Comhaltas Archive

Fitzpatrick).Mrs. Wall Egan aged 93 years fromBawnreigh and first cousin of Larry's -they shared mutual maternal grandpa~ents we re Honest James Wall and hiswife Mary Healy , born pre famine. Shelived to be 100 years old - (Mary Healywas a weaver, and played concertina).Mrs. Barnville aged 90 years, musician,who has a store of old traditionalballads unequaled in the area, her familyare noted musicians in Britain and Australia.Mrs. Ryan Nesbitt aged 90 years,sister of another famous traditionalmusician Michael Ryan, Fennor andmother of accordeon player John JoeNesbitt, Lo ughmore. These familiesand many others were represe nted atthe unveiling to their old colleal!ueLarry'.vROOTS REQUEST3844 Kirkwood.Cleveland Hts_,Oh. 44121,U.S.A.I am writing in regards to my ancestry.For the last year I have beentrying to find out more about myfamily's past. So far, all that I havebeen able to determine is that our lastname originates from the Dundrum Bayarea. That puts our family in Ulster,Down. Since I was a very small child, Ihave wanted to live my life in Ireland. Ihave decided to try and.make a dreamcome true. That is why I am writing toyou. I would like to live in Ireland anddo some research on my family. Iwould also like to live with a familyuntil I could afford my own living quarters.Employment is impossible to findvia long distance. That is why I needyour help. I have no idea what needs tobe done, who I would write , etc ... I amnot seeking charity, but, rather yourassistance. Currently I am employed atthe local branch of the Y.W.C.A. Theyare a non-profit organization geared tothe community. We basically are a recreationfacility. I am the gymnasticsinstructor. ' I have also taught swimming,diving, tennis, volleyball, weighttraining. I work with children, ages 3years to adults over 50 years old. I amalso a nanny, and when I get off work,I help out at a day care centre. I amquite good with children. I am seekingemployment in one of those fields. Ofcourse any work would be accepted. Iam a hard worker, and can provemyself. I am 26 years old. I am from aChristian family. My father is aLutheran High School principal.DIANE L YNN WALLACETHANKS FOR THE MEMORIES91 Kenneth Ave.,Toronto,Ontario, 'Canada M6P 152How well I can associate with thesentiments expressed by Liam bMurchu in his article titled "The Songsare the Key to the Language." Itcertainly struck a ke,y note for me.In the fifties, the "Claisceadal" serieswas the highlight of the week for thelikes of me growing up in rural Leitrim.Of course, we had "The Foley Family"and "Living with Lynch", not tomention "Take the Floor". However,Claisceadal was different - we couldparticipate and that we did. My motherpurchlls~d . all the booldtts, and religiouslywe listened to and practised/rehearsed with 0 Tuama and the RadioEireann Singers. Even at that tenderage I could not help but wonder if perhapsthe latter were too sophisticatedand well trained for the job. Yet SeanOg b Tuama somehow managed to getthe sean nos style across via the singersand I subsequently concluded that perhapsthey w.ere as ethnic as the rest ofus after all!With the emergence of groups such asThe Chief tans, De Dannan, Clannad,The , Bothy Band, etc., Irish traditionalmusic has experienced a great revival.The arrangements have become sosophisticated that it might not seem tobe a pastoral after all. Not indeed thatIMPECCABLE AMBASSADORSLeicester Branch,24 Rendell Road,Leicester, LE4 6LE,England.On behalf of the committee and membersof Leicester branch, I would like toexpress our sincere appreciation for thewonderful Tour of Britain concertwhich we were privileged to host here inLeicester once again this year. All toooften people are quick to criticise wheninevitable hitches sometimes occur andtoo often also the well deserved thanksgoes unmentioned. Well, I sincerelyhope that this letter will serve to redressthe balance somewhat.The concert itself was a re'ally livelyand vibrant experience and the feedbackfrom the audience was that it was thebest one that they had seen to date.The tour group themselves were impeccableambassadors for Ireland and forour organisation as a whole. However, Ithere is anything wrong with pastoralmusic but now one might almostsuppose that some of it might perhapsaspire to the perhipheral realms ofclassical music?Meanwhile, 'the songs have, for themost part, taken ~ ,back seat. O'Riadawas a genius, and 0 Tuama is, too, butin a differnt rite. 0 Riada concentratedon arrangements whereas 0 Tuama endeavouredto bring the traditional Irishsong to the non-native speaking Irishpublic - somewhat of a marathon taskwhen one considers the cultural andpolitical climate of the time.During my secondary school years, Ialmost hated Irish, and we had to pass itor fail the entire exam. It seemed sounfair! and especially for those studentsin my class who'd received their earlyeducation in Northern Ireland, but weretransferred to the Republic because oftheir parent's jobs. Nonetheless, theseeds of a love affair were sewn duringthose 'Claisceadal' years. They germinatedsometime later during my years atCoIaiste Mhuire in Parnell Square, whenI attended the Oireachtas on a fewoccasions. Subsequently they havegrown and bloomed and I've nowbecome one of the purists who at one :time believed that 'Tir $an amhran, Tirgan anam' . Thanks to 0 Tuama, for thespadework, and to b Murchu for thememories.Mairead Walshdo feel that special mention must bemade of the tour manager, Mick Cantwell,who made a very great impressionon us all here by his total co-operationwith the organising cOmn1ittee and whowas always there when needed. He dida really excellent job and I would likehim to know that it was very much appreciated.I hope we see him over againsometime in the future. Our thanksmust also go to the coach driver SeamusBurke, another great Comhaltas stalwartwho is now as much a part of the Tourof Britain lineup as any artiste and anothergreat 'behind-the-scenes' man.In conclusion, may I thank all concernedagain and just say how veryproud we all are tQ be part of such agreat organisation that is a continued assuranceto us that our cherished traditionswill be passed on to future generations.Our warmest wishes to you all,PAT GREASLEYRimai na Craoibhe20