RTÉ Boost for World Fiddle Day Concert and Concept

World Fiddle Day Scartaglin 17-5-2014
Master of all he Surveys: The monument to the great fiddle master, Patrick O’Keeffe looking out over the village during the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglin. ©Photograph: John Reidy

In a further boost for this weekend’s World Fiddle Day Scartaglin celebrations, RTÉ has expressed an interest in recording part of tomorrow night’s concert in the village.

The national broadcaster is especially interested in capturing the unique, all fiddle concert at Scartaglin Heritage Centre.

Interest in the concert and in the day as a whole is rising by the hour. The committee, under PJ Teahan, learned only the other day that USA based members of the famous Murphy clan of Lisheen are packing their fiddles and heading for the homeland and they’ll be in Scart by Saturday.

There are gathering sessions tonight in several venues.

Matt Cranitch will give a talk on Ballymacelligott native, Maida McQuinn at O Riada’s Bar and Restaurant, Ballymacelligott at 8-30pm tonight. This will be followed by a session there with himself and Jackie Daly and Paul de Grae and the ubiquitous friends.

In Castleisland tonight take a look into: Browne’s Bar; Tom McCarthy’s Bar; Kearney’s Bar and The Crown Bar from 10pm.

Saturday is all about Scartaglin and it’s all about the music of the fiddle and of area and its history. The menu for the day is full – but it’s all do-able – as it’s all rolled out and timed to be so.

The organisers have done all that’s humanly possible to make the event a memorable one. If it’s anywhere near last year’s high water mark – it’ll be wonderful. Have a look at the programme and call to any – or all – of the participating pubs tonight and to Scart on tomorrow. Great fiddle music and more is the magic thread in the binding and stitching of the seams of this weekend.

It’s a weekend and an event which came out of the mists of our deeply cultural past. All the material and the characters were there on stage and the sounds they left us were all around. It just took someone with the samhlaiocht or imagination to see beyond the fog and heed the call through the din of distraction. Someone to bring it all out and parade it again in the clear day-light of a new dawn of appreciation.

PJ Teahan, Mick Culloty and Tomás Mac Uileagóid and less than a handful of friends are the ones behind the vision and it’s being done for the enjoyment and entertainment of both local and visitor.

Saturday’s events will span from 12noon to God knows – and even He would be only guessing. You’ll find the whole programme on Facebook World Fiddle Day Scartaglin.

For more information you can click on the link here: http://www.mainevalleypost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Press-release-WFD-2016.docx.pdf