Traditional musicians and teachers, Aoife Ní Chaoimh and Paudie O’Connor’s latest CD Didn’t She Dance and Dance will have its Castleisland launch on this Friday night May 29th from 9pm at Browne’s Bar, Main Street. The launch will be followed by an open session and all musicians are welcome.
This is likely to be a packed house affair with the finest of Sliabh Luachra music in a gathering in celebration of the launch of another great collection in the still unfolding Scéal Sliabh Luachra.
Musical Heritage
The sleeve notes tell of Aoife and Paudie’s travels through the traditions of their native Kerry and its musical heritage. They respectfully acknowledge the influences of the giants of the genre which whom they played in their formative years.
“There’s an old Irish proverb that says ‘nuair a stopann an ceol, stopann an rince’. In Sliabh Luachra neither music nor dance has stopped for over 150 years. Nowhere has the link between traditional music and set dancing endured longer than in Sliabh Luachra.”
“For generations the sound of fiddle and accordion accompanied by the considered clatter of a dancer’s shoe have provided the soundtrack for occasions of both joy and sorrow across the rushy glens. In few places has set dancing had such an impact on both the repertoire and rhythms of the music. The lands inside the circumference travelled by Tom Billy Murphy and his donkey, teaching music to pupils eager to have enough tunes to play for the Jenny Lind or Polka Set, remained rich in musical heritage long after his passing. The result is a vast repertoire of jigs, reels, polkas, slides, hornpipes, barn dances and waltzes.”
Purest Form
“Since beginning our musical journey in the early 1980s, the musicians we have played with have been as fascinating as the repertoire they have kept alive. Box players such as Johnny O’Leary, Jimmy Doyle and John Brosnan as well as the numerous fiddle students of Patrick O’Keeffe including lesser known heroes such as Dan Jeremiah O’Connor have been generous with their time and have passed on the music in its purest form. They have helped fill the gaps for the modern generation of Sliabh Luachra musicians and provided an insight into the musical times and lives of O’Keeffe and Tom Billy Murphy. This recording is our interpretation of what we have seen and heard. We hope you enjoy the music.”
Anyone looking for more information on the CD or to buy a copy can do so online at: www.paudieoconnor.com
