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Fiddler and button accordionist John McGrath (1900–1955) arrived in New York from Rossport in the Mayo gaeltacht in 1928. He would go on to lead dance bands, play for step dancers at feis competitions, and teach music to hundreds of students in Manhattan and the Bronx. McGrath was a friend of Michael Coleman and Paddy Killoran but never made a commercial recording himself. He is reputed to have composed many well-known tunes, including “John McGrath’s Composition,” which lives on as a fiddlers’ favorite.
