Greetings everyone! I hope your holiday season has been filled with happiness and good cheer! With the year drawing to its close, I’ve been taking some time to reflect on the things that have transpired within the traditional community over the last 12 months and about some of the things that will give it shape as we move forward. It’s been quite a year, as I’m sure you’ll all agree.
I think first about those we’ve lost. A lot of attention of late has been drawn to the death of Shane McGowan, whose impact on the world of Irish music is inestimable, but 2023 saw the passing of many folks whose impact on the traditional music community is similarly inestimable. I think of folks like Sean Keane, Brian O’Donovan, Kathleen Collins, Dan Milner, Joan Dolan, Joan McNiff Cass, and Pete Mancuso, each of whom we enjoyed knowing so well. We grieve their deaths but remember fondly the light and creativity they brought into the world.
I think, too, about the many fabulous albums that came out this year! People like Diarmuid Ó Meachair, Joey Abarta, Nuala Kennedy, and Réalta (who you read about last week), each of whom released albums of high caliber music. Another was Karan Casey (https://karancasey.com/), whose “Nine Apples of Gold” came out early this year. Back in February I wrote that it was “a hard hitting, take no prisoners sort of album, that speaks directly and supportively on a range of issues,” and it’s one I’ve come back to several times over the year. A very worthwhile listen!
Another outstanding release was “The Yew & The Orchard” by Cillian Vallely (https://www.cillianvallely.com/) and David Doocey (https://www.daviddoocey.com/). A brilliant collection of uilleann pipes and fiddle music, it features two of the finest players going today. If you’ve not yet listened to it, take some time and enjoy some of the best traditional music the year had to offer.
An album that came out of nowhere for me was “Threads of Gold,” by Adrienne O’Shea (https://adrienneoshea.bandcamp.com). “A very high quality and quite mature sounding album,” I enjoyed O’Shea’s singing thoroughly and hope she’s found a wider audience with Echo readers – she certainly deserves it.
Two of my very most favorite albums of the year were “Beo,” by Pádraic Keane (uilleann pipes), Páraic Mac Donnchadha (banjo) & Macdara Ó Faoláin (strings) and Tony Linnane’s “Ceol na Fidle.” I called the former “a cut above the rest” – it features sublime playing and was a real highlight for me. The latter I thought was “an album that’s at the heart of traditional music” and one every lover of traditional music should hear. I invite you to listen back to both of them at https://pipesbanjobouzouki.bandcamp.com/ and https://raelachrecords.bandcamp.com – you really can’t go wrong with them.
Some great older music was reissued this year, too. Máire Ní Chathasaigh’s “The New-Strung Harp,” a seminal album in the world of harp music and “Let Her Go Boys,” a collection of 78rpm records from the 1920s and 30s that features some excellent and influential old artists, were two great recordings from the past that found new air this year (https://www.oldtimerecords.com/). The reissue of the “Martin Mulvihill Collection of Traditional Irish Music,” a very influential collection of tunes, was another important re-release and a thing every traditional musician should own (https://irishscroll.com). All three are reminders of traditional music’s vibrancy and how relevant some of the older sounds still remain.
Finally, we have a bunch of exciting things to look forward to in the coming year. First up is the 50th birthday celebration for “Ceol na nGael,” WFUV’s hugely important Irish music program, which will happen at Peter Norton Symphony Space on Saturday, Jan. 20. I’ll write about it further in the coming weeks, but the night will include performances by Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford (Lunasa), Seamus Egan (Solas), the band Celtic Cross, and many more!
April is shaping up to be a particularly rich month, starting with “Archiving Irish America: Music, Dance & Culture,” an outstanding conference that’ll take place April 11-14. Hosted by the Ward Irish Music Archive in Milwaukee (https://wardirishmusicarchives.com/) the event will include numerous presentations, a céilí, and keynote lectures by Liz Carroll and Jean Butler. Then, on April 18-21, the St. Louis Tionol (https://www.tionol.org/) will take place. One of the big piping weekends, the Tionol will feature workshops with people including Louise Mulcahy, Mick O'Brien, Ivan Goff, Liam O'Brien, Máire Ní Chathasaigh, and a host of others. Finally, the Patsy Touhey Memorial Weekend (https://www.patsytouheyweekend.com/) will happen in Boston, April 26-28. With workshops and presentations from folks like Seán Gavin, Michael Stribling, Richie Piggott, a surprise guest, and others, it’ll be a fabulous time.
And let’s not forget that in 2024 the Catskills Irish Arts Week is scheduled for July 14-20. I’ve spoken with Paul Keating, the week’s director, and while nothing’s been officially announced I’m excited for how CIAW’s shaping up. I’ll write more about the week in the coming months, but it’s time to mark your calendars!
So that’s it. Once again, I hop the season has been good to you and yours and I’ll look forward to reconnecting in the new year!
