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CaoimhnMacAoidhonRegionalIrishFiddleStyles

REPRODUCEDBYPERMISSIONOFTHEAUTHOR:Byallmeans
feelfreetousethearticleatthesite.Theonlythingyouneedtopointout
isthatthearticleisnowatleast20yearsoldandwasoriginally
publishedinVol.1ofAnFhidilGhaelach(nowoutofprint).Caoimhn
MacAoidh

Part1
Part2
Part3

Part1
Approximately90yearsagotheIrishlanguagewasspokenwithoutbreakalongtheentire
southernwesternandnortherncoastlineandasfarinlandasCountyRoscommon(Irish
LanguageSurveyof1891).AtthistimetheIrishoftheseareas,dialecticallyspeaking,gradually
flowedintooneanother,thusmakingdistinctdialectsalongacontinuoustransversesection
almostundetectable.
Alanguagecanbesimplydefinedasahighlyorganisedseriesofsoundsanditisimportantto
notethatmusic,andinthiscasetraditionalIrishdancemusic,alsofitswellwiththisdefinition.
Ifeelthatbothlanguageandmusicarereflectiveoftheirpractitionersorcreators.Northernersto
megenerallyarestraightforwardpeopleintheirhumourandspeech.Theirmusicisusually
straightforwardaswelltheirsong,ornamentally,isalso.TheUlsterdialectofIrishisoften
referredtoasblandorflat.Themusicofthemoresoutherncounties,asregardstheirsound,and
Irishdialectsaresignificantlylighterinnature.Alinkbetweenthemusicandthelanguageis
hereinimplied.
Iwouldliketospeculatethatpriortothedropoffintheacceptanceandplayingoftraditional
musicaswellasthespeakingoftheIrishlanguage,dancemusic,likethelanguage,existedina
continuousgradualblendingofstylesbetweenareas.Thesegradations,however,mostlikely
sufferedsomebreaksinthefaceofinsurmountablenaturalbarrierssuchastheRiverShannon
andvariousmountainrangeswhichlimitedcommunicationbetweenregions.Postdatingthe
declineinboththeacceptanceofbothtraditionaldancemusicandIrish,itwasexactlythese
barrierswhichhelpedtomaintainthenowremote,isolatedpocketswhichheldontotheir
traditions.Bytheturnofthecenturytheblendingofmusicalstyleswasdefunct,withdistinct
styles,likeIrishdialects,beingrecognisableonlywithinisolatedareas.
Tosupportthisidea,onecaneasilyseetheRiverShannonactingasanaturalbarrierbetween
CountyClare,amusicalprovincewherethereelisaheavilyemphasisedrhythm,andCounties
KerryandLimerick,whereagenerationagoslidesandpolkaspredominated.(Theauthor
acknowledgesthepresenceofturf

acknowledgesthepresenceofturf
boatswhich,atthetimeinquestion
didsomewhatlinktheseareas.Itis
significanttopointoutthatThe
Foxhunter'sReelisclaimedtobea
nativetuneinbothareaswitheach
sideclaimingtransportationtothe
otherdistricttoturfboats).Scattery
Island,byalllocalaccountswould
havebeenenigmatic.Asthisisland
liescomfortablytuckedina
harbourbythemouthof
PoulnasherryBaynearKilrush,it
wouldbethoughtthatthemusicof
theislandwouldbemore
representativeoftheClarearea,yet
highlycrediblesourceswithout
exceptionmaintainthatthemusicofthisislandwasmorelikethatappreciatedonthesouthern
bankoftheShannon.Theseinformantsalsotellme,however,thattheislanders,althoughforced
bygeographicaldivisiontocallthemselvesClaremen,preferredtoconsiderthemselvesas
separate"islanders".Anotherexcellentexampleofgeographicbarriersseperatingmusicaland
linguisticprovincesaretheBluestackandSperrinMountainsofCountiesDonegalandwest
DerrywhichisolatethelatterfromtheflatbasaltplainofeastCountyDerryandCountyAntrim.
ThemountainsofConnemaraactsimilarlyseparatingConnemarafromtheeastCountyGalway
plain.
RapidmasstransportationforthegeneralpopulationinIrelandhasbecomearealitywithin
approximatelythelastfifteenyears.Essentially,whatthismeans,intermsoftraditionalmusic,is
thatpriortothearrivalofthemotorcar,buses,etc.thecountrypopulation(musiciansincluded)
wererestrictedtosmalllocalisedareas.Theboundariesofmostoftheseareaswerecommonly
dictatedbynaturalgeographicbarrierssuchasrivers,mountains,watersheds,etc.Thisexposed
themusicianswithinthemtoalocalsphereofinfluence,thuspromotingthecontinuenceoflocal
styles,asoutsideinfluencessuchastravellingmusiciansstillremainedminimal.(Somesuchas
JohnnyDoran,inrecentyearshowever,hadadynamiceffectonthelocalstylewithincertain
areas).
Asregardsthemassmediaandrecordings,Ifeelitcanbetruthfullystatedthatitwillbethese
whichdealthekillerblowtolocalisedfiddlestyles.Atpresentanyonecanreadilyobtaina
recordingofnearlyanytypeoffiddlestyle,thusIfeeleventuallycontributingtotheriseof
homogenousfiddlestylesbasedonheterogenousinfluences.ThelatePatrickKellyofCree,Co.
Clarebestsummeduptheevilsideofrecordingswhenhestatedthat"theworstthingthatever
happenedtotheWestClarestyleoffiddlingwastheappearanceofMichealColeman'srecords".
Ineedn'tgofurthertoillustratethegargantuanimpactwhichtherecordingsofthelateSligo
fiddlemasterhadontheentiremusicalpopulation.
Ipostedpart1ofthepromisedarticleonregionalstyles.Inrelationtothis,Iwishtopointout
thatitwaswrittenbackinthelate1970sandpublishedintheearly1980s(Isuspectabout
1980),basedonareferencetoMairadNMhaonaighashavingbeenalreadymarried.Atthat
timeitwastheonlyarticlepublishedwhichdirectlyaddressedregionalstyles.Fewifany,other
thanPhilippe's,havebeenpublished,indicatingthedearthofinvestigativeinitiativesdirectedat
oneofthemostinterestingandimportantsubjectsinthemusic.
IshouldpointoutalsothatwhileIstillstandoverthearticle,myviewshavechangedaweebit.
Iwouldalsowriteittodaywithamoretemperedviewsuchassubstitutingadifferentwordfor

"evil"asappearinginpartone.Again,thisisanindicatorofwherethingsstoodtheninthe
1970s,wherethe"national"stylewasboomingandtherewasavirtualintoleranceofanything
local.

Part2
Thewords"fiddlestyle"areoneswhichhavebeenseriously,andunfortunately,ambiguously
thrownabout,especiallyinlightofrecentacademicstudiesintothesubject.Ifonewereto
searchforreferencestoanykindofattemptatdefiningordelineatingtheboundariesofdifferent
andvaryingstylesonewouldbeconfrontedbyamarkedpaucityofideasanddescriptivework.
Thosewhichdoexistaremoreoftenthannotcontradictory.Thebulkofthelattertypewriting
areconfinedtoafewbroadreferencesinbookswhosemainaimistodealwithamuchwider
subject,aswellasthealltoooftenuninformedjottingsaccompanyingrecordings.Stylistic
descriptionsmostprobablyhavebeenbestdescribedtodateinBreandanBreathnach'sfinework
FolkMusicandDancesofIreland.
Ifoneweretocombliteraryandoralsourcesfora
definitionofthecharacteristicsofanUlsterfiddle
style,Ithinkitwouldbefoundthatopinionsseem
tovaryfrom:musiccreatedbylongsinglestrokes
ofthebow,tomusiccreatedbyshortsingle
strokesofthebow.Thecontradictioninthesetwo
opinionsisobvious,yetthereisanagreementthat
anUlsterstyledemandsastaccatotypeof
bowing.
Ifoneweretoresearchwrittenandoralsources
foradefinitionofaClarestyleoffiddling,atypeofexamplemightbe:musiccreatedwiththe
useoflong,fluidstrokesofthebowwithseveralnotesperbow.
TocompareplayersfrompartsofUlsterandClaresomeproblemsinthedefinitionsrecorded
becomeapparent.Thisdifficultybeingthattheplayersfromtheseregionswhosestyleswehave
attemptedtodefinedonotfitintothepigeonholescreatedbythem.Forexample,aplayersuch
asVinceyMcLaughlinfromBallymaquigan,CountyDerry,atypicalBannsidefiddlerwould
certainlybowinthemannerassetoutdefiningtheClarestyle,yethismusicsounds(N.B.the
mostimportantaspectofthemusic)verymuchlikeatypicalmidUlsterplayer.Ontheother
hand,takethelikesofPaddyKillhouryofDoolin,Co.Clare.Hisbowingwouldbemorethan
comfortablyfitwithinthestandardstaccatodefinitionoftheUlsterstyle,yetagain,hismusic
soundstypicallyClareintheend.
Otherattemptsatdefiningfiddlestyleshavebeenbasedonthetypeofornamentationemployed
withthemajorembellishmentsbeingrollsandtriplets.ItiscommonlyagreedthatinUlster
fiddlingstyletripletsareabundantandrollsarevirtuallynonexistent,whilstinClaretripletsare
usedonlywhenneededandvery"broad"or"open"rollsarecommonlyemployed.Ifonewereto
listentothemusicofsuchUlsterplayersasthelateNeillieBoyleofDonegalorforthatmatter,
anyoftheBannsidefiddlers,theydoinfactemployrollsandsometimesquiteprofusely,Again,
thisisindirectconflictwithwiththeclassicdefinitionforthistypestyle.Indeed,itisaterrible
pitythatattemptsatdefiningfiddlestyles,especiallyinthecaseofUlsterstyles,thatthe
characteristicshavebeenlargelybasedontheplayingofoneindividual(forfurthercomment,
seeBreandanBreathnach,FolkMusicandDancesofIreland).

Itshouldbeclearnowthatattemptstodefinestyleseitheronthebasisofbowingorthe
employmentofornamentationhavelargelyledtoerroneousandmisleadingresults.Ifeelthatif
styles,or"systems"astheyarereferredtoineastUlster,werereferredtobythesoundorfeeling
theplayerproduces,therewouldbeamuchclosercorrespondencebetweensuch"definitions"of
styleandtheactualmusicaswellastakingintoaccountvarianceduetotheindividual'sstyle
withinthelocalstyle.Afterall,itisverypossiblethattwoplayerscanbeverysimilarintheir
bowing,yetsoundcompletelydifferent!Converselytwoplayerscanproduceverysimilar
sounds,moods,feelings,etc.intheirmusicwhileusingradicallydifferentbowingstyles.
Toreevaluateindepththestylesofbowingwhichhavebeenrecordedaswellasthosewhich
arestillextentwouldbeaherculeantaskandisunfortunatelybothbeyondthescopeofthis
articleandthemusicalcapabilitiesofitsauthor.Belowhowever,Inotesomeobservationson
somestylesIhaveencountered.TheseobservationsarebasedonthestylisticframeworkthatI
haveproposedabovewiththemajoremphasisbeingonthegeneralsoundormoodcreatedby
localplayers.

Part3
NorthDonegal/WestTyrone/NorthwestTyrone
Ifindthemusicofthisgeneralareacanbesummarisedinonewordaggressive.Itisbasically
fastpacedmusicwhereeventhelightersoundingmelodiescomeoutwithaveryhardpunch
Thereisasenseofurgencyandpowergreatlyinvolvedwithinit.Playersasdiverseinpersonal
styleasNeilBoyleandtheDohertysstillexhibitthecommonlinkofbeingconsistentplayersof
averyattackingtypeofmusic.SomeplayersIassociatewiththisstyleareFelixKearneyof
Tyrone,theDeargBrothers,DannyMeehan,TommyPeoples,ProinnsiasMaonaighandhis
daughterMairadBeanUChinneaideaswellasVincentandColumbaCampbellofDonegal.
DermotMcLaughlinfromDerryisalsoamagnificentplayer.
EastDerry/Antrim/SouthwestTyrone
Comparedtotheabovementionedstyle,thistyperegionhasfiddlerswhotendtoplayaslower
(thoughnotmuch)typeofmusicwhichisnotasaggressiveasthelatterandmorehighlyornate.
WhiletheHighlandsarenotaspopularinthisregionastheyareinthewesternpartofDerryand
TyroneaswellasDonegaltheScottishinfluenceisverywellrepresentedinthenumberof
strathspeysplayed.ExcellentexamplesoftypicalplayersinthisstyleareJohnLoughranand
BobbyMartinofTyrone,VinceyMcLaughlinandPaddyKellyofDerryandWillieMcKendry
ofAntrim.
SouthDonegal/Fermanagh/NorthLeitrim
Iseethisregionasalinkbetweentheareasofaggressive,powerfulmusicalprovincesofUlster
andthemorerhythmic,bouncymusicaldistrictsofSligo.Thisareshowsachangefromthe
morenortherlystylesinthatthemoodandrhythmofthetunesbecomeslightlylighterand
bouncierincontrasttothe"fullsteamahead"typeofplayinginDonegal,yetthepowerofthe
northernmusicisstillretainedinthisarea.Inmanywaystheplayersinthisstyleexhibitthebest
andmostmagnificenttraitsoftwoworlds.SomeverygoodexamplesfromthisregionareBen,
MauriceandCharlieLennon,Leitrim,thelateJohnGallagher,Leitrim,TomMulliganof
Leitrim,nowlivinginDublin,MickHoey,SeamusQuinn,TommyandBenGunnof
Fermanagh,thelatePatrickKellyandTerryMcIntyreofSouthDonegal.
Sligo

Themusicofthisareaisprobablybetterdocumentedthanallotherregionsasaresultof
emigration.TheplayersofthiscountyfilledthedancehallsofNewYorkandpaidtributeto
theirnativecountrybysendingbacksomeofthemostmagnificentrecordingsofIrishmusicto
date.PlayerssuchasPaddyKilloran,MichaelColeman,JamesMorrison,PaddySweeney,
MichaelGorman,JohnFrankVesey,MartinWynne,SeamusandManusMcGuire,FredFinn,
PeterHoranandJoeO'Dowdareamongstseveraloftheexcellentexponentsofthelightand
bouncystyleofthiscounty.Themusicischaracteristicallyfastandtheoverallmoodfavouredis
alightonewiththerhythmbeingasstatedabove,bouncyorwithgreat"lift".
EastGalway
ThemusicofthisdistrictdiffersgreatlyfromthatofSligo.thepaceofthemusicisgreatly
reducedwhichallowstheplayertoconcentratemoreonthemoodofthemusic.Thetunesinthis
areaareoftenhighlyornatebuttheoverallimpressionalwaysseemstobeoneofwistfullness.A
greatcontributingfactortowardsthisofteneeriefeelingisthecommonoccurrenceofplaying
tunesinkeyssuchasEflatandBflatwhichlendthemselvestothistypeofsound.Excellent
exponentsofthisstylearePaddyFahey,PaddyKelly,MairtnByrnes,ConnorTullyandLiam
Lewis.
Clare
IntheearlypartofthisarticleItriedtoimpressthatalinkexistsbetweenlocalfiddlestylesand
theformeruseofdialecticalIrish.Ithinkthisproposedconnectionisbestdemonstratedtakinga
tourdownfromeastGalwaythrougheastClareandfurtherdownintowestClare.Onsucha
journeyonecanhearthepresentdayEnglishslowlyflowintoalocaldialectfromoneareainto
another.LinguisticexpertstellusthattheIrishoftheseareasdiednotsolongago.Isuspectthat
themusicofthesedistrictscanofferindirectsupportingcluestothelatter.Ifyouweretolisten
tothewistfulmusicofPaddyFaheyandthentravelashortdistancetoScariffinCountyClareI
donotthinkyouwouldfindadrasticdifferencewhenyouwouldhearMartinRochford.Asyou
movefurtherwestwardsinClarethemusicstillretainstheslowpaceoftheGalwaystyle,yet
graduallyrelinquishestheeerienessinthemusic,takingonamorelighteraspecttothemelody.
Therearenearlyinnumerablerepresentativesofallthetraditionalstylesfromthisdistrict.
AmongthemarePatrickKelly,lateofCree,BobbyCasey,JoeRyan,MickandTomEustace,
JuniorCrehan,JohnKelly,PaddyCanny,P.J.HayesandMartinHayesaswellasTonyLinnane.
SliabhLuachra
ThisdistricttakesinpartsofCountiesKerry,LimerickandnorthCork,whichlieonanelevated
plainnorthoftheMacgillycuddyReeks,DerrynasaggartandBoggeraghMountainchain.The
musicofthedistrictshowsareturntoafasterpaceofmusicwhichhasanincrediblerangeof
musicalemotion.Thereistremendouslifeandjoyinthefastmovinglightmelodiesyetatthe
sametimemanyoftheolderplayerssuchasConCurtinofBrosnaareabletoplaymagnificent
lonelytunesatthedropofahat.Probablythegreatdistinguishingtrademarkofthisareaisthe
dominanceoftheslideandpolka.Theserhythmswhichappreciatedsuchgreatpopularityup
untilagenerationagowouldseemtobesufferingasetbackintheareamostlikelyduetothe
impactofrecordingsoffiddlersfromoutsidethearea.Severalplayersfromthisdistrictare
nearlyhouseholdnames.theyincludePdraigCaoimh,Denis"TheWeaver"Murphyandhis
sisterJulia,PaddyO'Connell,DonalO'Connell,JerryMcCarthy,PaddyandJohnnyCronin,both
intheU.S.A.,PatFitzgeraldandBuddyFurey.
Summary
TheexistenceofdistinctstylesarecorrelatedwiththeexistenceofdialecticalIrish,andthe
premisethatthesestylesare,inpart,duetoandrelatedtonaturalgeographicbarriersis

postulated.Therecentnegativeeffectswhichmasstransportation,thevariousmassmediaand
recordingshavehadonthepreservationoffiddlestylesarenoted.Thesuggestionthatfiddle
stylesbeevaluatedbyaseriesofseveralinteractingcriteriaproducingauniqueresultantsound
ormood,asopposedtobowingandornamentationtechniques,isforwarded.

Theabovethirdpostingfinishedtheoriginalarticle.Theportionbelowdidnotappearinthe
originalarticlebutmaybeofsomehelpinunderstandingthesomeoftheuniquehistoryand
influencesintheeastGalwaystyle.
PaddyFaheyoftentoldmethatduringtheendofthelastcenturyandthefirstdecadeortwoof
thiscenturythelocalfiddlersofeastGalwaywerealwaysveryanxioustoplaywiththefamed
uileannpiperDinnyDelaney.Dinney'schanterwaspitchedinBflat.Ratherthantunethefiddles
downtothechanter,theplayersregularlyrelearnedthetunesinflatkeystoplaywithhim
withouttuningdown.Assuch,thelocalplayersbecamehighlyconversantinplayingflatkeys.
Whentheystartedtocomposethemselvesorrearrangetunesinmorecommonkeys,theywould
oftenoptforplayingtheminflatkeysasafteronlyafewyears,the"wistfulflatkeysound"was
verymuchtheaimofplayers.

LarrySangerisputtingtogetherwhatheintendstobethedefinitivewebsiteon
Donegalfiddling.

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