CEOLAIREACHT INVESTIGATES a journey roots of the regional style. Presenter and musician Doireann Ní Ghlacáin heads off with her fiddle to find out what is happening at the heart of the traditional Irish music scene in four different areas around Ireland.
Conventional wisdom has it that the epicentre of traditional music is in west Clare, Sliabh Luachra and Donegal but is that still the case?
Doireann delves into the music scene in lesser known areas, musically speaking, to see who is playing what.
She heads to Dundalk, west Limerick and north Clare, but first she checks out what’s on her own doorstep, in Dublin’s North inner city.
Before tradition music became mainstream and globally recognised, the music from different areas had distinct ‘accents’. The lilting slurs of the fiddles of east Kerry were very different to the lively phrasing of Sligo music or the strong energy of Donegal reels.
Presenter Doireann Ní Ghlacáin.These accents reflect a sophisticated and developed indigenous artform and are referred to as ‘the regional style’.
But is the regional style still with us, or has it been ironed out? Ní Ghlacáin endeavours to find out.
First stop is The Cobblestone pub in Smithfield, and a performance from Méabh Mulligan along with Ruth and Libby McCrohan and Siún Ní Ghlacáin.
Up the road in Stoneybatter, Doireann meets multi award-winning folk musician John Francis Flynn performing tracks from his album I Will Not Live Always.
DÚN DEALGAN - Piaras Ó Lorcáin and Blaithín Mhic Cana.Dublin is a character long regaled in our finest literature, but also our finest songs. The rich write the history books and the people write the songs, so they say. Local legend Barry Gleeson tells Doireann all about the song tradition of Dublin. He sings some of James Joyce’s own compositions and some well-known favourites. Ní Ghlacáin also meets young uilleann piping prodigy Sorcha Ní Scolaí and maestros Liam O’Connor and Seán McKeon, who share stories of the old pipers’ club on Thomas Street.
CEOLTAIREACHT BÁC - Sin Ní Ghlacáin, Maeve Mulligan, Ruth and Libby McCrohan.The legendary fiddle player James Kelly is on a rare visit home from Miami and recounts his memories growing up in Capel Street in his father John Kelly Snr’s shop.
The journey ends in the Piper’s Corner where publican Seán Potts and his daughter Ellen tell Doireann all about their own family’s history in the city and give a special performance.
Ceolaireacht can be seen on TG4 starting on Sunday, October 23 at 9.30pm and globally on www.tg4.ie
