here - Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2012

SC042927*CYCLE TO CAVAN ALL IRELAND FLEADH PRESS RELEASE*‘Community Support, Traditional Folklore, All Ireland musicand British Football Championships train the thoughts ofthe Glasgow Irish’This August, 4 Glasgow men from the Irish community will embark upon a 250 mile cycle from theirhome city to Cavan Town – Co.Cavan for the All Ireland Fleadh. The participants Danny Boyle, LiamHarley, Kieran Turner and Peter Webster are taking up the challenge to support the work of the ‘IrishHeritage Foundation’ a Scottish charity which works with Glasgow’s multi generational Irish Diasporaand to pay homage to what they recognised as ‘The good old days’ when cycling from town tofestival for a healthy session of tunes and craic was commonplace before the ‘Ryanair Generation’.The four lads are all keen traditional musicians, having grown up playing with the Irish Minstrelsbranch of Comhaltas based in Glasgow under the keen eye of Glasgow Irish musical stalwarts FrankMcArdle and Eoin Kelly (RIP). They continue to teach and work with the branch to this day andIrish Heritage Foundation (SC042927) Supported by;

SC042927Danny will be competing with 7 time All Britain senior Céili Band Champions, St.Rochs Ceili band aspart of the prestigious senior band championships.The Irish Heritage Foundation are a registered Scottish Charity based in Glasgow and core fundedthrough the Irish Governments Emigrant Support Programme – administered through theDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland. Project Manager Danny Boyle, himselfparticipating on the cycle gave an insight into their work,“The foundation runs a series of programmes individually and with relevant partners which pertaintowards Glasgow’s multi generational Irish community. We have over 50 pupils from a multitude ofethnic backgrounds availing of free traditional music lessons on a weekly basis, we run a joint projectwith Conradh Na Gaeilge and Comhaltas which looks to engage with the elderly members of the Irishcommunity and over the last year we have held the chairmanship of the Glasgow St.Patricks weekfestival, bringing the festival into the city centre and facilitating a showcase of Irish culture fromgrass roots groups through to renowned musicians such as Michael McGoldrick. Its worth noting thatalthough our programmes naturally have a strong Irish dynamic they are open to all the citizens ofGlasgow who wish to avail of them, the Irish heritage Foundation operate an open door policy toother immigrant communities who share our city. We need a flexible funding strategy to enable us tomaintain and develop these services – the cycle is part of that strategy”It’s not all work for the lads though, there’s a certain nostalgia and romanticism running throughouttheir experiences and expectations. Peter Webster, a flute player and the elder statesmen of thecompany couldn’t help drawing parallels with the folklore of traditional music,“we grew up listening to stories about Willy Clancy, Patsy Hanley, Paddy Keenan, Joe Derraine andthe greats of traditional music. We were in Glasgow and a city but they made an impact on ourchildhood, we could connect with Ireland through our music and not only the music but the way theworld worked as Irish music developed. I had the pleasure of listening to Irish music enthusiast andacademic Fintan Vallely speak recently in Ballyvourney Co.Cork, where he reminisced about cyclingfrom town to town and festival to festival for tunes, there was definitely a great romanticism in hisstory, he convinced me, so in many ways I’m reliving an experience my heroes would have done everyday 50 / 60 / 100 years ago. We’ll see how romantic it is when the winds buffeting us about goingover the Antrim hills, its for a great cause though so we’ll make it come hell or high water or an allnight session”The boys set off from Pollok Park in Glasgow on Monday 13 th August and will arrive in Cavan onThursday 16 th . With this being the fleadh’s third year in Cavan both Kieran and Liam have made a lotof friends both in the town and within other musicians around Ireland. Liam commented;Irish Heritage Foundation (SC042927) Supported by;

SC042927“we’ve been coming to the fleadhs since I can remember and its always been a highlight of thesummer. Over the years you develop friendships with other people in the music scene so its a greatopportunity to meet up for a few pints and tunes. Cavans been a great town for it, it made such animpact on us that after the first year here myself and couple of mates went back to Glasgow andnamed a group after the town ‘Cavan Shift’. We’re not under that name now but it goes to show thekind of legacy the fleadh can have, it motivates young people to get involved and keep up theirmusic. We’ll certainly have earned the tunes and pints this year after the cycle”Irish summers are always a busy affair with the Fleadhs and Sporting championships runningconsecutively throughout the summer months. It’s a dedicated man who can take both under hiswing, however, the rewards at the end are worth the effort. Youngest of the group Kieran Turner hasmusic, cycling and football on his mind.“I play senior football for Tir Conaill Harps GAA club in Glasgow, we’re playing well this year and havea focus on the championships over the summer. The cycle is a great opportunity to kill three birdswith one stone for me, some community support – tunes at the fleadh and keeping in shape at thesame time fits well with my responsibilities this summer. This is only my third year playing footballbut we’ve a great squad this year and if we work hard and keep focussed then we have greatpotential. Obviously growing up in the Comhaltas I would hate to miss an All Ireland fleadh so I canget the best of both worlds now, keeping the fitness up with the cycle and rewarding myself with afew tunes in Cavan in the process”It’s heartening to see 4 young men with a strong grasp on their cultural roots and the enthusiasm topractice and support them through their community involvement, music and sport and no betterplace than the fleadh gathering to finish it off.For more information on how to support the lads on the cycle and the work of the ‘Irish HeritageFoundation’ please visitwww.irishheritagefoundation.co.ukor contact any of the boys to discuss the trip and their thoughtsDanny Boyle (danny.ihfs@hotmail.co.uk – 00447719794821)Liam Harley(liam.harley@strath.ac.uk – 07588617296)Peter Webster (peterdwebster@hotmail.com 00447890965511)Kieran Turner (turnerkieran@live.co.uk 00447833053496)Sally Lafferty; IHF executive committee - Treasurer (sallylafferty@hotmail.com – 00447983611843)Irish Heritage Foundation (SC042927) Supported by;

SC042927Irish Heritage Foundation (SC042927) Supported by;