A veritable goldmine of old, traditional and very local music will be opened up to the public courtesy of the Handed Down Sliabh Luachra Archives at the Ivy Leaf Art Centre in Castleisland on Sunday, October 29th at 5:30pm.
An offer from the Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival committee in September to highlight the collection in the online Handed Down Sliabh Luachra Archive was ‘gratefully accepted’ by its founder PJ Teahan.
Dedication to the Music
PJ is also to receive the 2023 Dedication to the Music of Sliabh Luachra award in the course of the long weekend of the festival which runs over its recently adopted five-day duration from Thursday, October 26th to and including Monday 30th. 2023 and, as sure as you’re there, a small sup of Tuesday.
PJ revealed that 2023 has been one of the best years for materials being donated to the archives and the opportunity to highlight these was too good an offer to turn down.
Tapes from the USA
Early last spring saw the arrival of 20 cassette tapes from the USA from the family of Kathleen Fitzgerald R.I.P originally from Lisheen Cross and the famous Waiver Murphy family feature on these tapes,” said PJ with more than a hint of what he’s about to unveil.
“Fortunately for those of us who treasure such material, Kerry ETB in Tralee listened to our proposals and stepped forward with funding to save and preserve these tapes so that future generations of young traditional musicians could listed to and learn from them,” said PJ.
Nicky to Launch
“We’re delighted to have the legendary Nickie McAuliffe launch this collection on Sunday, October 29th.
“As often happens when your luck is in, you get more good news. An email from Richie Piggott in Chicago brought tidings of great joy. He wished to donate 28 pieces of music and song to the archives that were recorded in 1956 by Terry ‘Cuz’ Teahan of Glountane. The recordings were made in the Tobermaing, Castleisland home of his brother Paddy Teahan,” PJ added with delight and wonder at the discovery of the recordings made in his grand-father’s house so long ago.
Exciting and Historic
“It will be an exciting and historic occasion for devotees of the music and visitors to the Castleisland festival to hear the fiddle-master Patrick O’Keeffe playing solo and with his three former pupils: Cuz Teahan home from Chicago; Jerry McCarthy and Timmy Spillane from Gortgloss, Scartaglin.
They are joined on the recording by Castleisland singer and later band leader, Michael O’Callaghan in fine and impressive voice with Scartaglin saxophonist Ger O’Sullivan.
Radio Specials
The launch will also hear music from a Céilí House recording at Brennan’s Bar, in Castleisland from November 2002.
There’s a radio special on Nickie and Anne McAuliffe and one with wise words from Paddy Jones R.I.P and a Kenmare recording from the 80s of Jackie Daly’s brilliance on the box.
“It will be a great evening and a memorable occasion for Castleisland to hear the magic of Patrick O’Keeffe on fiddle during the festival which honours his memory and his music,” said PJ.
Mind your Music
It’s all very much in keeping with the ‘Mind your Music’ advice given by the late Dr. Ciarán Mac Mathúna when he and his colleague Peter Browne launched the RTÉ Radio 1 CD of the music of the last of the great fiddle masters himself.
That was in the Crown Hotel on the Sunday evening of the first festival in 1993 all of 30 years ago to the day of PJ’s launch this weekend.
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