Irish-German Concertina Project: Completion!

[Dan Worrall]

You may remember that back in May 2013 I posted a notice on the beginning of an "Irish-German Concertina Project" that involved the old German concertina that had belonged to Mrs. Ella Mae O'Dwyer, which was making its rounds within a group of six outstanding women concertina players in Clare (Angela Crotty, Mary MacNamara, Ann Kirrane, Jacqueline McCarthy, Josephine Marsh, Dympna O'Sullivan). Each of these women has now recorded several tunes, the CD and an accompanying 16 page booklet have been prepared, and the project is now completed. The project details have been updated on my website (www.angloconcertina.org), including the tune choices the ladies each made, some photos, and some other historical information.

 

The CD launch will be at the Concertina Cruinniu in Miltown Malbay, Feb 14-16. The evening of the 14th, each of the six ladies, along with Mrs. O'Dwyer's son Sean O'Dwyer, will talk a bit about their own family and community history with the German concertina and play a few tunes on the old instrument. It should be a lot of fun, in addition to being a rare opportunity to hear the sound that all but defined the old house dances in western Ireland in the late 19th and earliest 20th century.

 

Following the launch, CDs will be on sale via the Oidreacht an Chlair. All proceeds go to the OaC for the purposes of holding future Concertina Cruinnius. The old concertina itself is donated to the OaC for preservation, so that future generations can hear its old country-house sound.

 

Many thanks to all who took part in the effort!

 

ps. For North American colleagues, Ann Droney Kirrane, one of the project participants, will be visiting us at the concertina weekend in Palestine Texas on March 27-29, which will include the CD launch on the western side of the pond.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Dan Worrall

[Dan Worrall]

The project CD is now released! Attached is the jacket cover. There are 24 great tunes played on Mrs O'Dwyer's old concertina by six wonderful Clare women musicians, and a 16 page descriptive booklet. It is available for purchase from Custy's Music Shop in Ennis http://www.custysmusic.com/product-info.php?pid705.html

and from the Oidreacht an Chlair in Miltown Malbay, although I don't see it on their shop website yet: http://oac.ie/site/cd_cat_ire

as well as in Larkins shop in Milttown.

 

Proceeds all go to the OaC for future Concertina Cruinniu weekends.

 

Cheers,

Dan

Edited February 26, 2014 by Dan Worrall

[ceemonster]

when are the concerts going up on youtube???

[Peter Laban]

 

when are the concerts going up on youtube???

 

You may want to ask Oidreacht an Chlaír. Martin O Malley had a video camera running for archive purposes so the material is there. A few people were using phones to film.

 

OAC has a facebook page, apparently.

[Dan Worrall]

A footnote. There is a nice review of the CD, just published on the Musical Traditions Internet Magazine and written by Rod Stradling. It is here or on page 8 of the project site.

 

Cheers,

Dan

[ceemonster]

and for another dollop of positive news: according to the web site info for this year's "Rencontres Musicales Irlandaises" stage this July in Tocane, France, mary macnamara has a new cd coming out...

 

http://www.rencontresmusicalesirlandaisestocane.fr/fr/edition-2014

http://www.rencontresmusicalesirlandaisestocane.fr/fr