Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians

Subject: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 04:22 AM

I posted a link to this in the Tommy Gunn obituary thread. However I realise that many people may not have read that thread. (Tommy's name is not that well known. Despite being a founding member of The Boys Of The Lough, he left shortly after they formed and began to accrue the reputation they have today. So Tommy is probably regarded more as a "footnote" than a "star".)

Anyway, Jim Maginn undertook a project a few years back to photograph a quare clatter of Irish traditional musicians (a good few of whom, like Tommy are no longer with us, sadly). Those who, like me, "have a trad head on" will enjoy their visit!

Jim Maginn's Diddilee Dee

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 05:26 AM

That's a fantastic site! (With a few familiar faces who have played in our kitchen over the past 20 years or so!)
Wonderful.

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 05:48 AM

Fibula ...

Are you game for starting a new thread? Fibula's Kitchen! Tell us a bit about the wil' seshes you've had there? (Where? for starters.)

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 06:11 AM

That's a brilliant site, and I love the way every now and the one of them is dancing.

Don't black and white pictures have a lot more real colour sometimes than colour pictures do?

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 06:21 AM

Ewan MacColl is NOT Irish. Jeez!

Nice pics though...

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 06:44 AM

GUEST ...

Maginn, you, me and every other bugger reading these pages knows that MacColl wasn't Irish! Big deal! I reckon that Maginn's motivation to photograph MacColl was the fact that as a leading light in the folk revival of the time, his influence was felt as keenly in Ireland as it was in other parts of Western Europe - (witness the fact that you still can't go to a session anywhere in Ireland without someone belting out Dirty Old Town; witness the fact that without MacColl - and Dominic Behan, of course - the Dubliners' repertoire would have been decimated, etc.).

If Jim had subtitled his site "The Major Figures in Irish Traditional Music - plus Ewan MacColl and his missus and a few other people" would that have "kep' you from nebbin', there"?

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 06:46 AM

Well, me ma and da's kitchen. Portaferry. For a lot of it I was quite young, so it's only now when I talk about music to my parents that they inform me that "aye, so-and-so was here for a great wee session in whatever-date".

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 06:58 AM

I know the feeling, Fibula ...

My da got caught up in the 60s folk revival and started a band called The Bordermen who played mainly in counties Armagh and Monaghan. (I'm originally from just outside Lurgan.) From time to time I mention musicians in passing to my ma and she goes - "Oh aye, your da played with them" at such and such a place or "Your da knowed them." or "He cowped here one night when your da and him was the worse for drink, the pair of them!" (And her that only listens to Charlie Landsborough or Daniel O'Donnell these days!)

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 07:49 AM

The point of having McColl in among the major figures in Irish Traditional Music is the major impact he had on the way it's developed over the past genration.

As derry says, noone will be thinking he's Irish as such (though a surprising number assume he was Scottish.)I suppose his picture could have been put in the "other images" part of the site. Along with the picture of a pair of copulating rhinoceroses - and I don't think they are Irish either. But in with the traditional musicians seems a more sensible place for him.

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 08:52 AM

McColl probably wishes he was Irish anyway, so there!

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 08:58 AM

Actually McGrath ... those big bastes rutting ... I think THEY are in the wrong part of the site!

Ryan O'Ceros ... sure didn't he used to a big noise in CCE?

And Packie Dermot ... isn't there are a slide called after him?

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Big Mick
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 09:09 AM

derrymacash, that is an absolutely brilliant site. Thanks so much for the link. It is great to see these wonderfully evocative B&W photos. I laughed like hell at the picture of my old friend Liam Tiernan. His hair had color...........LOL. Great to see the picture of Shay Walker, as well. I sang with him a few months ago in Boston at Barry Finn's singarounds at Paddy Burke's in Boston. I love this site.

GUEST...........do me a favor...........take your pills and then go take a feckin' nap, OK?

Mick

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Áine
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 09:50 AM

Geez, this is brilliant! I spent a good while putting faces to names . . . lovely. Go raibh míle maith agat, a Aidan a stór!

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 11:41 AM

Glad I've brought Maginn's site to the attention of those decent and honorable beings who appreciate god's own music and god's own musicianers. When reading the post of he/she who chimed in with a wee bit of unnecessary churlishness, I was reminded of Brendan Behan's eloquent motto "Fuck the begrudgers!".

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 07:14 PM

In anyone happens to be in Galway, our archive housed in the Hardiman Library at University College-Galway, contains my husband George Pickow's 1952 pictures taken throughout Ireland during that year, along with music recorded at that time. The Maginn site is marvellous. The Ritchie-Pickow Archive takes the music and musicians further back a generation or so, as ours shows such ones as Elizabeth Cronin (now known as, "Bess," because of her grandson's book (Daibhi O'Cronin is the grandson, a history professor at the University); The MacPeakes, when Old Francie was the guiding spirit; Sarah Makem in her cottage at Keady, with family around her; Michael Gorman and is wife Margaret Barry. Hosts of others, known and unknown, around the country.

I have heard that the Library is preparing a site to show some of these, but so far haven't been able to locate anything online. The library staff are usually very willing to show the archive to visitors, but I should call ahead if I were going especially to see it. Jean

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 07:34 PM

I'd say a nitpicker rather than a begrudger. If it had been a named nitpicker who minds a bit of pedantry from time to time (apart from readers of the English tabloids who sometimes get confused about words like "pedant").

But it's a really lovely site, with a great sense of goodnatured humour. I was thinking it needed some music to go with the dancing and the faces. But then I thought the better way is to stick a CD in the slot and provide my own background to fit.

Definitely one to bookmark. Now has anyone come across any other picture sites in the same league?

And Ewan MacColl had no ambition to be Irish. He did have an ambition to be Scottish, fair enough. Same difference really, when it comes down to it.

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Brían
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 09:44 PM

Ditto.......

Brían

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Big Mick
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 11:07 PM

Jean, I sure hope they get that collection online. Just hearing those names gave me chills. I would have given anything to have been able to sat and sang with them. I would love to hear the stories behind the pictures. The people you mentioned are personal heroes to me. Thanks for sharing.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Nov 01 - 11:37 PM

Derrymacash, thanks so much...the pictures bring tears to my eyes, they are so beautiful and evocative. I can just hear the music in my heart!

Jean, that sounds incredible, as well, I hope they do get them online somehow!

The only other site I've seen posted here that is comparable are the Mississippi Delta blues photos on a link that ddw posted in his thread Blues Photography. Powerful and evocative...love the strength and honesty of black and white photography.

Thanks, again,

kat

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 29 Nov 01 - 04:01 AM

Jean ...

This sounds like an archive which cried out to be made available online. Is any assistance needed from Mudcatters ... I'm sure people would be happy to pitch in if necessary (and possible).

Slan go foill

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 03:43 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Paddy Plastique
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 04:32 AM

Little did I know when I logged on this morning that I'd find out George Harrison was dead and then take a gander at 2 rhinos 'gettin' it on' Fleadh Ceol style.. Grand site, anyway - lucky I looked at it after the bad news to cheer me up a bit.

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 04:45 AM

LoL at plastic paddy - oops paddy plastique (your posher version I suppose?)

Getting it on Fleadh Ceol style........ BIG LAFFS AT THAT ONE...

what is it about fleadh cheoils.

(I lie... I know the reason.... 100,000 people plus over one weekend, all of them wearing beer goggles, and no inhibitions due to the pure drop...)

:-)

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 05:42 PM

What was the subjectof this thread? Oh yes, photos of Irish Trad Musicians. Just wanted to say that I found the University College Galway site, and emailed the lady who is listed as being in charge of Archives, asking how to access the Ritchie-Pickow photographs and recordings. No answer as yet.

Sorrowful news of George Harrison's death. The hippo reference I don't understand, but wish them good luck!

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 02 Dec 01 - 06:13 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Photographs of Irish Trad Musicians
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 03 Dec 01 - 09:04 AM

Kytrad... if you delved further into the photos in the above link then you got to see two Rhinos at it...

E