The Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival is delighted to announce that John Walsh has been chosen as recipient of this year’s Dedication to the Music of Sliabh Luachra Award – according to festival spokesman, Conor O’Mahony.
The prestigious award has been given out at every festival since the 2000, except in 2020 when the the event was entirely virtual due to COVID-19.
Influential RTE Radio presenters, the late Dr. Ciarán MacMathúna and festival founding member Peter Browne, were among the first to receive the award in 2000 and in 2002 respectively.
Other notable winners include: Paddy Cronin, Johnny O’Leary, Jackie Daly, Jimmy Doyle, Matt Cranitch – to name but a few.
Fiddle Player and Composer
This year it’s John Walsh’s turn. John is a fiddle player and composer from Derrygallon, near Kanturk. He has composed countless tunes which today are considered staples of any Sliabh Luachra session.
His tunes are played around the world. At times he has mingled with people playing his tunes in sessions without anyone realising the composer is alive and kicking and playing or standing right beside them! John received a handful of lessons from Dan Roger O’Sullivan but was largely self-taught.
A nephew of Sonny O’Riordan, who would have been a big influence on him in later years. He has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the notation methods of Patrick O’Keeffe and Tom Billy Murphy.
Jackie Daly and Donal Murphy are just two leading musicians who have played his compositions all over the world.
Key Festival Founder
John Walsh is also one of the key contributors to the founding of the Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival.
It was his persistent letter writing to RTÉ which eventually prompted Peter Browne to produce the seminal four part RTE Radio 1 documentary on Patrick O’Keeffe in early 1993 The Last of the Great Fiddle Masters it focused on the life and times of Patrick O’Keeffe.
The documentary, which was broadcast after the first festival in 1993, coincided with the 30th anniversary of Patrick’s death in February 1963.
It provided a solid platform and the impetus and inspiration for the fledgling festival in the years to follow.
John’s Legendary Persistence
“In late 1992 when John Walsh, an RTÉ technician in the southern area and a fine fiddle-player and composer of tunes, suggested to me that a programme be done on Pádraig’s life and times,” Peter Browne recalled.
“The reason being that a good number of his pupils were now themselves in the autumn of their lives and the memories of Pádraig should be saved. I can say for John that he persisted until a visit was made and I spoke to four of Pádraig’s pupils for about half an hour each one night in Tom Fleming’s pub in Scartaglen.
“These men, Sonny Riordan, Mickey Duggan, Paddy O’Connell and Páidi Gleeson spoke lovingly and warmly of their fiddle teacher and it now seemed that the complete story should be looked at – no-one could leave it at that,” said Peter.
Award at All-Star Concert
John Walsh usually prefers to exist in the background and behind the scenes at the festival each year.
Now, the committee believes it is well time to honour the immense, if quiet, contribution this man has made to the music of Sliabh Luachra and the award will be presented to him on Saturday, October 26th at 8pm in the River Island Hotel in the course of a truly all-star concert.
The Concert Line-up Includes:
Jackie Daly, Matt Cranitch, Caoimhe and Eimhear Flannery, Paudie O’Connor, Aoife Ni Chaoimh, Connie O’Connell, Bryan O’Leary, Mikie O’Gorman, Colm Guilfoyle, Michael O’Connor Andrea Palandri and Pádraic Keane Diarmuid O’Brien and Donal O’Sullivan, Con Moynihan, Denis O’Connor, Joe O’Sullivan, Darragh Curtin and Aidan Connolly,
Nicky McAuliffe, Anne McAuliffe and Emma O’Leary, John Walsh – Dedication to the Music of Sliabh Luachra Award; Patrick O’Keeffe Young Musician Award – male and female.
One of the largest traditional music festivals in the country, the 2024 Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival takes place over five days, from October 24th-28th.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/…/sliabh-luachra-concert-at…
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