Local success at Fleadh Cheoil

Mark Toner, centre with right elbow above cup, pictured with the victorious Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band

Dundalk man Mark Toner was a member of the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band which scooped the Pipe Marching Band title at the Fleadh Cheoil in Sligo at the weekend.

Mark, who plays the bag pipes, has been a member of the band for a number of years and helped them release a charity CD in recent years.

Originally from the Point Road but now living in Dromiskin, Mark is a paramedic with the Dublin Fire Brigade.

A number of Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann Dundalk members also did well at the Fleadh.

Séamus de Faoite placed first in the Piano Accordion event for 12 to 15 year olds, Fionnuala Donlon was second in the Irish Harp for 15 to 18 year olds while Sárán Mulligan was third in the Concertina for 15 to 18 year olds.

Chamber aiming to bring Fleadh to Dundalk in 2015

Dundalk Chamber of Commerce are getting involved in a bid to bring the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to Dundalk in 2015.

Around 300,000 peoplego to the Fleadh Cheoil each year and it has the potential to generate up to €40m for the local economy.

Neighbours Drogheda were in the running to host next year’s event but lost out to Sligo. Organisers in the Boyneside town have indicated they would like to bid for the event again and there remains a possibility of a countywide bid going forward.

Anyone who would like to get involved in the Chamber’s bid for the Fleadh is asked to contact Jimmy Cumiskey of Euro Antiques in Francis Street.

The Fleadh has never been held in Louth before but in recent years has visited other border counties such as Derry, Cavan and Letterkenny in Donegal.

DkIT TradWeek all next week

The second DkIT TradWeek will run from Monday to Saturday next week and is part of the ten year celebrations of music at Dundalk IT.

Events include lectures, workshops, masterclasses and a gala concert featuring American harper Ann Heymann and Ceol Oirghialla graduates Lisa Butler and Daoirí Farrell.

Following the success last November of the inaugural DkIT TradWeek, the college are delighted to celebrate the music of the harp and, in particular, recognise the close connection with the great harper composer Turlough O’Carolan, who was born not far from the institute and wrote much music in the surrounding region. The week will culminate in a symposium on performance practice with a focus on the harp.

Events kick off on Monday with a visit by DkIT students to Ardee to engage with secondary school students. Tuesday night moves to The Spirit Store with a session involving DkIT TradSoc. Later in the week the college will welcome a host of international scholars and performers to participate in a symposium on performance practice related to the Irish harp before teaming up with the regional centre of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann at the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol, for a series of workshops with young musicians from the surrounding region.

The Gala Concert, Ceolta Cruit, takes place on Thursday November 21st at 7pm in the MacAnna Theatre.  Featuring the Ceol Oirghialla Traditional Music Ensemble and traditional music groups from years three and four of the BA (Hons) Applied Music programme, the event celebrates the music of the harpers and the great collections of the eighteenth century.

The Ensemble will be joined on the night by a number of special guests.  Ann Heymann is today’s first Gaelic harper to approach the cláirseach using rigorously applied historical and traditional standards.  Lisa Butler is well known to traditional music audiences through her performances with Caladh Nua while Daoirí Farrell is this year’s winner of the Senior Men’s Singing competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.  Both Lisa and Daoirí are graduates of the BA (Hons) Applied Music programme, Lisa being part of the very first cohort of students to graduate from Ceol Oirghialla.

On Friday, DkIT in association with the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick will host a one-day research symposium on harp performance practice. The keynote lecture ‘Taking the note: a perspective on the life, work and legacy of Gráinne Yeats’ will be delivered by Aibhlín McCrann (Deputy Chairman of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon). Other speakers include Paul Dooley, Anne-Marie O’Farrell, Ann Heymann, Una Hunt, Sean McElwain and Patrick Connolly. There is no registration fee for this symposium but registration is required.

Other events during the week include visits by our students to local schools to present a series of workshops on Irish traditional music as part of their ongoing community outreach programme, while renowned musician Donal Lunny will feature as guest performer in the masterclass series. In association with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, students will engage in workshops at the local regional centre, sharing their learning with musicians from the north east region.

For further information, see www.dkit.ie/music or contact ann.coffey@dkit.ie.