With weather woes and the curse of world-wide ailments hopefully behind us by now, attentions can turn to entertainment of various kinds in local venues.
Tonight. February 18th at 8pm in Scartaglen, as part of the Handed Down programme of events, RTÉ Radio 1 will renew its long and lengthening links with the Sliabh Luachra area.
The station’s Rolling Wave presenter Aoife Nic Chormaic will front a Handed Down special on two highly dedicated and influential women and sisters of the Sliabh Luachra firmament, Bridgie Kelliher and Julia Clifford.
No Musical Stars
There was no such thing as musical stars in their day – if there was they’d be in there or up there.
That their music and their influence lives on is testament enough to what they did for the culture of their area in their time.
That Radio Éireann saw the importance of what came naturally to them and their generation is another equally vital cog in the whole Sliabh Luachra story.
That the enduring association which was forged between the sanctuary of culture and music and the station is still being celebrated today is down to the same levels of acknowledgement and willingness to engage with one another for the good of what the area holds dear and the platforms provided for it by the visitors.
Finding Water – Digging the Well
Once upon a time, neighbours of ours found water at the corner of a flower garden at the front of our little house.
Other neighbours and friends helped my father to dig the well and line it.
There was a lot of hard work involved and one man had to be dropped down the lowering depth by rope to dig away to ensure the continuity of the flow and the purity of the drop.
When it was all done and the water was filling up the concrete pipes and maintaining its level, the men returned one evening with their Sunday clothes on them.
Tasting the Water
There was a crate or two of stout and a dropeen in a bigger bottle in the kitchen. But first, with mugs in hand, the men went to the well and a bucket of water was drawn up and the mugs dipped in and filled.
One after another they swore that it was the finest drop of water they ever tasted and that the diviners were truly gifted and that the man on the rope must have hit a spring. The well is still there.
A Deeper Well
P.J. Teahan, Handed Down founder member and Aoife Nic Chormaic, Radio Éireann / RTÉ. will help you fill your mug from a much deeper well in Scartaglen tonight and to taste the pure drop at this episode from 8pm sharp.
This well was ‘found’ by the likes of the women being honoured tonight. Their brother Denis Murphy along with Johnny O’Leary, Patrick O’Keeffe, Paddy Cronin, Denis McMahon, Paddy Jones and the most recently departed, Jimmy Doyle and so many more all had hands and lives in it.
It was dug by men like Séamus Ennis, Ciarán MacMahtúna and Peter Browne. Its flow is encouraged today by the likes of Ms. Nic Chormaic and the Handed Down crew.
It’s at 8pm tonight and that crew can’t stand people coming in late – you have been warned.
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