembers the old days fondly. It remains one of the most beautiful Irish airs and is now a little less obscure in its lyrics. This version was transcribed by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown from a recording by Declan Affley.

The Parson & The Peas - "The Banks of the Dee"

This tune was transcribed by Paul Brown from a Johnny Handle recording on the 1975 High Level Ranter\’s album The Bonny Pit Laddie. This song reflects the agony of those who, in Durham County, are “too old to work and too young to die”.

The Parson & The Peas - "The Cockies of Bungaree"

A.L.Lloyd collected this tune and some of the words from James Hamilton, of Albury, NSW. He said, "The great Bungaree song began life as the doleful complaint of a potato lifter. At some time along the road it caught up with another, called the Stringybark Cockatoo. The present version is the offspring of this honourable if humble union."

The Parson & The Peas - "The Yellow Bittern"

This song originated from an 18th-century Irish poem "An Bunán Buí" by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. It was transcribed by Paul Brown from a recording from the late Irish-Australian performer, Declan Affley from his Pub With No Beer Album.

The Parson & The Peas - "The Street Reels"

Another set composed by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown for his Highland Series. The set comprises "The Beardy St Reel", "The Barney Street Reel" and "The Dumeresque Street Reel" performed in the Uniting Church, Armidale NSW

The Parson & The Peas - "Magh Seola"

This well known tune is also known as "The Level Plain". It was performed here by The Parson & The Peas in the Uniting Church, Armidale NSW. Arrangement by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown.

The Parson & The Peas - "The New England Jig"

This is another tune composed by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown for his Highland Series. The lively tune is imagined as a stately dance with 6 sections.

The Parson & The Peas - "The Kerry Polka Set"

The Kerry Polka Set is a lively set of 3 tunes, starting with "The Kerry Polka", followed by "Britches full of Stitches" and finished with "John Ryans Polka".

The Parson & The Peas - "The Whistler Wife"

Composed by Paul Michael 'Chuck' Brown, "The Whistler Wife" was, as the name suggests, composed for his wife in honour of her tireless efforts to learn to read music while simultaneously learning Irish Whistle, ultimately leading to the formation of The Parson & The Peas.