This article is from page 35 of the 2008-05-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
MEMORIES of times and music past have been brought back to life in anew CD marking both the Clare Festival of Traditional Singing and the life of Tom Munnelly.
The festival, which took place each year from 1990 to 2002 in En- nistymon’s Teach Ceoil, drew vocal- ists from all over the world to north Clare. The festival was organised by folklorist and song collector, Tom Munnelly, who had the foresight to record the festival performances as they happened.
Munnelly was in the process of compiling a CD of the festivals when he passed away last year. His task was carried on by brother in law, Gerry O’Reilly culminating in the CD launch last Saturday.
“This thing really has been pro- duced to honour my husband, be- cause he was the one who ran that festival. He was involved right from the very beginning and they have dedicated the CD to his memory,’ said Annette Munnelly
‘He wanted to take the best from each years concert and make them into a CD. He was in the process of
finishing this off when he got ill and died last year. What you have on the CD is 17 singers from all over the country and abroad. It’s men and women, but they are traditional sing- ers. There 1s one man, Stan Scott, who sang traditional Bengali singing on the CD. There is a great collection of music in it.”
The CD includes some of the best singers of traditional song in Ireland and beyond, such as Roisin Elsafty from Connemara, the late Con Gre- aney of Limerick and Nonie Lynch from Mullagh. Many of the sing- ers who appear on the CD attended
it’s official launch in Spanish Point on Saturday night. “It’s very nostal- gic. It’s a really marvellous CD. My brother and a man from Cork called Pat Ahern, who took on finishing the CD. They have done a great job of bringing the whole thing together,’ CLoyNLDOLOC ere MPa W NTO CeLA Ko
“The CD is available from vari- ous shops in Dublin but it will also be available from the Kilfarboy So- ciety and from local outlets around the county. We will also try and get them into the music shops in Ennis and in all the usual outlets of tradi- tional music.”