The idea for this mini-Podcast Series, “Notes from South Sligo ~ Shared Music & Memories from the South Sligo Summer School”, funded by the Creative Ireland Programme (Sligo) 2023 – 2027, came about through a clearly identified need to make a start on digitising and sharing some of our archive recordings from the South Sligo Summer School from over the past four decades before they disappear into the mists of time. And so here we are at Episode One of Six. We hope you enjoy listening, whether you remember the early years of the summer school and wish to relive those musical memories, have a particular interest in the traditional music of South Sligo and the surrounding area, wonder how and why it all came about in the first place, are looking to listen to recordings you haven’t had the chance to ever hear before or just like to dip into random podcasts. In this Podcast series our aim is to capture the essence of what the South Sligo Summer School is all about and has been from the outset - music, song and dance, passing on the tradition, community, people, family and friends.

There are recordings from across the first three decades featured in Episode One. We hear the voice of Marie Flannery, founding member of the Summer School who along with the late Geraldine Murtagh, Rita Flannery & Michael Severs, took a big leap of faith back in 1986, made the jump, held the first South Sligo Summer School in the summer of 1987 and carried the idea through to where we are today. Marie is a native of Culfadda, Co. Sligo, now living in Bunninadden in the heart of South Sligo, and in this first episode, she talks with Lisa Walsh, sharing some of the background to the early years and bringing everything together to create a summer school of traditional music, song and dance to Tubbercurry and South Sligo in the late 1980’s. In a wide-ranging conversation, Marie talks about the many aspects of the summer school as it has grown and developed over the past four decades. At one point she refers to one of her abiding wishes in relation to preserving the whole historical heritage of the area – the establishment of a museum in Tubbercurry – and in this context mentions the many craftspeople in South Sligo down the years, not least the rich heritage of Banada Lace. Interestingly, today the practice of handcrafts continues to thrive in this area in many guises, including the craft of instrument making with renowned flute maker Damian Thompson & uilleann piper Liam Stapleton living locally and honing their skills with great dedication.

Geraldine Murtagh, always proud of her Leitrim roots, grew up in Manorhamilton, not far from Kiltyclogher where the Lennons, the late Charlie and Ben, came from. Charlie was a very regular teacher and lecturer at the Summer School down the years and officially opened the South Sligo Summer School on Sunday, 11th July, 1999, the thirteenth year. The first recording we listen to here is from Friday, 14th July, 2004. Charlie on fiddle is joined by Peter Horan from Killavil, Co.Sligo on flute and they play a selection of reels, starting out with ‘The Laurel Tree’, followed by a set of jigs, ‘The Scotsman over the Border’ & ‘The Tenpenny Bit’, then two hornpipes, finishing with two reels, ‘The Boys of the Lough’ & ‘The Devils of Dublin’.

Next we hear Geraldine’s voice – again from 2004, introducing Harry Bradshaw’s lecture on ‘The Rediscovery of Michael Coleman’s Last Recordings’, followed by Harry himself as he in turn draws his lecture to a close and introduces Michael Coleman playing ‘The Graf Spey’ or ‘The Grand Spy’ as Michael called it, one of the last recordings Michael made in 1944, not long before his death on 4th January 1945, aged 54. Coincidentally, the letter written to Michael from Louis L. Sebok of Decca Records, arranging for the ten recordings to be made on a week day or night - but not on a Sunday as Michael had requested - is dated 4th January, 1944, exactly one year before he died.

In 2011 the group Téada were celebrating their tenth year on the road. Their members include Tubbercurry musician Damien Stenson, the third generation in his family to play the flute, following on from his father Joe and grandfather Luke; fiddle player Oisín Mac Diarmada, long-time resident in Coolaney, Co. Sligo, having spent his early childhood years in Crusheen, Co. Clare, box player Paul Finn from Co. Laois, Tristan Rosenstock from Co. Dublin on bodhrán and Monaghan musician Seán McElwain on bouzouki and guitar. The late Séamus Begley had joined their ranks not long before that. Having held our inaugural Tribute Night at Scoil Samhraidh Shligigh Theas for the late Gurteen fiddle player Andy Davey in 2002, in 2011 it was the turn of Téada. A wonderful night ensued in St. Attracta’s Community School. Here we feature the late Rita Flannery’s voice on that memorable night and we follow this wee snippet of her lovely North Donegal accent which she never lost with the rich traditional singing style of Gaoth Dobhair native Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde. Born and raised in Carraig Airt, Rita always relished Doimnic’s visits to teach at Scoil Samhraidh Shligigh Theas and perform at the concerts and recitals. Here Doimnic gives us his version of the traditional song ‘Mo Chreach, a Shiúir’ which he sang at the Singing Recital in July 2014.

Staying in 2014, we share a recording next of the Sligo fiddler Manus McGuire. Manus has taught at the South Sligo Summer School on many occasions across the four decades. Raised in Sligo Town, Manus now lives in An Rinn, Port Láirge, having spent many years in East Clare. This clip from 2014 features him playing a beautiful slow piece ‘Lios na Banríona’. Keeping with the fiddle, our next recording is from a year later in 2015 when two sisters ~ and cousins of Harry Kane! ~ from Co. Galway, Liz and Yvonne Kane played a set of jigs composed by themselves - ‘One for Leo’, composed by Yvonne for Leo Hallissey & ‘Bernie from Brittas’, composed by Liz for one of her fiddle students - Liz did some teaching in Brittas, County Dublin in the 2010’s. Liz and Yvonne follow up with a lovely set of reels in their own relaxed style deeply rooted in the tradition. From Galway, native county also of the late Michael Severs, founder of the summer school alongside Geraldine, Rita & Marie, we move next closer to home, to Doocastle and to a recording from the Fiddle Recital at the second year of the summer school in 1988. Recorded in St. Brigid’s Hall, the late Johnny Watt Henry plays Paddy Sean Nancy’s Reels and we follow this with the flute playing of the late Sonny McDonagh from Bunninadden, playing two years later in 1990 at the Flute & Whistle Recital, also in St. Brigid’s Hall. In this recording Sonny plays the reels ‘The Copperplate’ and ‘The Galway Rambler’. ‘Lucky in Love’, ‘The Bloom of Youth’ and ‘Trim the Velvet’ were other great favourites of Sonny’s.

The next two pieces feature two fiddle players who started out as students in those first few years of the summer school. In fact, Declan Folan remembers getting his certificate at the end of his week of fiddle lessons in 1987 – an idea of Geraldine Murtagh’s with each student’s name beautifully handwritten. Before we listen to Declan play his version of ‘The Copperplate’ and ‘The Galway Rambler’, accompanied by John O’Brien on piano, at the Michael Coleman Centenary Concert in 1991, we have a clip of Oisín Mac Diarmada from 1994 playing ‘The Bag of Spuds’ and ‘Farewell to Milltown’.

Both Oisín and Declan have taught fiddle at the summer school for a long number of years – just two of many former students who developed their own style while staying true to the Sligo tradition and are now sharing all they have learned and picked up along the way with a whole new generation of young fiddle players.

Set dancing has been a core part of the South Sligo Summer School from the outset. Next year marks thirty years since Connie Ryan’s untimely death in May 1997. Connie was the first set dance teacher at the South Summer School and in the next three clips we hear his unmistakable voice, the music of the mighty Matt Cunningham and his band and the rhythm of the dancers’ feet - starting with two pieces from 1989 and finishing with a recording from what turned out to be Connie’s last year to teach at the summer school – July 1996. Music and memories – we hope these snippets bring a smile to you the listener’s face.

Coming towards the end of Episode One and returning to the fiddle, Paddy Ryan plays a hornpipe at the Michael Coleman Centenary Concert in 1991 for a young local dancer, Desmond Bailey, introduced by the Fear an Tí on the night, Martin Enright. We go back a few years then to 1989 and to another local flute player, the legendary Harry McGowan from Carrowmore, a loyal supporter of the summer school all down the years ~ here he plays a selection of reels followed by a selection of jigs on solo flute. We follow on with our last clip of tunes for our first episode, also from 1989, featuring the Henry family from Doocastle, Johnny Watt joined this time by his brother Kevin and sister Verona playing ‘Down the Broom’ and ‘The Gatehouse Maid’. And we close it out with the voice of the late Michael Severs towards the end of that memorable Centenary Concert in St. Brigid’s Hall on Wednesday, 17th July. Until Episode Two, slán abhaile agus fanaigí slán.

Welcome to Episode Two of Six in this mini-Podcast Series, “Notes from South Sligo ~ Shared Music & Memories from the South Sligo Summer School”, funded by the Creative Ireland Programme (Sligo) 2023 – 2027. In this Podcast series our aim is to capture the essence of what the South Sligo Summer School is all about and has been from the outset - music, song and dance, passing on the tradition, community, people, family and friends. We hope you enjoy listening and dipping in and out of the many archive recordings featured.

In Episode Two we hear the voices of Seána Haughey and Oisín Mac Diarmada as they share some of their memories of the South Sligo Summer School down the years. The chats with Lisa Walsh are interspersed with fiddle, flute and whistle recordings from recitals and concerts across the four decades of the Summer School. We start off with a recording from 1989 of whistle player, Jimmy McGettrick, late of Aughris, Rathmullem, Ballymote. Jimmy started playing music at the age of fifteen and he learned his first tunes from a neighbour called Matt Molloy (an uncle of flute player Matt Molloy who officially opened the Summer School this July for the 40th Year). Other people who influenced him in his early years included (between 1930 and 1940) Tom Shields (fiddle) from Keash and Michael Gardiner (accordion, fiddle and flute) from Old Rock, Ballymote. Between the mid thirties and forties Céilithe were held in McDermott’s Hall in Bunninadden. These social gatherings attracted musicians from Doocastle, people like Pat Spellman (fiddle), Pat Kellegher (fiddle), John Michael Cawley (fiddle), Jim Durkin (fiddle) and John Brennan (left handed flute player). Jim also remembers the other ‘’local musicians’’ from the vicinity of Bunninadden, Frances Scanlon (fiddle), Edward Healy (fiddle), Charlie Scanlon (fiddle) and James Henry Scanlon (fiddle). Both Charlie and James Henry Scanlon later emigrated to America. In Jim’s estimation, Frances Scanlon and Edward Healy were two excellent musicians. Jim also played music with Willie and John Joe Coleman, two fiddle players. One musical event which stood out in Jimmy McGettrick’s mind when interviewed by Bernard Flaherty for his book ‘Trip to Sligo’, published in 1990, was an excursion to Killavil in around 1930 or so. At that time he heard two women playing fiddles in the old schoolhouse (one was Nora O’Gara née Hunt and the other was Margaret Horan née Davey. This he said was excellent music and the fiddles hummed an internal rhythm which he never heard before or since. Thanks to Bernard Flaherty for this background information on Jimmy’s musical life and influences, taken from Bernard’s publication ‘Trip to Sligo’.

Our next piece of music from the archives features the three part jig ‘The Bride’s Favourite’ played by Peter Horan on fiddle and Bernard Flaherty on flute, from a concert in St Brigid’s Hall in 1990.

This is followed with a recording from the Marist Convent Hall in 1998 – three fiddle players, the late Andrew Davey who was teaching fiddle at the summer school at the time, Declan Folan, a young local fiddle player from Doobeg, Bunninadden and Steve from New Zealand, a student that year in Andy’s fiddle class. Here they are accompanied by Kevin Brehony on keyboard. Andrew Davey was born in 1928 in Cloonagh, Mullaghroe. Both his parents were musicians. His father played fiddle, whistle and accordion and his mother accordion also. He was a late beginner and did not start on whistle and accordion until he was nearly twenty years of age. However, before long the playing of James Sonny Duffy (fiddle) wooed him over to the fiddle. Andy was self-taught and the first tune he learned was “The Connachtman’s Rambles”. Thanks again to Bernard Flaherty for these notes on Andy. Declan Folan’s playing was also featured in Episode One of this Podcast Series and he is included in another recording later in this episode, playing alongside fellow fiddle player Oisín Mac Diarmada and flute player Damien Stenson from Tubbercurry.

Next we are treated to the solo flute playing of James Murray from 2001. Here, James plays two reels, “The Duke of Leinster” and “Gardiner’s Favourite”, followed by “The Maid of Mount Cisco”. Again, the following note is taken directly from the 1990 publication ‘Trip to Sligo’ by Bernard Flaherty and I quote: ‘For sheer style James Murray is one of the finest flute players in the country today. His music rolls out in waves, is full of energy and is inherently Sligo in every phrase. Born in Ougham outside Tubbercurry on the 18th February, 1947, James taught himself to play the tin whistle when he was about eleven years of age. There was music in the family and his uncle Joe Murray from Carrowrea-Knox outside Tubbercurry was a good flute player. The first tune James learnt was “Maggie in the Woods” and he most probably heard it from his uncle or a flute player called John Feeley. John Feeley was from Goldfield near Tubbercurry and James received a lot of his music from him up to the time he died in the late sixties.’

Following on from James’ solo flute playing, we have a group of fiddle players from the Tuesday Recital in 2006 – the great teacher and mentor Paddy Ryan is joined by four of his pupils, Christina Marroni from Scotland, Lilian Harris & Catherine Gallagher from County Leitrim and Ruth Flanagan from County Roscommon. From just outside Ballinagare, County Roscommon, Paddy taught for many, many years at the Summer School. As well as teaching, he also presented the Friday night Concert for a long number of years and was Fear an Tí at the first recitals and concerts in St Brigid’s Hall in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. A large proportion of our archival recordings came from Paddy Ryan, for which we are deeply grateful.

Our next recording is from the Thursday Recital in 2007 where we return to the tin whistle, this time the playing of father and daughter Colm & Siobhán O’Donnell from Monalea, Aclare – Colm, on whistle, accompanied on bodhrán by Siobhán. Colm was one of the early flute tutors at the Summer School and in the intervening years taught whistle, singing and lilting at different stages. Siobhán has likewise had a long association with the South Sligo Summer School. Currently sharing the teaching of traditional singing and lilting with her brother Eoin at the Summer School, in previous years she has taught bodhrán. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, Siobhán also plays fiddle and guitar. More from Siobhán in a later episode of ‘Notes from South Sligo’ where she shares many of her memories from down the years.

Staying in 2007 for the next recording from the archives, we have a selection of tunes from fiddle player Martin Dowling, recorded at the Tribute Concert honouring the late Peter Horan, which took place in St Attracta’s Community School on Monday, July 16th 2007. Martin, born and raised in the United States, has taught at the Summer School on many occasions over the years. With close family connections in the Gurteen area, he has a particular interest in the Sligo fiddling style and has delivered a number of very interesting lectures at the Summer School down the years, including “Virtuosity, Regional Style and Taste! Coleman vs Doherty” in 2004 and “Elements of Irish/American Fiddle Styles” in 2012. In this recording we hear Martin’s voice as well as his solo fiddle playing, where he describes his long association with Peter Horan and Peter’s influence on his duet fiddle and flute playing with his wife Christine.

Both Seána and Oisín refer to the lectures and talks as a key part of the South Sligo Summer School and it is very interesting to look back over the listing of topics and presenters. Oisín speaks in particular of the contribution of RTÉ producer and music researcher Harry Bradshaw and indeed Harry gave many talks at the Summer School throughout the first three decades in particular, including the first year when he gave an illustrated talk on early recordings of Sligo Musicians. Then in 1991, Harry delivered the “Michael Coleman Memorial Lecture”, honouring the centenary of Michael’s birth. Some of the recordings from a Memorial Concert held that year in St Brigid’s Hall on the same evening as Harry’s lecture, Wednesday, 17th July, are included in Episode One of this podcast series and are worth another listen.

Going back to the recordings shared in this second episode of “Notes from South Sligo ~ Shared Music & Memories from the South Sligo Summer School”, ‘Fidil, Fliuit, Feadóg’, next we hear the wonderful solo flute playing of Máire Nic Dhiarmada where she is then joined by her brother Oisín on fiddle. This is from the Tuesday Recital in 2009. Oisín and Maire, along with their brother Cormac, first attended the South Sligo Summer School in the 1990’s, having moved as a family from Crusheen in County Clare to Coolaney, County Sligo. This lovely piece of fiddle and flute duet playing from Oisín and Máire comes at the end of Oisín’s chat with Lisa and is followed next by a return to the tin whistle and another pair of siblings, this time sisters Angela and Caroline Deane from West Mayo, Angela on whistle, accompanied on bodhrán by Caroline, also from the Tuesday Recital in July 2009 – great traditional playing altogether.

Staying with family connections, next we feature father and son Michael and Seán Hurley from Ballymote, playing at the Tuesday Recital in 2014 – Michael on flute and Seán on fiddle, a set of polkas followed by a set of jigs, more really tasty fiddle and flute duet playing and finishing up then with Michael playing a set of reels on a flute in the key of F, accompanied by the bodhrán playing of his son Seán. Michael, a great stalwart of the South Sligo Summer School from the outset, has made an enormous contribution to the traditional music of the whole South Sligo area and beyond over many decades, having taught and mentored countless young people, including his own family. Our next recording from the archives is from the Tribute Concert in 2015 honouring Michael. No less than twenty of Michael’s former flute students join him here, ably accompanied on keyboard by the great Jim Corry from Tulla, County Clare, longtime piano player with the Tulla Céilí Band and former member of the Swallows Tail Céilí Band. Those twenty young flute players were: Paul Dunleavy, Grace McDonnell, Brendan Flynn, Ciara Scanlon, Lorna McGuinness, Clare Dunne, Rachel Gilroy, Christina Maye, Noelle Brennan, Chloe Burke, Brid Gleeson, Adrian Frain, Keith Frain, Shauna Cullen, Alisha Leonard, Liam Needham, Cliodhna Henry, Ronan McDonagh & Ciara McGee. A special moment in a memorable night in St Attracta’s Community School..

For our next piece, we go to Tuesday, 17th July 2018 and two more young talented flute players who were pupils of Michael Hurley’s, Conor Johnston, from Muckelty and Conor McDonagh, from Killavil, introduced by Fear an Tí on the night, the great Roscommon flute player Aidan Shannon. On the same night we had three of our tutors that year, Declan Folan and Oisín Mac Diarmada on fiddles and Tubbercurry native Damien Stenson on flute, take to the stage. A treat of fiddle and flute music for your ears.

Moving on a year to 2019 and what turned out to be the last year of the Summer School as we knew it until three years later in July 2022, Marian Egan, Fionnuala Kearins, Patricia Collis, Caoimhe Kearins & Keith Frain played some great music on five whistles, accompanied on guitar by Seamie O’Dowd, starting out with two jigs, “The Kilmovee” and “The Cat’s Miaow” before changing to B flat and a set of reels, starting with “The Duke of Leinster”, all introduced by the inimitable Marian Egan. Marian, native of Collooney and longtime resident in Tavrane, County Mayo, has been teaching at the Summer School since the start with a break of a few years here and there. Marian taught many, many children and young people music over many decades in her adopted area all around East Mayo and prior to that in Manchester. On Monday, 10th July 2023, for ‘one night only’, St Brigid’s Hall, Tubbercurry was packed to the rafters for that year’s South Sligo Summer School Tribute Concert honouring Marian and her legacy of teaching, mentoring, musicianship and friendship. As this second episode of ‘Notes from South Sligo ~ Fidil, Fliúit, Feadóg’, draws to a close, next we feature a group of musicians who played at the Friday Night Concert in 2016 – East Mayo brothers Paul and the late Anthony Waldron (former pupils and great friends of Marian Egan’s) on fiddle and flute, joined by South Sligo father and son Harry & Fergus McGowan and their great friend Michael Loftus on flutes along with Nathalie Nímryuk on fiddle and Eddie McDermott on guitar; this is followed with a beautiful tribute paid to Marian by Paul Waldron at the Tribute Concert in her honour in 2023.

And closing out the podcast, we go back a few years to 2008 and the Tuesday Night Recital, returning to the tin whistle – Marian Egan and Fiona Doherty – and a lovely piece of recording which captures the atmosphere of the evening perfectly.

As Lisa says at the end of this episode, huge thanks goes to each and every musician who played at the concerts and recitals at the South Sligo Summer School down the years. We hope you have enjoyed Episode Two of “Notes from South Sligo ~ Fidil, Fliúit, Feadóg” and that you will return to check out the third episode, coming soon. Míle buíochas.