Maurice Connor was the king, and that’s no small word, of all the pipers in Ireland. He could play jig and planxty without end, and Ollistrum’s March, and the Eagle’s Whistle, and the Hen’s Concert, and odd tunes of every sort and kind. As a young child, Maurice mysteriously began to play one tune that was far more surprising than the rest – a tune which had in it the power to set everything dead or alive dancing.  At the very first note of that tune, the brogues began shaking upon the feet of all who heard it – old or young it mattered not!

For many many years, Maurice’s mother Maggie accompanied him wherever his music would bring him – to fairs, house dances, and all sorts of gatherings.  One day at a céilí beside the sea, Maurice foolishly began to play the enchanted tune, much to his poor mother’s dismay.  Everyone, and every creature down to the crabs, scallops and oysters, began to dance, including a green-haired mermaid who emerged from the sea to try and persuade Maurice to live with her under the waves as ‘king over the fishes’. 

The Wonderful Tune – told through the eyes of Maggie – is a touching and intriguing tale of the power of music, of the changes that can happen when we grow up, and of a mother’s love for her son.