J - Comhaltas Archive

'Koltus' - 'Che Pied Piper
of Sardinia
L\lison Fottrell
Alison Fotrell is fro m Dublin, Ireland. She has been working as an
English teacher since landing in Milan in Jun e 1996
lgrave Sq uare, D ublin ...
home of Koltus Ireland ... the :1 7J; Pied Pi per of the Irish musical
trad ition w hich has tread a path across
the worl d, gathering followers and fa ns
in its wake .
The piper Enz o Burbello and the
Launeddas player Roberto Corona in
Cagliari
Belgrave Sq uare, Sardinia ... hea rt of
Ko ltus Ita ly ... a group of Ita lian
musicians w ho beat out the rh ythms of
Ire land w ith a passion and love for Irish
music and culture. Ko ltus, short for
Comhaltas Ceolt6 irf Eirea nn , was
founded in Dublin in the Spring of 195 1 .
Its mission was to promote and preserve
the Irish musica l tradition in an
atmosphere of changing soc ial trends. At
the turn of th.e century, Irish trad itional
music was favoured by the vast majority
of Iris h peopl e. People in th e
countryside regularl y gathered to pass a
night of song and dance at any suitabl y
located house in the area. The lively
footwork of dancers tapped out intricate
rhythms on flagstone farmhouse floors,
supported by musicians w ho, through
th eir w illingness to play, availed of an
open invitation to such 'soirees'. Cities
such as Dublin and Belfast likewise had
trad itional music communities w here
provincial immigrants compared and
swapped tunes w ith the 'natives'.
Although the jaws of emigration in the
1920s, 1930s and 1940s attempted to
devour Ireland 's youth, the Irish musica l
trad ition consequently flourished among
emmigrants in the cities of England and
the USA . The most ce lebrated of all Irish
trad itional fiddlers, Michae l Coleman,
record ed more than 60 records in New
York during this peri od. However on the
home front, jigs and reels of the ceilf
house were being replaced by the far
more enticing foxtrots and ta ngos of the
'ba llrooms of romance' . It was this
sophisti cated soc ial scene w hich placed
the nati ve Irish music and trad itions in
danger of extincti on. Desp ite th e
th ousa nds of traditional musicians in the
th e country at the time, their morale was
low due to the lack of appreciati on for
th ei r music in the intellectual and
'trendy' circles of Irish society. While
dust gathered on many fiddles and flutes,
a group of determined young musicians
w ho regularl y met at the Pi pers Club in
Dublin made contact w ith fe llow
enthusiasts all over Ireland. Togetherthey
planned the first 'Fl ead h Cheoil' or 'Feast
of M usic' which took place in 195 1. And
thus w as born th e tra di tional music
organi sati on Comhaltas Ceolt6irf Eirea nn
or Fellowship of Musicians of Ireland.
Through the organisation of competitions,
the Fleadh Cheoil set out to establish
standard s in Irish traditional music. Today,
nearl y fifty years later, th ese 'Feasts of
Music' provide a meeting place for the
many young musicians w ho carry on the
great tradition of Irish music and dance.
Day time competitors coll aborate in night
time sessions and the 'craic' and 'ceol'
continue into the earl y hours.
Lia Luachra with Enzo Burbello,
Gianluigi Puddinu, Elide Conciatori,
Gianluca Dessl, Mariagrazia Mam as,
and Italo Siddu of the Sardinian
Branch of Comhaltas.
Lia Luachra in Cag/iari
Hav ing already survived th e industria l
revolution and post war pop culture, the
fo rm ati on of Koltus gave traditional
music ians a platform from w hich they
cou ld play to an audience w ho
appreciated the rea l beauty and va lue of
their music. Th roughout the 1950s the
Fl ead h and Ko ltus grew hand in hand.
Branches of Koltus sprang up all over
Ireland organising classes, concerts and
sess ions.
Instruments
Any impromptu sessions at the nearest
Fl eadh Cheoil or local bar necessitates a
fiddle and a tin w histl e, w ith popul ar
additions of banjos, two row accordions
and flutes. The concertina or 'squeeze
box', piano accordion and mandolin are
less w idely played w ith the exception of
County Clare in the west of Ireland w here
the concertina is a popul ar choice,
particularl y among female musicians. The
bodhran, a simple hand-held goatskin
drum, gives deeper rhythm to the music
but one may also fi nd the rh ythms being
tapped out w ith a pair of bones or spoons.
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