Handed Down Archive / World Fiddle Day Scartaglen founder member, P.J. Teahan would be excused for believing that things can’t get any better.
On Saturday night in the River Island Hotel, under a full moon, he was presented with the 2023 Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival Award for his dedication to the music of Sliabh Luachra.
Over the last few weeks items of significant interest have been promised and sent to him for his archive and some from as far away as America.
Last week in The Irish Times, Castleisland born journalist, Siobhán Long mentioned PJ’s forensic efforts in unearthing these rare gems of the music.
Huge Efforts
He puts in huge efforts in finding out how and where and by whom the music was played here at home in the 1950s before and during the great migration to America and England of that particular generation.
On stage in the hotel on Saturday night Peter Browne placed P.J. collecting abilities and determination on a level with anything else he has come across in a lifetime on the road in the great tradition of music broadcasting in Ireland.
Giving P.J. the floor after the introduction, he spoke of the music of the area as being every bit as important as football.
Bolstering the Theory
He also said that he didn’t believe in the notion that Sliabh Luachra is a state of mind – at least not a single state of mind.
To bolster his theory he pointed out, knowingly, a host of musicians from the famed area and he suggested that subtle playing differences exists between parishes and areas within Sliabh Luachra itself.
You won’t catch any two of them playing the same tune the same way – and they certainly won’t play it the same way twice – he maintained – and I think Peter Browne nodded in agreement.
Packed Ivy Leaf
On to Sunday evening at 5:30pm and a packed Ivy Leaf Art Centre where P.J. and Nickie McAuliffe played and discussed excerpts from the archives.
Elsewhere, on the festival front, there’s nothing but good vibes coming back from both locals, patrons and visitors. The quality of the music throughout the town was exceptional and there was a real shift in drinking patterns amongst young people in particular this year.
There were several instances over the weekend where young people bought their daily bread from Centra and ate it with litre bottles of wine. This, one of them explained, was an effort to combat the cost of drink.
Nora and Pádraig O’Keeffe
Back to P.J. Teahan and his collection and one of the items which came to him recently: Nora and Padraig O’Keeffe were two of nine children born to John O’Keeffe of Boherbue, Co. Cork and Margaret O’Callaghan of Doonaslea, near Kiskeam Co. Cork.
Just in case there’s any confusion about the Patrick / Pádraig O’Keeffe name, rest assured it is to one and the same man we refer.
John O’Keeffe was the principal of Glountane National School and he and his family lived in the house adjacent to the school.
Taught from 1915 to 1920
He was joined in the school by his daughter Nora as an assistant teacher in 1913 and when he died in 1915, his son Padraig became principal of the school. Padraig held that position until he resigned in 1920, after which he lived a life of a travelling music master – now recognized as the last and one of the greatest travelling music masters in the history of Irish traditional music. On 28th November 1918, Nora married Thomas Carmody, a farmer’s son from Knocknagoshel, and their son, Thomas (Sonny) was born in Castleisland on 21st November 1921. On 27th July 1948, Sonny married Eileen Sheehan in Birmingham, England; she was born on 17th September 1925 at Tureencahill, Gneeveguilla, Rathmore, Co. Kerry. Sonny immigrated to the US in 1957, arriving in Detroit, Michigan on 30th January.
Family United in Detroit
Eileen and their young children joined him the following year, arriving in Detroit on 3rd March 1958. The family eventually moved to Chicago where they remained for the rest of their lives.
Prior to Eileen’s departure to America in 1958, she and her children joined her in-laws, Nora and Padraig O’Keeffe and neighbors in Glountane, to make a recording of music and song to bring to her husband in America.
Among those in attendance that evening were Nora Carmody, née O’Keeffe, Padraig O’Keeffe, Eileen Carmody, Sonny’s wife, Mrs. Sheehan, Eileen’s mother; Andrew ? Noreen ? Lizzy ? and Eileen and Sonny’s young children.
Now P.J. is hoping that someone will be able to fill in the missing surnames.
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