Music lover Paddy honoured
 PADDY RYAN, former
chair of the provincial council of Britain, was the recipient of the 2006
Gradam an Chomhaltais at Tionól Leo Rowsome.
His contribution to the work of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
and the world of Irish traditional music has embraced a variety of voluntary
roles and responsibilities which merit national recognition.
His contribution to CCÉ is being given special recognition in a
year that marks his 50th as a member of the organisation and his 20th
as Oifigeach Ceoil of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
Paddy, traditional musician, Comhaltas Music Officer and broadcaster,
was presented with his award during the Tionól Leo Rowsome weekend
at Cultúrlann na hÉireann in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. This
was a great event of “ceol agus craic” where hundreds of Paddy’s
friends and fellow musicians gathered to pay tribute to a man of outstanding
commitment to the preservation and promotion of traditional Irish music
for 50 years.
Since 1956 Paddy has held many positions in CCÉ at branch, county,
provincial and national level. His interest in the work of Comhaltas stems
from his profound interest in Irish traditional music.
A renowned fiddler, music teacher and music historian, Paddy has been
to the fore in all of the various musical activities of CCÉ, making
particularly significant contributions as a musician, a fiddler, a music
teacher, an archivist and publisher, an adjudicator, a co-ordinator and
key-figure of Scoil Éigse, a tutor and lecturer on the TTCT course
and as an SCT examiner.
Also a regular teacher at many summer schools and radio broadcaster of
two weekend Irish music programmes on Shannonside Radio, Paddy’s
involvements in such a broad range of musical activities provided him
with valuable grass-roots experience in his role as National Music Officer,
a position he has held and fulfilled with integrity since 1986.
Musically Paddy has always had an ear for detail and the combination of
his discernment and memory has rendered him internationally famous for
identifying tunes and the history that accompanies them.
Like so many musicians of his generation Paddy put incredible effort into
learning music in his younger days, in the days before music classes and
widely available recordings existed as they do now. Throughout his adult
life he has put the same level of commitment into helping younger generations
of musicians to learn and have access to quality traditional music, as
he himself showed in his own pursuit of the music he first heard when
a child of five.
As a family man, Paddy has always acknowledged the support of wife Mary
and his family as they facilitated his tenacious commitment to Comhaltas
Ceoltóirí Éireann, a music and a movement with which
Paddy Ryan’s name has been associated with for over 50 years and
will continue to be in the future.
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