My old mate Alan O'Leary copied this to me from the 'Western People', a weekly newspaper based in Co. Mayo. As a guitar player and the secretary of a Comhaltas branch I'd certainly be interested in knowing what folk think. Personally, I think this Duffy bloke is talking through his arse but I also kind of see where he's coming from. Anyway, make up your own minds. Here goes:



Comhaltas chief blasts guitar and bodhran players as destroyers of traditional Irish music
By: Michael Commins


Guitar and bodhran players who engage in 'traditional' music should be shown the way to go home. They are a total distraction and have "no place at all" in the folk music of the land. They play instruments of "low musical quality' and are destroying the integrity of pure traditional music. These are the sentiments of Mayo Comhaltas secretary, Seamus O Dubhthaigh (Seamus Duffy), no stranger to controversy down through the years.


Seamus, who hosts the traditional music Sunday night show (9.30 p.m. - 11 p.m.) on Mid-West Radio has been highly critical of the Riverdance phenomenon in recent years. His crusade to stop those responsible for young girls wearing "wigs" and make-up in Irish dancing competitions, first 'aired' in the "Western People", became a national news story.


Now, Seamus is back on the warpath again, the Aghamore maestro firm in his convictions that the "ensemble' impact of non-traditional instruments are posing serious problems for the preservation of the true authentic sound of traditional Irish music.


"I am often amazed and also annoyed by music artistes and radio presenters who introduce various recordings of Irish music as being traditional. In fact, the latter adjective must be the most abused, relative to Irish music, that exists. By its very nature, Irish traditional music is a folk music, simple and uncomplicated.
Unfortunately, in many modern recordings we get elements which are not within the tradition such as lavish attempts at arrangements, in some cases overtures, with a callithumpian concert of guitars, bodhrans and basoukis in the background - instruments of low or no musical quality which tend to obscure and distract from the central artiste. This feature of the recording business seems to worsen on an annual basis. I can assure all and sundry that this is not an Irish influence but a commercial one, and largely American."


Warming to the subject, Duffy sets the background of when these "outside' influences began to creep into traditional music. "The earliest Irish music recordings such as those of James McAuliffe, the Kerry piper, James Wheeler of Wexford, Eddie Herborn of Castlebar and Peter J. Conlon, the melodeon player from Belmont near Milltown in Co. Galway, were unaccompanied. We must remember that it was these who set the Irish American recording business in motion when their records sold out overnight.


"It was not until 1916 when Cork born Ellen O'Byrne, who managed the O'Byrne De Witt Grafonola and Victor music shop in New York, saw the commercial potential of Irish music and convinced the Columbia recording company to make a record of authentic traditional Irish music that a piano accompaniment was introduced. Hitherto, all recordings were made on the wax cylinder system.
"By 1920, the flat disc replaced the wax cylinder and the music industry was gaining momentum but, unfortunately, the accompaniment on piano was retained."



While Seamus says guitars are fine in "country music, the Beatles and pop where they have their own place", they are a 'no go' in the traditional stakes here at home.
"Today, we find ourselves in a situation where, in some instances, the accompaniment dominates to such an extinct that it drowns the central artiste but in all cases distracts attention from the artiste, all in the name of progress but aimed at commercialism.


"I believe guitar and bodhran players who operate in traditional circles are people of low esteem and undiscerning musical tastes. Noise is substituted for actual music. These instruments add nothing to our music but take a lot from it.
A pertinent question should be - can we allow conscious commercialism to destroy a most important element of a nation's culture?," asks Seamus.



Any guitar or bodhran players, or anyone with an opinion on the matters raised above, are welcome to respond to the views expressed by Seamus Duffy. Letters can be posted to Michael Commins, 'Diary Page', Western People, Claremorris, Mayo or e-mailed to mcummins@wpeople.iol.ie