My father once told me that when Seán Ó Riada died, people were left bereft. The nation had lost a champion of our Gaelic culture, at a tragically young age. Ó’Riada’s immense contribution to the revival and conservation of traditional music, seannós singing, and other forms of our ancient culture, was achieved in an astonishingly short period […]
Yes, really.
When I was small, one of the most exciting events of the year was going to the Fleadh Cheoil with my dad, Séamus. Thousands of people thronged the streets in Buncrana or Listowel or Kilkenny during those golden, halcyon days of traditional music, and most of them seemed to know him. It would take an […]
The annual traditional music school, Scoil Samhradh Willie Clancy, has been moved online for a second year in a row due to Covid restrictions but amongst the online classes, concerts and presentations on offer is a feature of special interest to singers, historians and anyone with a grá for Ireland’s freedom. Who Feared Not the […]
Handel’s Messiah was the soundtrack to Christmas Day in our house. It was a bit, or more likely totally, above our heads but it gradually, over many years, soaked up the strangeness and wonder, the mysterious otherworldliness of Christmas. The smells and tastes, the treats, the novelties that the kindly Santa left for us on […]
Last year, a Traveller family parked their trailer in a layby up the road from where I live. They had a fair bit of space, and a small generator was used to give light and heat. We’d often pass by walking the dog, or going to the shops, and sometimes we’d nod and say hello to […]
The Traveller Pride festival has been taking place since Monday for two weeks and it features a host of gifted and award-winning musicians and performers such as the traditional singer Thomas McCarthy and Ireland’s Got Talent star, Sharyn Ward. Many of those taking part in the events point to the relentlessly negative portrayal of Travellers in the […]