This article is from page 20 of the 2012-10-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
THEY’RE the sounds that have made Clare a haven for traditional music lovers around the world and now they’ve been made accessible to everyone thanks to a new online initiative called the Music of Clare Project.
Clare County Library and the Clare Arts Office have joined forces in the venture, the first stage of which concentrates on the traditional music of the county and featuring the biographies and music of some of Clare’s best known traditional music artists.
These include Martin Hayes, Micho Russell, Willie Clancy, Sharon Shannon, Chris Droney, Dennis Cahill, The Kilfenora Céilí Band, Martin Junior Crehan, Elizabeth Crotty, Kevin Crawford, Kieran Hanrahan, The Tulla Céilí Band and Kitty Hayes.
“This new online project will allow immediate access to all those interested in the music of County Clare, and will greatly enhance the existing historical and cultural resources on the library website itself,” said Clare County Librarian, Helen Walsh in launching the initiative.
“We want members of the public to be able to listen to traditional tunes associated with Clare, played by musicians who are from the county or who have lived in it for many years,” said senior executive librarian Anthony Edwards.
“We have also included transcriptions of the featured tunes, to help anyone who wishes to learn the basic notes of a tune so as to be able to play it. Links to alternative transcriptions are also provided,” he added.
The project also includes a music videos feature, a collection of embedded online videos of Clare musicians from YouTube. Historical and biographical articles place the music of Clare in context and provide back- ground and further resources for study and enjoyment.
The project received financial support from the Clare County Arts Office which, with Arts Council funding, sponsored an initial researcher, Paddi O’Connell, and funded the transcription of some of the tunes by Geraldine Cotter.
“The County Arts Office is committed to promoting the wealth of traditional music in Clare and we were delighted to work with Clare Library Service on such an exciting and important project,” said Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer.
The Music of Clare Project team consisted of executive librarian Maureen Comber, library staff officer Jackie Dermody and project manager Anthony Edwards.
The Music of Clare Project is accessible at www.clarelibrary.ie.