Réamhrádh Tré na blíantha, bíodh se mar caitheamh aimsire agam, agus tá fós corr fhonn a cur le céile is a cásadh ar an bpíob nuair nac mbeadh aoinne thart. É á bhreacadh síos ar ghiota phaípéir ar chúdac litreach nó a leithéad, ag iarraidh a dhéanamh amach an raibh ciall ar bith ag dul leis. Ach is minicí a scríohfainn síos mir eícint a thiocfadh im cheann. Tar eís sin, mir eile a lorg a gabhfadh leis. D'á bfeadfainn leannunt le sin go mbeadh an céad ocht mbarra críocnaigth, ní mbheadh an dara cuid, nó an triomhadh, ródheacair. Ar feadh cuid mhaith de'n am seo bí na giotaí phaípéara seo scaiptha ar fuid an tighe no cáillte, is dubhairt cuid de mo cháirde go haírithe Páraic Mac Úisdín, liom iad a cur le chéile. Rinne mé iarract ar sin a dhéanamh ach níor eirigh ró mhaith liom. Ní duine ró shlácthmhar mé. Tá mé in fhaircios ar aon nós tá siad bailighthe air dheire, agus is mó tá Páraic freagrac le sin. Ós píobaire me, ní h-íontas na leaganacha seo a bheith claonta beagán in cun na píobaireacta ach ní dóigh liom go mbeídh streo ar ceoltóirí eile an ceol a casadh. Má's mian le duine aca triall a dhéanamh tá fáilte gus fiche roimhe. Mo bhuideacas do mo cháirde, Páraic, Norm Stiff a rinne comh deas an cliúdac. Ray Caldwell a cuidigh leis. Síle Church, Debbie Quigley, Dave Papazian agus duine mar Joe Byrne a thug caoin cead dom a nainemacha a cur le cuide de na fiunn. De Pól Cranford i gCap Breton, mo chaired in Eireann is i gCanada agus áiteachaí eile. Sonas ortha uilig. Criostóir Ó'Longáin.

Foreword Over the years it has been, and still is, a pastime of mine to put together an odd tune and to play it on the pipes when nobody was around - and then maybe to jot it down on a scrap of paper, or an envelope, or something like that, trying to find out whether it made any sense. Many's the time I would write down some snatch of a tune that would come into my head, and then to search for another snatch that would go with it, and if I could keep that going until I had the first 8 bars finished, the second or third parts would not be so difficult. For a long time these scraps of paper were scattered around the house or lost, and some of my friends (particularly Patrick Hutchinson) urged me to put them together. I made an effort to do so, but did not succeed very well. I'm not a very tidy person, I'm afraid. Anyway, I have finally collected them all, and it is Patrick mostly that is responsible for this. As I am a piper, it's no wonder that these versions are somewhat slanted towards the pipes. But I don't think that other musicians will have any difficulty playing the music. If any one of them would like to give it a go, he is more than welcome. My thanks to my friends Patrick; to Norm Stiff, who did such a nice job of the cover; to Roy Caldwell who helped him; to Síle Church, Debbie Quigley, Dave Papazian and people like Joe Byrne who kindly gave me permission to put their names on some of the tunes; and to Paul Cranford of Cape Breton, and my friends in Ireland, Canada, and other places. Peace be with them. Christopher Langan