Timothy A. Downing (1909)
My cherished boyhood friend
Compliments of the
Compiler and editor
Francis O'Neill
Chicago, USA.
May 20th 1909
Biography: Timothy Downing, born 1821, was a neighbor of the O’Neill’s in Tralibane. Francis called Downing “a gentleman farmer of illustrious ancestry.” who played equally well on the flute and the fiddle. Francis went to his house for lessons on the flute. Although Downing could read music he taught Francis to play by ear. He had, "a chest full of music manuscript which he possessed,” Francis wrote, "and from which he selected the tunes for my lessons. On his visit to Ireland he was able to see the manuscripts then in the possession of Downing's daughter, Jane, who still lived at “the old homestead,” and from his son Timothy A. Downing, who then lived in Wales. The dedication here is to the son, Timothy A. Downing. [Biography by Michael O'Malley]
Provenance: From the collection of Kristina Igoe, who writes "This book was given to me as a gift by my music teacher in 1991 after studying music in south-west England."