Author Archives: nasheire

Irish and Ireland in Middle Tennessee – Where to go to learn about Ireland?

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The Irish and Ireland in Middle Tennessee – Where to go to learn about Ireland.

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta is a member of The Irish Gift, a group based in Middle Tennessee that promotes and preserves the Irish culture in this area. The Irish Gift also has a huge online presence as we continue to bring the Irish language, music song and dance to people all over the US and the world.

Sit back and relax to enjoy learning about how it was growing up in an Irish-speaking area of Ireland in the 50’s and 60’s.

The Irish Gift, bringing the Irish to Tennessee!

The Irish Gift, Éilís Crean, The Irish Gift, Music Galway, Song Galway, Dance Galway

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta

Is mise Meaití mac le Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta agus le Neain Pheaidí Nic Dhiarmuda ach is fearr liom an leagan áitiúil de m’ainm, Meaití Jó Shéamuis, mar go mbraithim luascadh níos ceolmhaire leis ná an leagan foirmiúil, Máirtín Ó Fátharta.

 I introduce myself as Gaeilge in Ireland and also to people worldwide whom I know have Irish connections as on this particular occasion. There may be a small percentage who may know or remember me as Meaití Jó Shéamuis (even Mattie Joe Shéamuis, with or without the surname Ó Fátharta) as I am involved with The Irish Gift and participated in the T-CAIF fest in O’More College, Franklin TN, in 2011 and  2012.  I live in the south Connemara Gaeltacht area of County Galway known as Cois Fharraige and in a little townland village called Na hAille.

Music, Song and Dance in Galway, Ireland

I have seen many changes here and indeed all over the Connemara Gaeltacht area in my time.  Firstly, it was a relatively poor, craggy agricultural terrain stretching west from Lough Corrib for about fifty miles to Clifden. But poor as the land may be, it was one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country with Galway Bay on your left, and over looking the north County Clare Coast, the Burren and the three Aran Islands, for half of that journey; then the Carraroe peninsula, with the Isles of Lettermore, Gorumna and Lettermullen connected by bridges for almost the last hundred and fifty  years; returning to another peninsula, Muicineach-Idir-Dhá-Sháile, where another bridge will lead you to Camus, Ros Muc, Cill Chiaráin and eventually on to Carna.  Although this is a truly quaint and picturesque journey, it is not its physical geographical beauty which contains its most valuable wealth but its vast treasure of folklore, poetry, songs, dance and music which goes back thousands of years.

I consider myself fortunate as one of the last generation born into a house which had all of the above in its natural form, still intact, while growing up here in the fifties and most of the sixties. Ours was a little bigger than an average sized thatched cottage with three bedrooms and a large kitchen, very suitable for half sets, musicians, singers and storytellers. The party nights with a mix of songs and story-telling were a regular occurrence during the long wintry nights.  The “Party” otherwise known in the Connemara Gaeltacht as “Na Timeanna” in the houses, consisted of music, dance and song. Many of these took place in my parents home  when I was a young boy as they both loved dancing sets and céilí. The music was usually played by my uncle Máirtín, my father’s brother, who had been the resident box player at the céilís in the locality. I remember being so proud the first time I had permission to play with him at one of those “timeanna” in the village!

 

My mother’s brothers, who lived in the next village, paid frequent visits and in the winter time sung songs and recounted long stories of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and Fianna Éireann and their incredible heroics against such stalwarts as the Hag of the Burren or the King of the Eastern World. Other nights it would be extraordinary fairy stories or local folklore about the Great Famine, the American Wakes or certain great characters of the area in previous times.  It is a pity that there was no facility to record even a fraction of this lore, songs or even the dancing style of the previous generation and particularly the rich natural turn of phrase of our language, totally free of any English influence.  Little I thought then that most of those styles and pastimes were bound to disappear along with the vast changes in our native language and people.

Sea, ní bheidh a leithéidí siúd arís ann, go cinnte!

The Irish Gift, Éilís Crean, The Irish Gift, Music Galway, Song Galway, Dance Galway

Traditional Irish Music Galway – where to find it online

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Traditional Irish Music From Galway – where to find it online

The Irish Gift promotes the East Galway music tradition, the Irish language and sean nós singing and dancing. We have close ties to Galway, Ireland as all of our teachers (online and in-person classes) hail from Galway and are an intrinsic part of the traditional Irish music pub-scene in Galway . The sean nós singing and style is from the Connemara region of Galway and the Irish language dialect is Cois Fharraige, Galway. The Irish Gift offers online classes in traditional Irish music from Galway in bodhrán, fiddle, flute and uilleann pipes, sean nós singing and dancing.

The following article is from Andy Kruspe, a member of The Irish Gift family here in the South (USA)  and a student of Jim Higgins who is our bodhrán instructor. Enjoy!

Bodhrán In situ in County Galway

As a music student, my professors would often comment about how experiencing  music in situ could change one’s perception of a given work or style. For the past four years, I have been able to experience this dynamic by traveling to Ireland to study the ubiquitous Irish frame drum, the bodhrán. These trips took me to the heart of the Aran Islands Gaeltacht for some of the most memorable moments of my life.

The Summer School

  The Craiceann Bodhrán Summer School is held the last week of June on the small island of Inis Oírr, County Galway. According to the website , the event began as an “idea of linking the musical heritage of the Aran Islands, with the need for drummers to improve their skills.” This workshop achieves this by bringing some of the world’s best drummers to this amazing island. And this statement is no exaggeration- the list of past and present instructors and clinicians is a “Who’s Who” from the world of Irish Traditional Music. This list includes Cormac Byrne (Uiscedwr), Jim Higgins, Martin O’Neill, Tristan Rosenstock (Téada), and Rolf Wagels (Cara). In addition, it is not unusual to see other well-known players in the many nightly sessions held in the island’s pubs. Some of the master drummers that have made their way to the island include Johnny McDonagh (De Dannan), Eamon Murray (Beoga), and Colm Phelan (Goitse).

In addition to outstanding instruction, several world class bands perform concerts during the week. Past bands and performers have included Beoga, Frankie Gavin, Goitse, The Mártín O’Connor Band, We Banjo 3, The Evening Report. The result is a great way to see the techniques taught in class applied on the concert stage.

The Masterclasses

The first day starts around noon with registration and an audition. The auditions divide the approximately 100 students into six different ability groups. Classes begin that afternoon. Subsequently, the daily schedule went as follows:

10:30a-           First Class

11:30a-           Tea

11:45a-           Lecture and/or Recital

1:00p-             Second Class

2:00p-             Afternoon Break, Individual Practice

5:00p-             Additional Class with Tutor of Choice

6:00p-             Break

8:00p-             Evening Concert

The classes meet in the same rooms every day, but the teaching staff rotates. This allows each group to be exposed to a wide range of concepts from several teachers. Masterclass topics include tuning, using the bodhrán tonally as a bass voice within an ensemble, and interpretation of the rhythms found in Irish traditional music.

Lectures and mini-recitals are held between the mid-day classes. Lecture topics include the cultural significance of traditional Irish music and performance practices for the various Irish traditional forms and rhythms. Recitals allow the instructors to demonstrate their masterclass topics and techniques in context with a melody player in context.

The afternoon elective class allows for more exposure to the teaching staff and their respective specialties. These additional classes include topics ranging from Irish bone playing to the use of the bodhrán as a rhythmic voice in Eastern European folk music.

Finally, the day ends with the evening concerts.

The Sessions – Learning After the School Day

It is easy to glance at the daily schedule and question why one would travel all the way to Ireland to participate in what amounted to a five hour school day. However, a generous amount of instruction occurs as applied performance in the island’s nightly traditional music sessions. It may be tempting to dismiss these sessions simply as a time of “drinking and playing.” The truth is quite different, however.

Older players share tips and tricks with younger players. Melody players share tunes and ornamentation ideas. Everyone builds their repertoire of collected tunes. It is common to start these sessions at around 10:30pm and finish around 4:00am to 5:00am. We left tired but always with a little more knowledge…

… and several more friends. Craiceann is a great opportunity to meet others with the same passion for Irish music and culture. Students come from around the world, representing almost every European Union member nation, Israel, and the United States. And thanks to the wonders of social media, it is easy to maintain these friendships.

Inis Oírr – At the Heart of the Gaeltacht

Inis Oírr is part of the Aran Islands Gaeltacht. One regularly sees Irish in print and hears it in the conversation of the locals. As explained by Liam O’Maonlai, “This is… the language that we dream in.” I think this quote captures just how alive this language and culture are on these islands, and the sequestered nature of this geography allows for one to become totally immersed.

Go. See. Do.

It is one thing to take lessons for music or a foreign language, but it is another to go where those things are alive and flourishing and experience them first hand. Learning this style of drumming in these surroundings has made me a better drummer. And being able to see this art applied in its intended surroundings has greatly enhanced my understanding of this culture and its music. So if you can, go. You just may end up like me and the other several hundred Craiceannites- “seven days on the island, and 358 wishing that you were back on it.”

 Jim Higgins, Andy Kruspe, bodhrán classes online, Eilis Crean, The Irish Gift

Sean nós singing – Irish Singing and Irish singers Online

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Sean nós singing  – Irish Singing And Irish singers Online

By Karen Campbell

Online Sean nós singing classes

Two years ago, I was captivated by an Irish language television show which depicted someone learning to sing a sean nós (translated from Irish “old style”) song in the Irish language.  My fascination with Ireland and its customs, people and music goes back to my childhood, but I found something even more special in this ancient music tradition.  I wanted to learn how to do it.  So, I decided, I would just look on the Internet and find myself a sean nós teacher.  That proved to be much easier said than done.

I had hoped to find a teacher in my immediate area, but I could barely find someone here who knew what sean nós singing was, much less how to do it or teach it.  I began reaching out to different contacts I found on the Internet.  Someone told me that it is not even easy to find a traditional sean nós teacher in Ireland itself.  There are no textbooks or manuals for sean nós, I learned.  You learn it by listening and feeling it and doing it.  And that is what I learned by taking online sean nós singing classes with teachers from The Irish Gift, a school for traditional Irish music and singing located in central Tennessee and also offering classes in the Irish language, Irish fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and bodhrán.

Eilis Crean, Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta, The Irish Gift, Mike Newell, Irish Singing Galway, Irish Songs

No aspect of Irish music can be fully understood without a deep appreciation of sean-nós singing. It is the key which opens every lock. Tomas Ó Canainn

The Irish Gift

I began my classes with The Irish Gift late in 2012.  For my first semester my teacher was Máirín Uí Chéide, a native of the Connemara region of Ireland.  I am now meeting weekly on Skype with my instructor Micheál Ó Tnúthail (Mike Newell), originally from County Galway in Ireland.  I have learned not only the sean nós songs themselves, but have been immersed in the richness of Irish history and language and culture.  I have recently become familiar with some of the amazing sean nós singers in Ireland, both past and present.  It is not a textbook course, but a dynamic hands-on experience.

Studying traditional Irish singing with The Irish Gift combines two of my passions: the Irish language and music.  I feel very fortunate to have discovered sean nós, as well as The Irish Gift.

The Irish Gift is an invaluable resource in the preservation and sharing of the traditional musical heritage of Ireland.

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta, Mike Newell, Eilis Crean, The Irish Gift, Irish Singing Galway, Irish Songs