| Celebrating 40 years within a musical
mile  KILTY
is a small village on the Leitrim-Fermanagh border with a population of
about 150 people.
From this area a unique cluster of traditional Irish fiddle players have
emerged over the last 80 years.
A new CD entitled Within A Mile Of Kilty is a collection of recordings
by these musicians collected by David Lennon.
The musicians on the album are six exceptionally talented fiddle players
and include three members of the well-known Lennon family Ben, Charlie
and Maurice.
Ben and Charlie are brothers brought up in Kilty and their names are known
far and wide in traditional music circles.
They have both recorded several albums and in addition Charlie has received
widespread critical acclaim as a composer.
Maurice is Ben’s son and was a founder member of Stockton’s
Wing in 1977.
Séamus Quinn is from Derrygormelly in Co. Fermanagh and both his
father and grandfather came from Kilty.
Séamus’ grandfather was a well-known fiddler and was regarded
by many as the most outstanding player of his time.
Brian Rooney was born near Kilty and his father played fiddle and flute.
He emigrated to London in the 1940s where he became deeply involved in
the traditional Irish music scene playing with the group Sliabh Luachra.
John Gordon was from Cashel, Co. Fermanagh and was a very well-known musician
featuring in broadcasts on both BBC and RTÉ Radio.
There is accompaniment on the album from Altan’s Ciarán Curran
on cittern, Beginish’s Noel O’Grady on bouzouki, Frank Kilkelly
on guitar and Gabriel McArdle on concertina.
If the music sounds like it was all recorded yesterday in a sense it
was for great music both reflects its time and breaks free of it.
The Irish music heard on this recording relies on heart, respect, memory,
talent, tradition, friendship, family, hometown and regional pride and
the sheer unalloyed joy of playing.
What this album does is rare putting the listener not just within a mile
of Kilty but right beside the chairs of the musicians themselves.
It is available priced e18 from Indíreacha, Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe,
Eire.
Telephone 00353-91-593307 or e-mail dc@iol.ie.
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