The Companion to
Irish Traditional Music

The Companion to
Irish Traditional Music

Second edition,
substantially revised & expanded

Edited by FINTAN VALLELY

With key contributions by
Liz Doherty, Martin Dowling
Terry Moylan, Catherine Foley
Colin Hamilton, Desi Wilkinson
Niall Keegan & John Moulden

First published in 2011 by Cork University Press

Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Togher, Cork, Ireland

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording or otherwise, without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in Ireland issued by the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 25 Denzille Lane, Dublin 2.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN-13: 978-1859184509

Typeset by Dominic Carroll, Co. Cork

Printed by MPG, UK

www.corkuniversitypress.com

All textual, illustrative and photographic material herein is copyright of the contributors and Cork University Press.

The publishers particularly appreciate the opportunity to include original research material.

Permission is gratefully acknowledged (and sought, where applicable) as follows:

Maps of Sliabh Luachra (p. 616) – Ordnance Survey of Ireland; J.C. Timbrell’s 1844 picture of Carolan (p. 108) – Gunnar Strömberg of Stockholm; Cole’s ‘Here Awa’ transcription – Patrick Sky; Brian Vallely for the use of ‘BRV’ credited pictures; ‘O’Rourke’s Feast’ and ‘George Brabazon’ transcriptions – Ossian; reproduction of definitions from What is Irish Traditional Music? – Nicholas Carolan and the ITMA (©); concertina graphic notation (p. 156) – Mick Bramicah and Dave Mallinson Publications (©); research on the crott and clairseach – Ann Heymann (©); Bolton Street transcription, An Gúm; Translation of Giraldus Cambrensis’ Topographia Hiberniae, 1185 – John O’Meara ed., The History and Topography of Ireland (1951), revised edition Dolmen Press (1982); ‘The Blackthorn Stick’ transcription (p. 531) – An Gúm; synopsis usage of The Wexford Carol – Diarmuid Ó Muirithe and Seoirse Bodley; synopsis usage of Love in Irish Folk Song (pp. 627, 631–5), from Repossessions, Seán Ó Tuama; Pádraig Donlon, Séamus Mac Mathúna, Mick O’Connor and CCÉ for the use of ‘CCÉ’ credited pictures; Dr John Cullinane for the use of his Dance Bibliography (©); Maeve Gebruers for the foundation use of her bibliography (©); Hugh Shields for the foundation use of material from his Short Bibliography of Irish Folk Song; Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann for the use of ‘CBÉ’ credited pictures; Long Note Publications and Walton’s for use of flute/whistle notation diagrams from Timber, the Flute Tutor; Matt Cranitch and Johnny O’Leary for use of Pádraig O’Keeffe notation; Muiris Ó Rócháin for synopsis usage of his Eugene O’Curry research; Joan Rimmer for synopsis use of The Irish Harp; Wilbert Garvin for use of uilleann pipe illustration from The Irish Bagpipe; he and the NPU for regulators diagram from The Master’s Touch (p. 708); Nutan, Derek Spiers and Office of Public Works for photographs; Eamonn O’Doherty for EOD credited photographs; Tony Kearns for Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy class image; Máire O’Keeffe for accordion and concertina advertisements.

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Using the Volume

Contributors

The Companion to Irish Traditional Music

Chronology: A Timeline of Irish Music in History

Published Material Relating to Traditional Music

Index

Introduction

What is known as ‘Irish traditional music’ has been described as such for just over a century. It has been practised with considerable continuity as the onetime popular music of the island of Ireland – a body of melody, song and dance and associated activities that stylistically comes from the period before recorded music and radio. It has core, distinctive features which are uniquely of the place, but it has borrowed forms and practices from the neighbouring islands and from Europe. In turn, it has also contributed to these and to musics in the ‘new’ colonised worlds of America and Australia.

Traditional music was neither uniform nor evenly spread over the island at all times in the past, but was present in response to population needs – in greater or lesser supply depending on available talent, social conditions and political upheaval. Certain areas stayed with it more than others and, on account of the greater expertise so honed, are accorded a higher status today. Styles were built around the talents of exceptional performers – aesthetes who in every place and in every age emerge as inspirational, influential mentors. Emigration, poverty, starvation and suffering, the effects of war and depopulation may have driven both the artistic and recreational practices into dormancy at certain times, but they also facilitated fabulous levels of achievement in others, notably so in the 1990s. Traditional music has been intimately associated with the rural poor and the politically downtrodden in the past – the greater part of the Irish population for whom it had been their major cultural resource – and it still positively retains this cultural cachet. However, impelled by confidence-inspiring Romantic philosophy and its consequent ideals prior to the 1900s the traditional music of Ireland has been able to accompany rural– urban migration and upward social mobility into all regions and class levels and it is now solidly representative of both itself as an art form, and of Irishness by origin.

In the period of revitalisation of this music over the latter five decades of the 1900s, a most interesting observation can be made: in ‘revival’ mode it found new purpose in entertaining listeners, whereas over the previous half century it had been largely the melody and metre for dance. This eclipse highlighted and encouraged the development of individual artistic skills and talents so much so that the music by 2011 can be said to have never had a higher standard, and most likely not to have ever had so many performers, or been expressed in so many tunes. It could additionally be deduced that this was the resurfacing of indigenous ‘art’ music talent within the favourable economic climate of the first prosperous age of modern Ireland, having remained largely dormant following the collapse of Gaelic art-music sponsorship in the seventeenth century.

Within traditional music’s players there are many degrees of competence, understanding and sensitivity. Its popular image accommodates everything from big-stage spectacular to street busking and although more urban than rural, its performance is everywhere still an easy-entry social occasion. There is a great variety within its practices and contexts in Ireland as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century: organised and spontaneous sessions, ‘anchor’ playing in bars, casual performing, professional concerts, fleadhs and festivals, competitions, and song, music and dance classes. The music is promoted abroad too, it is emblematic in the Irish Diaspora, and there are several thousand widely-available, specialised albums of players of all ages and styles: from ‘straight’, solo, old-style playing to modernist fusions with rock, classical and various folk musics. Instrument makers and repairers cater for its community, with businesses supplying instruments, albums, literature and services. Institutions and organisations promote its learning at skills and academic levels, and knowledge of the field is developed and promoted by research, broadcasting and publishing. All this is considerable activity for one music form representing an island of five million-odd people.

In the 1960s a player might be jeered in the street for carrying a fiddle case, ridiculed for playing uilleann pipes, or clichéd for persisting with the harp. At the end of that decade the country had only fifty uilleann pipers and the harp was in limbo; a player could either not afford to buy a proper instrument or get one repaired, transport was difficult, there were few major music events and only a handful of recordings available to listen to in order to learn from. Now, inside fifty years, there are some 5,000 uilleann pipers on the planet, 1,500 of them on the books of the Na Píobairí Uilleann organisation in Ireland, another 2,100 abroad, all highly organised with an education structure. There are two major harping bodies, the largest, Cáirde na Cruite, now having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary; there is a network of harp schools, instruments are accessible to most aspirants and are supported by services. There are both large-scale commercial, and part-time dedicated, festival interests in Irish music all over Europe and the US, and embryonically in Japan, all of which maintain a demand for professional players. In Ireland the year does not have enough weekends to accommodate the volume of commemorative, fleadh and festival casual music activity, and many events enjoy high levels of participation. Behind this enterprise development is pushed by many initiatives, notably by the large-scale organisation Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and distribution of knowledge is facilitated by the Irish Traditional Music Archive, a diverse, invaluable enclave of print, recordings and visual imagery. Aside from actual music learning and performance traditional music has also developed a considerable academic sphere, now represented in formal study courses in second-level education, at bachelor and masters level in third level institutions, and as a serious field of study for masters and doctoral research.

The literature which underpins this activity has several definitive works. Supreme are O’Neill’s Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Breathnach’s Folk Music and Dances of Ireland, Ó Cannain’s Traditional Music in Ireland and Carson’s Pocket Guide to Irish Traditional Music. Educational works have been produced too in recent decades and there are many collections of written music, anecdotal publications, windows on other lives and eras, cameos of revered players, and analyses of the music dating back beyond two hundred years. The dictionarystyle A–Z reference format of The Companion set out to complement and open access to all of these and their subject matter in 1999. Now in the new edition it brings the idea forward – hosting an additional hundred commentators and a word count and topics list which is expanded by a half. Considerable re-organisation of material in response to comments by regular users sees more convenient access to different kinds of information. Use of the internet greatly eased the process of cross-checking and proofing; tasks which at the time of the first edition had involved letter writing, post or fax and the wait for replies, or repeated visits to libraries and the archive, this time were able to be achieved at a sitting, albeit at the cost of dealing with sometimes a hundred emails or more daily over many months. Even still, editing to the book’s style demanded considerable attention, even for the smallest pieces, greatly consuming of time which was only rendered feasible by the munificence of An Foras Feasa and the Arts Council.

This edition of The Companion significantly covers Irish traditional music performance in all Irish counties, not by any means as a precise accounting but as a snapshot of activity which documents scale and nature rather than detail and personality. The book does this also for the music in many of the countries in which Irish music has a cultural presence, and expands its coverage of cultures which, while peripheral to the Irish island, are related to, and are historically important for a full understanding of Irish music. Thus Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Australia and Canada are explored not only for Irish overlap or ingredient, but also for the familiarity of their playing practice and repertoire; England is introduced too, covered in some depth for its music, song, dance and archival/revival practices. Brittany is dealt with in detail as a culture which has adopted much confidence from Irish music revival, and for its perception as a sister ‘Celtic nation’ which supports many travelling Irish musicians. France, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Germany are examples of countries where Irish music has carved out cultural niches and established active playing and listening communities. Finally, the USA and its cities are dealt with in detail because present-day traditional music activity owes much to Irish-American recording initiatives and to the cultural status accorded it on that continent.

Among the instruments, most intensive coverage is given to the harp. Indigenous, and the oldest music device on the island, this has generated the greatest volume of scholarship. Song in both the Irish and English languages is united in this edition under the one heading in order to better convey appreciation of and enhance access to both the variety of its forms and the breadth within these. Dance too is brought under one itemised heading, categorised in its ‘display’ and ‘social’ roles, within which headings is detailed an expansive spectrum of tastes and practices. In the same way, forms of melodic decoration and embellishment are combined under ‘ornamentation’. ‘Arrangement’ of, and composition involving traditional music is another fresh topic, addressing some of the most significant contributors. Folkloric and other aspects of the ‘traditional arts’ are referenced only in the contexts of their connection to the process of music-making, but storytelling is newly introduced at some length. A more inclusive ‘timeline’ is given in this edition, too, expanded as a unique data assembly which displays instruments, books, processes and events in a visual artistic and cultural patterning. The final bibliography pays tribute to the great volume of academic, amateur and functional scholarship and discourse within the music, itemised for ease of access. However, a discography was considered unnecessary for this volume as, in the age of the web, one no longer requires catalogue data in order to locate a recording: instead, players and album titles are listed in the text and all can be followed up online. This is the most significant impact of the web age, for while books are still needed and in demand, the physical, point-of-sale recording object is now potentially redundant. Highlighting this particular aspect is the parallel presence of the web support site – www.companion.ie – which provides web links to all material itemised in the book’s pages. A digitised ‘app’ and and an e-book version of the text are planned also.

This second edition of The Companion to Irish Traditional Music has a response-generated fresh structure and itemisation which have been impelled by the demands of performers, researchers and university-level education. This renders it a comprehensive document which among all specialised books on the subject gives it the greatest practical utility for the widest variety of interests. But behind its use value, as a panorama of people, instruments, organisation, events, concepts and history this work is of itself the ultimate inventory of the profound scale and intensity of artistic endeavour and achievement in indigenous Irish music, song and dance.

It is a tribute to those who have taken the time to assemble careful, concise summaries of their music field. It is also a monument to those patient and generous inspirational players and devotees, researchers and thinkers, organisers and promoters, exacting analysts and zealous preservationists, to all of whose synergistic talents the popularity, prestige and presence of traditional music at this time is due. It is hoped that the creativity, skills, ideas, activity and society portrayed in these pages can not only be informative and supportive to their traditional music world-views, but may be a provocative springboard to fresh artistic and intellectual inspiration. In particular, in being a elemental catalogue of core data, this body of information offers the potential to provide key material for second-level education, the better to free up third-level programme design for more conceptual consideration. For the same reason it should be of great preparatory and foundation value to the numerous Irish-studies programmes, encouraging perhaps their consideration of traditional music, song and dance in historical context not just as activities but as motor components in the Irish cultural psyche. These half million or so words and images are hereby so presented to the performers, creators, thinkers, educators and artists of Irish music.

Fintan Vallely

August 2011

Acknowledgements

Many people must be thanked for the production of this book, not least Sarah Wilbourne of Cork University Press whose idea the first edition was, and An Foras Feasa and the Arts Council of Ireland without whose funding this edition could not have happened.

Critical thanks is due, too, for the generous provision of both sabbatical and unpaid leave from teaching by Dundalk Institute of Technology which gave the project space to breathe and settle. The Ireland Fund of Monaco must be thanked too for providing for the initial bout of structural research in the glorious setting of the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. Personal thanks are due in these regards to Margaret Kelleher whose eager optimism was better than any cracking whip, to Denis Cummins, Bob McKiernan and Eibhlís Farrell for deep understanding, to the faith of the Deis panel and Paul Flynn at An Comhairle Ealaíon, and to Judith Gantley’s Monégasque order for helping the task to roll smoothly.

Innumerable others deserve thanks, but supreme among these are the 200 and more contributors whose research, analysis, writing and editing make this encyclopedia what it is. Special appreciation is due for those who contributed pieces which, ultimately, due to overlaps of material, and to editorial and space constrictions, could regrettably not be used. In particular the advice, critique, provocation, research conclusions and graft of the following are noted – Liz Doherty, Terry Moylan, Martin Dowling, Catherine Foley, Maurice Leyden, Hammy Hamilton, Niall Keegan, Cyril Maguire, Daithí Kearney, Harry Bradley, Jesse Smith, Paula Carroll, Don Meade and Sara Lanier. Joan McDermott and Maeve Gebruers must be specially thanked too for volumes of tedious work, Ciarán Rosney for the fresh music typesetting, and the ITMA’s director Nicholas Carolan for his personal contribution and for the use by the editor and many of the contributors of the resources of his magnificient staff and collections. So too Siobhán Ní Chonaráin, Brendan Knowlton and many individual CCÉ members were of great value in filtering out data from vast volumes of human and logistical statistics. But those who contributed to the first edition of this work do of course remain on the credits list. Not least among these are Davy Hammond, Tom Munnelly, Frank Harte, Hugh Shields and Eamonn O’Doherty, each greatly supportive, and all passed on over the last three years. Gráinne Yeats’ consideration was critically directive, Caitríona McEniry and Desi Wilkinson compiled a tedious volume of résumés and synopses, Hamish Moore and Steve Chambers gave intensive consultation, Liam Mac Con Iomaire exhaustive biographical work, Dónal Ó Móráin political insights, Muiris Ó Rócháin research, statistics and enlightenment, Labhrás Ó Murchú and Séamus Mac Mathúna information and archive support, Irene Moloney for east Galway information, and my noble uncle Charlie who helped the 1999 process finacially at a most vital juncture.

A separate, but general, set of thanks is due too for the assistance of that new and most enterprising resource in this enterprise – the many hundreds of committed aficionados and musicians who so generously share their facts, figures, tunes, ideas – and time – on the web. This was invaluable to the endless process of cross-checking data of all kinds. Finally, however, it is to Evelyn Conlon that the deepest appreciation must ultimately be extended for bearing with the intolerable disruption to life through day and night that compilation of this work entailed since the autumn of 2008.

Many books, journals and magazines have been consulted in compiling and checking this book. In particular the editor acknowledges the material sourced, referenced and checked through Treoir magazine, An Píobaire, Ceol na hÉireann, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland and Dancing in Ireland (Breathnach), Irish Minstrels and Musicians (O’Neill), Armagh Pipers’ Club publications, Siemens Nixdorf Feis Ceoil programme 1997, CCÉ Bliain-Iris (vol. 1, no. 2) and Bunreacht, May I Have the Pleasure (Quirey), Carolan (O’Sullivan), The Man and His Music (NPU), Repossessions (Ó Tuama), The Waltz (Carner), Irish Music in America: Continuity and Change (Moloney), Blooming Meadows (Vallely, Piggott, Nutan), Dal gCais (Hughes and Ó Rócháin), Exploring Irish Music and Dance (Boullier), Irish Music magazine, Folk Roots, The Living Tradition and The Journal of Music, The World of Percy French (O’Dowda), The Guinness Who’s Who of Folk Music (ed. Larkin), The Roche Collection (Ossian),The Northern Fiddler (O’Doherty, Feldman), Here’s a Health (Sean Corcoran), Chronology of Irish History (J.E. Doherty and D.J. Hickey), Traditional Music in Ireland (Ó Canainn), O’Farrell’s and Ryan’s Mammoth collections (Patrick Sky), sleeve notes, articles and documentary by Harry Bradshaw, Jackie Small, Topic Records, Robin Morton, Claddagh Records, Finbar Boyle, Máire O’Keeffe, Tom Sherlock, Séamus Mac Mathúna, Don Meade, Earl Hitchner, and Tony MacMahon.

Using the Volume

FINDING INFORMATION

Information is substantially A-Z. Exceptions to this are in instrumental music ‘ornamentation’ (under which term all related fingerings are grouped), in ‘song’ (all forms are listed under S, and alphabetically therein), and ‘dance’ (both social and display forms are detailed under many headings). Major categories like ‘instruments’ are identified first as a list under I, then individually under their initial; so too with ‘tune types’. Regional information is given by county, and these are listed together initially under ‘Ireland’. Outside Ireland, countries go under their initial, e.g. E for England. Major cities, where there is a strong Irish element, are listed in the main text under their initial letter rather than county or country, e.g. Belfast, Chicago, London, New York. Supplementary information, such as publications, is often tagged on to a region or topic where relevant in order to facilitate location of the article concerned. When in doubt, think back to the major category to which an item is likely to belong. The detailed structure of inter-linkage between all of the articles in this book is provided in the web adjunct companion.ie

ABBREVIATIONS

The convention followed in this book is to limit the amount of space given over to repeatedly used organisational and other titles, and to contributors’ names. Hence acronyms will be used throughout. The most common of these are listed under ‘Abbreviations’ overleaf.

CONTRIBUTORS

The actual writer’s initials are placed in square brackets – e.g. [EDI] – at the end of articles written by them, and can be cross-checked against the ‘Contributors’ list (pp. xvi–xxii).

The contribution of a particular named writer ends at the point their initials are inserted. Any subsequent information is attributable to the next indicated writer. Articles with no credit indicated are material by the editor. All uncredited articles and those signed [EDI] are by the editor.

QUOTATION

When quoting from this book, credit should be given first to the author of the piece, as identified by initials. For example, to reference a piece by [MAO]:

O’Keeffe, Máire, ‘accordion’, in F. Vallely (ed.), Companion to Irish Traditional Music, Cork: Cork University Press, 2011

REFERENCES

Where a published work is quoted or extensively drawn from in the writing of an article, bibliographic information is provided in abbreviated form; full references are given either on pages 20–2 or at the back of the book.

WEB ADDRESSES

1   Where they are given, these are not prefixed with ‘www’, this is to be assumed.

2   They are not provided where they are of undue length – on account of the chance of error in input, and, not least, in the interests of saving space. However, all items and people noted in the book have web references and such links are embedded in the support website, companion.ie

PLACE NAMES

All place names are generally in English, and are given in various forms by which they may be known among musicians. Thus ‘Derry’ is used for that city and county which are known on maps as ‘Londonderry’. ‘Daingean’ is used for ‘Phillipstown’, but ‘Draperstown’ and ‘Ballinascreen’ are both used. ‘Ireland’ is used – in the EC’s current terminology – as meaning the former ‘Republic of Ireland’, but also to indicate the island where this is appropriate (for instance in references to the years prior to 1921). ‘Ulster’ is used to indicate the nine counties of historic Ulster; this was valid up until 1921, and, since political change does not obliterate cultural practices, is often the most relevant term.

INDEX

The A-Z section of this book is in itself an index, but to facilitate the location of the many thousands of references to people and bands, an index is provided at the end of the book. Instruments and places are too numerous to be of meaningful value in this.

ABBREVIATIONS

REFERENCES

Initials within text blocks indicate extracts from a published work, website or interview.

Contributors

Most of the 200 or so writers come from within the traditional-music community, and all have been involved in research, writing, collecting and comment on various aspects of traditional music, song and dance. All articles are credited to the author whose initials appear the end of a piece. Where there are no initials, the piece is editorial. Initials in square brackets indicate a significant contribution to a piece, usually information given in the form of an interview.

Ahern, Pat [PAA]. Guitarist and former columnist, Cork.

Anderson, Gene [GEA]. Concertina player, music promoter; Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.

Bazin, Fenella [FEB]. Performer and chronicler of Manx music.

Bennett, Margaret [MAB]. Singer and former Research Fellow at Glasgow University; from a long line of Skye singers and pipers.

Berry, Phil [PHB]. Singer, songwriter, Wexford song authority.

Bicego, Daniele [DAB]. Uilleann piper and pipe maker living in Rome.

Boydell, Barra [BAB]. Organologist, lecturer in music at NUIM.

Boyle, Finbar [FIB]. Singer, writer; Dundalk and Dublin.

Bradley, Harry [HBR]. Flute and uilleann pipes player, from Belfast.

Bradshaw, Harry [HAB]. Radio producer, researcher, recording technologist.

Breathnach, Máire [MBR]. Fiddle player, composer; Dublin.

Brennan, Helen [HEB]. Dance authority, author of The Story of Irish Dance, Drogheda.

Browne, Peter [PEB]. Uilleann piper, radio producer.

Buckley, Angela [AGB]. Researcher at WIT.

Buckley, Ann [ANB]. Research Associate at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, TCD.

Burke, Angela [ABU]. Formerly lecturer in Modern Irish at UCD; her song research has included work on ‘Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire’.

Burn, Sarah [SAB]. Oboist, Co. Wexford, her doctoral research is on A.J. Potter.

Butler, Lisa [LIB]. Fiddler and music teacher in Carlow, member of the band Caladh Nua.

Carolan, Nicholas [NIC]. Director of the ITMA.

Carroll, Barry [BAC]. Hammer dulcimer player, Lisburn, Antrim.

Carroll, Jim [JCA]. Singer, song collector, researcher. Born Liverpool, joined Ewan MacColl’s Critics Group in 1989. Clare based, he has researched songs and singing of Travellers and of west Clare.

Carroll, Paula [PCA]. Broadcaster with Clare FM radio.

Casey, Eimer [EIC]. A fiddle player from Co. Wicklow who teaches at Baltinglass.

Clarke, Leah [LEC]. Flute player, ballad singer, MA researcher at WIT; Bray/Waterford.

Clarke, Tom (TOC). Uilleann piper, schools music organiser; Donegal/Belfast.

Coleman, Steve [STC]. Piper, lecturer in Social Anthropology, NUIM.

Comiskey, Glen [GLC]. Piper, former archivist at the ITMA; Armagh/London.

Commins, Adele [ADC]. Lecturer in music at DkIT, Dundalk.

Commins, Verena [VEC]. Button accordion and piano player, researcher; Mayo-Coventry/NUIG.

Conlon, Rilla [RIC]. Singer, mandolin player, researcher and broadcaster.

Cormack, Arthur [ARC]. Director of Feisean nan Gaidheal, Scotland.

Cotter, Geraldine [GEC]. Piano and whistle player, tutor editor, teacher; Clare.

Cox, Gareth [GAC]. Senior lecturer and head of the Department of Music at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick; co-editor with Axel Klein of Irish Music in the Twentieth Century (2003) and author of Seoirse Bodley (2010). Cranford, Paul [PAC]. Fiddle player, music collector and publisher, Cape Breton.

Cranitch, Matt [MAC]. Fiddle-player, lecturer, authority on music of Sliabh Luachra; Cork. Crowley, Jimmy [JIC]. Singer and songwriter; Cork.

Cullinane, John [JOC]. Dance researcher and archivist; Cork.

Cunningham, Eric [ERC]. Flute and whistle player; director of the World Fleadh; Headford.

Daly, Gregory [GRD]. Flute player, archivist at Ceoláras Cholmáin; Co. Sligo.

De Grae, Paul [PDG]. Guitarist, writer, researcher, author of the first guitar tutor in traditional music; Dublin/Kerry.

Delahaye, Emmanuel [EMD]. Bouzouki player, Paris.

Desplanques, Marie-Annick [MDE]. Singer, folklorist, specialist on Newfoundland; Brittany/Cork.

Dillane, Aibhlín [AID]. Piano player, lecturer at UL.

Doherty, Liz [LID]. Fiddle player, lecturer in traditional music at UU; Buncrana.

Dolan, Brendan [BRD]. Flute and piano player, based in New York; archivist at NYU.

Douglas, Sheila [SHD]. Singer, storyteller and an editor of the Greig Duncan collection; Perth, Scotland.

Dowling, Martin [MAD]. Fiddle player, lecturer at QUB; Chicago/Belfast.

Dromey, Paul [PAD]. Music columnist with Cork newspapers.

Duffy, Paddy [PDU]. Former professor of geography, NUIM. Castleblayney/Kildare.

Duggan, Bryan [BDU]. Flute player, music-software developer; deviser of the ‘Tunepal’ music-search ‘app’.

Farrell, Eibhlís [EIF]. Composer; head of Music and Creative Media, DkIT.

Fegan, Tommy (TOF). Uilleann piper and community music worker; Camlough, Co. Armagh. Flood, Pauline [PAF]. CCÉ organiser and teacher,

Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford.

Foley, Catherine [CAF]. Dancer, musician, collector, choreographer, writer, lecturer in Ethnochoreology and Irish traditional dance, UL; Cork/Limerick.

Garvin, Wilbert [WIG]. Uilleann piper and bag piper; author of ‘The Irish Bagpipe’.

Gebruers, Maeve [MAG]. Harp player; archivist with the ITMA.

Glasgow, Dick [DIG]. Fiddle player and teacher based in north Co. Antrim.

Graham, Len [LEG]. Singer and song collector; Antrim/Armagh.

Granville, Aoife [AOG]. Flute and Fiddle player, ethnomusicologist; Dingle.

Gunn, Douglas [DOG]. Recorder player, writer, broadcaster, teacher, composer and choral conductor (Douglas Gunn Ensemble).

Hall, Reg [REH]. Melodeon and piano player, record producer, historian of Irish dance music in London

Hamilton, Colin [HAH]. Flute-player and maker, researcher and writer; Coolea.

Hammond, David [DAH]. Singer, raconteur, film producer.

Hannan, Robbie [ROH]. Uilleann piper, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Harbison, Janet [JAH]. Harper, director of the Irish Harp College; Co. Limerick.

Harte, Frank [FRH]. Singer, collector, song authority.

Hastings, Gary [GAH]. Flute player, author of With Fife and Drum; Belfast/Connacht.

Hatton, Freda [FHA]. Harp/concertina player, arts administrator, Irish-language translator; Westmeath/Galway

Hayes, Martin [MHA]. Fiddler player, Co. Clare.

Hayes, Nuala [NUH]. Actor, storyteller, broadcaster, folklore collector and festival organiser; Dublin.

Henigan, Julie [JUH]. Singer and researcher, specialist in traditional Irish song and southern American folk music; Missouri.

Hessian, Carl [CAH]. Pianist and keyboard player; Co. Galway.

Heymann, Ann [ANH]. Wire-strung harp performer, writer and researcher; Minneapolis.

Hitchner, Earle [EAH]. Writer and radio broadcaster; Wall Street Journal and Irish Echo, USA.

Johanssen, Mats [MAJ]. Fiddle player, music researcher and teacher; Karlsborg (Sweden)/Oslo and Telemark (Rauland) University College, Norway.

Johnston, Thomas [THJ]. Uilleann piper, research at UL on traditional music in education in Ireland; Monaghan/Limerick.

Kearney, Daithí [DAK]. Banjo player, dancer, music geographer; lecturer at DkIT; Tralee.

Keegan, Niall [NIK]. Flute player, lecturer at UL; St Albans/Limerick.

Keller, Thomas [THK]. Editor of FolkWorld webzine (folkworld.eu); Salzgitter, Germany.

Kelly, Ita [ITK]. Music journalist and broadcaster, Co. Galway.

Kinnaird, Alison [ALK]. Harper, teacher, lecturer and writer; Scotland.

Kinney, Phyllis [PHK]. From the USA, she has published extensively in English and Welsh.

Kinsella, Mick [MIK]. Harmonica player; Dublin.

Kjeldsen, Svend [SVK]. Bodhrán player, music researcher and promoter; Denmark/Galway.

Lalor, Helen [HEL]. Harper, researcher, music lecturer at DkIT; Co. Dublin

Langan, Julie [JUL]. Fiddle player, teacher; Co. Mayo.

Lanier, Sara [SAL]. Writer, neo-antiquarian, harper; Co. Antrim.

Larson Sky, Cathy [CAL]. Fiddle player, writer, folklore researcher; Rhode Island/North Carolina.

Lawler, Brian [BRL]. Céilí band founder, composer, archivist; Kildare/Cork/Dublin.

Lethert, Nic [NIL]. Artist, designer, compère; St Paul/Minneapolis.

Leyden, Maurice [MAL]. Journalist, writer, singer; Belfast.

Loughnane, Kathleen [KAL]. Harper, composer, seventeenth to eighteenth-century harp music specialist; Nenagh/Galway.

Lynch, Cathal [CLY]. Singer, teacher; Tyrone.

Mac Con Iomaire, Liam [LIM]. Singer, journalist, and broadcaster, from Casla, Connemara.

Mac Mánuis, Clem [CLM]. Author of ‘Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair … An Annotated Catalogue of Works’ (MA); Dundalk/Belfast.

Mac Aoidh, Caoimhín [CAM]. Fiddle player, writer, specialist in Donegal fiddle; Ballyshannon.

Mac Diarmada, Oisín [OIM]. Fiddle and piano player; plays with Téada; Sligo.

Mac Gabhann, Antóin [AMG]. Fiddler, music organiser; from Cavan; Meath.

Madden, Angela [AMA]. Orchestral administrator; her MA ethnomusicology research at QUB was lilting.

Maguire, Cyril [CYM]. Flute player from Garrison, Co. Fermanagh; editor of Hidden Fermanagh.

Matthews, Ceri [CEM]. A piper, he lives and works in Wales.

McBride, Jimmy [JIM]. Singer, collector, organiser of the the lnishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle and annual seminar; Buncrana.

McCann, Anthony [ANM]. Writer, singer, bodhrán player. His PhD research was on copyright in traditional music; lecturer at UU, Derry city.

McCarthy, Johnny [JMC]. Flute and fiddle player, music teacher; Cork.

McCreanor, Brendan [BRM]. Uilleann piper; Dunleer.

McCullagh, Laurence P. [LAM]. Tin whistle player, writer, researcher and composer; Chicago.

McDermott, Joan [JMD]. Singer, archivist with the ITMA; Wexford/Dublin.

McElwain, Seán [SEM]. Member of the group Téada; PhD researcher in the music of north Monaghan.

McEniry, Caitríona [CME]. Piano and flute player, lecturer in music at DkIT.

McEvoy. Jacinta, [JAM]. Concertina player and dance tutor compiler; Meath.

McGettrick, Paul [PMG]. Flute player; lecturer in music technology at DkIT.

McGrath, Vincent (VIM). Accordion player, community activist; biographer of composer John McGrath; Mayo.

McGrattan, Paul [PGR]. Flute player, course director on Ceoltóir, Ballyfermot.

McKerrell, Simon [SIM]. Piper and researcher of Scottish music at Newcastle University.

McLeod, Ken [KML]. Uilleann piper, pipes researcher.

McNamara, Brian [BRN]. Uilleann piper, flute player and specialist in the music of Leitrim.

Meade, Don [DOM]. Harmonica player, fiddler, organiser, writer; New York.

Meek, Bill [BIM]. Singer, journalist, traditional music commentator.

Melin, Mats [MME]. Dancer, choreographer, ethnochoreologist, lecturer at UL; Sweden/Scotland/Limerick

Mercier, Mel [MEM]. Bodhrán and bones player; head of School of Music at UCC.

Mitchell, Mary [MAM]. Uilleann piper, lecturer at UCC, music collector; Cork.

Mitchell, Pat [PMI]. Uilleann piper, specialist on pipes music; Dublin.

Moloney, Colette [COM]. Musician, researcher, author, lecturer at WIT; Charleville/Tramore.

Moloney, Mick [MIM]. Singer, banjo and mandolin player, lecturer and researcher; Limerick/New York.

Morrissey, Lisa [LMO]. Musician, researcher at WIT; Tramore.

Morton, Frances [FRM]. Flute player, traditional music researcher; Glasgow.

Motherway, Susan [SUM]. Concertina and flute player; lecturer at ITT, Tralee.

Moulden, John [JOM]. Singer, researcher, lecturer and writer.

Moylan, Terry [TEM]. Uilleann piper, set dancer, writer.

Mulkere, Brendan [BMU]. Fiddle player; lecturer, writer and teacher.

Mulvey O’Leary, Maureen [MOL]. Céilí, set and step dance teacher and caller of céilís in Ontario.

Munnelly, Tom [TOM]. Singer, song collector, writer, lecturer and commentator; Dublin/Clare.

Murphy, Pat [PAM]. Set dancer and teacher, from Tipperary.

Ní Chathasaigh, Máire [MAN]. Harp player, singer; from Bandon, Co. Cork.

Ní Chonaráin, Siobhán [SIN]. Flute player, from Co. Limerick, staff worker with CCÉ.

Ni Chormaic, June [JUN]. Flute player and teacher; Co. Sligo.

Ní Fhloinn, Bairbre [BNF]. Lecturer in Irish folklore at UCD.

Ní Shúilleabháin, Eilís [EIN]. Singer, from Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork, she has researched songs and singers of Gaeltacht Mhúscraí.

Ní Uallacháin, Padraigín [PAN]. Singer and researcher, author of Hidden Ulster.

Ó Baoill, Colm [COO]. Singer; Professor of Celtic Studies at the University of Aberdeen.

Ó Bróithe, Éamonn [EAB]. Uilleann pipes, singer; Dublin/Galway.

Ó Callanáin, Niall [NIO]. Bouzouki player, Dublin.

Ó Conluain, Proinnsias [PRO]. Radio producer and scriptwriter, he produced many documentaries on figures in traditional music.

Ó Dubháin, Siubhán [SID]. Choral conductor, writer and lecturer in music at DkIT, her research is on ceoldramaí; Rostrevor.

Ó Dubhghaill, Aodán [AOO]. Fiddler, producer and sound engineer with RTÉ.

Ó hAllmhuráin, Gearóid [GEO]. Concertina player, historian, lecturer and ethnomusicologist; Clare/St Louis.

Ó hÉanaigh, Seán [SEO]. Singer, songwriter, producer; managing editor of programmes, RnaG.

Ó Laoire, Lillis [LIO]. Singer, lecturer at NUI Galway, writer.

Ó Liatháin, Dónal [DOL]. Singer and songwriter, an authority on the lore and music of west Cork.

Ó Muimhneacháin, Colmán. Son of CCÉ’s first chairperson, Cáit Bean Uí Mhuimhneacháin.

Ó Muirithe, Diarmuid [DIO]. Lecturer, writer on dialectology; he has done major research on the macaronic song.

Ó Nualltáin, Breandán [BRK]. Flute. Projects Officer at CCÉ working on archival digitization; USA/Dublin.

Ó Riada, Peadar [PEO]. Concertina player, singer, composer. Living Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork, the director of Cóir Chúil Aodha since 1971.

Ó Rócháin, Muiris [MUO]. Director of Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy at Miltown Malbay.

Ó Snodaigh, Pádraig [PAO]. Irish language activist and former uachtarán of Conradh na Gaeilge. O’Brien-Moran, Jimmy [JIO]. Uilleann pipes, saxophone, lecturer in music at WIT.

O’Brien, Eileen [EIO]. Fiddle player, teacher, from Co. Tipperary, she has published the music of her father, accordionist Paddy O’Brien.

O’Connell, Bridget [BRO]. Fiddle player, lecturer, researcher of Newfoundland fiddle music; WIT.

O’Connell, Roxanne [ROO]. Singer, associate professor; Massachusetts/Rhode Island.

O’Connor, Gerry [GOC]. Fiddle player, maker and teacher; music researcher and publisher

O’Connor, Mick [MIO]. Uilleann piper and Flute player, book research, photography and publishing.

O’Doherty, Eamonn [EOD]. Flute player, architect and sculptor. From Derry, he is joint author of The Northern Fiddler.

O’Dwyer, Simon [SIO]. Ancient Irish horn player, researcher, and innovator.

O’Hanlon, Gerry [GOH]. Singer. One of the organisers of the Forkhill Singers festival through the 1980s and 1990s.

O’Keeffe, Máire [MAO]. Fiddle player, from Co. Kerry, her PhD research is on the accordion.

O’Regan, John [JOR]. Journalist specialising in Irish music, he contributes to many publications, including Irish Music magazine.

O’Shea, Helen [HEO]. Fiddle player, researcher; author of The Making of Irish Traditional Music; Melbourne.