The Companion to Irish Traditional Music

Acknowledgements

x 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), Acknowledgements xi Acknowledgements 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...