January/February 2004

Breathing on the Embers

Breathing on the Embers

Breathing on the Embers

A review of a recent publication on the music of Ulster.

Published on 1 January 2004

Tom Munnelly (1944-2007), born in Dublin but resident in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, since 1978, made the largest field-collection of Irish traditional song ever compiled by any individual. After recording privately in the 1960s, and collecting especially from Traveller singers, he became a professional folklore collector and archivist with the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin (now the UCD Delargy Centre for Irish Folklore and the National Folklore Collection), from 1974 to date, with a concentration on English-language song. He lectured and taught widely, was a leading activist in many folk music organisations and festivals, including the Folk Music Society of Ireland, the Willie Clancy Summer School and the Clare Festival of Traditional Singing, and he served on national bodies such as the Arts Council. He was the founding Chairman of the Irish Traditional Music Archive from 1987 to 1993. Recently he was presented with the festschrift Dear Far-Voiced Veteran: Essays in Honour of Tom Munnelly, and was made an honorary Doctor of Literature by the National University of Ireland Galway.

Crash and Bang...

Crash and Bang...

The 2003 Crash Festival at the Project (Dublin) presented a wide range of formats and activities, from solo piano to video + electronics + percussion to interview. Responses too were varied.

Published on 1 January 2004

Barra Ó Séaghdha is a writer on cultural politics, literature and music.

RTÉ Living Music Festival: A Personal View

RTÉ Living Music Festival: A Personal View

A preview of RTÉ LMF 2004 from the Artistic Director.

Published on 1 January 2004

Raymond Deane is a composer, pianist, author and activist. Together with the violinist Nigel Kennedy, he is a cultural ambassador of Music Harvest, an organisation seeking to create 'a platform for cultural events and dialogue between internationals and Palestinians...'.

Pacto de Olvido?

Pacto de Olvido?

Pacto de Olvido?

Benjamin Dwyer discusses the treatment of classical music in some recent books on Irish culture.

Published on 1 January 2004

Benjamin Dwyer is a guitarist and composer and the author of 'Different Voices: Irish Music and Music in Ireland'. He is Professor of Music at Middlesex University's Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries.

Needed: Flight Simulator

Needed: Flight Simulator

Needed: Flight Simulator

Would-be orchestral musicians in Ireland are at a disadvantage – despite several attempts over the years to address the problem, there is no training orchestra or postgraduate diploma in orchestral studies which could prepare players for po

Published on 1 January 2004

Richard Pine, Director of the Durrell School of Corfu, is a former Concerts Manager in RTÉ. He is the author and editor of books on Irish music history and of definitive studies of Oscar Wilde, Brian Friel and Lawrence Durrell.

Editorial: The Inside Track

Editorial: The Inside Track

‘The Inside Track’ was a day long seminar on traditional music which took place in the Glór Irish Music Centre, Ennis, at the end of last November.

Published on 1 January 2004

Toner Quinn is Editor of the Journal of Music. His new book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music, is available here. Toner will be giving a lecture exploring some of the ideas in the book on Saturday 11 May 2024 at 3pm at Farmleigh House in Dublin. For booking, visit https://bit.ly/3x2yCL8.