The term "Celtic music" is rather vague: it can reasonably be connected to the traditional music of the countries which speak Celtic languages: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany (in France) and Galitia (in Spain), but also to the music of those geographic regions that have been influenced by Celtic culture, such as the United States and some regions of Canada. The term comprises also the most recent musical forms based on the typical characteristics of the Celtic tradition. The same term "Celtic music" is often the subject of controversy: the Celts, as a separate population, obviously have vanished over the centuries, and the only important connections remain between the musical traditions of Ireland and Scotland. The Breton musicians often play (also) Irish and/or Scottish music. It is in the USA and Canada that the musical traditions often are interlaced between them, and for this reason in those regions the term "Celtic music" is used more properly. It has to be remembered too that the term "Irish traditional music" includes various musical styles, some of which are very near to Scottish music... Finally, musical groups of a particular Celtic region often play music typical of another region. Although the term is rather vague, speaking about Celtic music at least shrinks the term to some precise geographic areas. Instrumentation for what is now considered traditional music includes: fiddle, tin whistle, flute, harp, guitar, accordian/concertina, bagpipes and Uillieann pipes, citters, bouzouki,bodhran,mandolin,hammered dulcimer, bombarde and voice.
When wanting to get more insight into Celtic music, I decided to look no further than NACHS very own Jacquie McGregor. Jacquie is in the Doctoral Program at Boston University as a candidate for a PHD in music education. Q: During your doctoral studies in music education, have you been able to study any aspects of Celtic music? A: Yes. I did a paper on Irish Rebel Songs. Tracing the historical root of the development of rebel songs. Also, I did a paper comparing the bodhran to the African djembe. Q: Do you have a specific interest in rebel songs? If so, why? A: It wasn't rebel songs in particular. I am interested in all Celtic music. This paper was written in reference to a course on the cultural and historical significance of music and how it is used in a culture. Q: Why do you think Celtic music is so popular now? A: It's two fold. Lately people have become more aware of their roots and there is a large Celtic population in America. Secondly, Celtic music is written from a place of deep emotion. Whatever that emotion is makes a deeper connection with the listener. Q: As a performer of Celtic, Jazz, and Classical music, what have been some surprising discoveries in the similarities and difference of these genres? A: The biggest similar is that when you analyze music it all has a basis in improvisation. Being blind to genre, the true function of a musician is as a creator/craftsman and it is through improv that we develop melodic lines that become the basis for any genre. Q: As a performer and music educator. what needs to happen to ensure the tradition of Celtic music survives? A: Quality performance of the music, exposure to future generations, maintaining the integrity of traditional instruments. Stressing the importance of improvisation and creativity of new music. Also, as a musician, we must connect to the listener and bring them into the music. Sedona Celtic Festival On September 19 from 10 to 4, Sedona will host its first Celtic Harvest Festival. NACHS will be participating by having an educational tent featuring wheat weaving. If you would be interested in going to the event and helping with this educational project please call Jude at 928-556-3161. Thanks again!
There are many places to find Celtic music, but one of the best sources is on the web at www.azirishmusic.com. George O'Brien maintains a very detailed calendar of live Celtic music in Arizona. In addition, NACHS very own Kari & Ron Barton present Irish/Scottish musicians here in Flagstaff. Visit www.livingtraditionspresentations.blogspot.com to see what is coming to Flagstaff. Of course, one can always check out www.knockabouts.org to see where the Knockabouts are playing. Whatever you do, remember that supporting live music is the best way to ensure it continues. As with any folk music, Celtic music will only thrive when people support it. "Music is the universal language of mankind." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow September 1 NACHS Metting, Thorpe Park Adult Center, 6:00 September 7 Gaelic Class, Thorpe Park Adult Center, 6:30 September 13 Halfway to St.Patrick's Day for the family, Charly's 2PM September 14 Gaelic Class, Thorpe Park Adult Center, 6:30 September 18 Halfway to St.Patrick's Day Party, Uptown Billiards 9 PM September 19 Sedona Celtic Harvest Festival September 21 Gaelic Class, Thorpe Park Adult Center, 6:30 September 26 Knockabouts at Charly's 9 PM September 28 Gaelic Class, Thorpe Park Adult Center, 6:30 Learn Gaelic! Richard Ferguson continues to teach a weekly conversational Scottish Gaelic class for beginning and intermediate speakers, using the Teach Yourself Gaelic materials. In the classes, students can also pick up Scottish cultural and historical information! Best of all, the classes are FREE! Join Richard Mondays, 6:30-8:00pm at the Flagstaff Adult Center, 245 Thorpe Rd.
Band: Give Way (4 sisters from Scotland with great harmony) date: Oct. 2, 2009 time: 7 PM venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave., Prescott cost: $15 - adults / $10 - teens / $5 - under 13 years info: 771-1218 web site: www.givewaymusic.com You can also get a full bio & high res. pictures on Give Way from www.rgmbooking.com Preformer: Jim Malcolm (voted best traditional music performer by the Scots Trad. Music Awards in 2004 & 2008) date: Oct. 30, 2009 time: 7 PM venue: Light & Life Free Methodist Church, 2797 Williow Creek Rd., Prescott cost: $15 - adult / $10 - teens / $5 - under 13 years info: 771-1218 web site: www.jimmalcolm.com Please call me @ 771-1218 if you have any questions or need more info. Thanks, David McNabb CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Hello folks, Pickin in the Pines is fast approaching and we still need your help. As you may already know we cannot run our festival without the help of volunteers. We need you to volunteer two four hour shifts and we will give you a free pass to the whole festival. Last year was my first year as volunteer director and we all had so much fun, it was such a rewarding experience, and it didn t feel like work. We need your help at various places throughout the festival grounds; Greeting folks at the gate, helping us sell merchandise, assisting with workshops and children s activities, checking people into campground and directing traffic and parking. So head over to pickininthepines.org, click on the volunteer opportunities icon and follow the instructions. So tell all your friends and come out and be a part of northern Arizona's preeminent bluegrass and acoustic music festival. Remember we can not run this festival without your active participation, so show your support and volunteer you will have a great time, and your support will be greatly appreciated. Thank You Fred Wojtkielewicz PIP Volunteer Coordinator Half Way to St. Patrick's Day X 2 It's time to kick up our heels and celebrate Irish style! Join NACHS on September 13 from 2 to 5 at Charly's in the Weatherford Hotel for some Irish fun. We'll have games, Irish snacks, a silent auction, and music by Pure Dead Brilliant! And for the big kids...september 18th 9 PM, Uptown Billiards. The original and still the rowdiest! For the 6th year, Uptown Billiards is hosting Flagstaff's Halfway to St.Patrick's Day Party with the Knockabouts. Prizes for the best Irish toast. Drink Specials and it's FREE. There is a rumor that there will be an Irish whiskey tasting (this is not free) before the music begins as well as a Limerick contest!
Half Way to St. Patrick s Day? Yes! Join the fun in celebrating Half Way to St. Patrick s Day with the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society! Enjoy games, Irish snacks, and music by Pure Dead Brilliant September 13 from 2 to 5 Charly s in the Weatherford Hotel 23 N. Leroux St., Flagsta! and it s FREE! Supported by Flagsta! Cultural Partners, Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment on the Arts
Now this is Brilliant!
Although reference is made to the place, Sligeach (Shelly River), as early as 537 A.D., it is generally acknowledged that these references are to the river which flows into Sligo Bay and the surrounding area, not the town itself. In 1239, Lord Justice Maurice Fitzgerald invaded the Connaught possessions of O'Donnell, chief of Tirconnell. Fitzgerald drove back O'Donnell as far as Ballysodare, where he set up his quarters. Upon O'Donnell's death, Fitzgerald advanced to Sligo, where he built the Castle of Sligo in 124 As was typical in these ancient times, battles for land and power were regular events and in 1257, Godfrey O'Donnell invaded and plundered Sligo, slaying many of Fitzgerald's men. A final battle at Rosses Point saw both men mortally wounded, Fitzgerald dying in Youghal, Co. Cork. For the next two hundred and fifty years, Sligo became a target of feuding chieftains and was plundered and rebuilt many times over. Finally in 1516, the O'Donnells succeeded in recapturing the castle and the town of Sligo. The Castle would finally be demolished by Red Hugh O'Donnell in 1595 in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the English and was never rebuilt. In England, Henry the VIII had taken the throne in 1509, and in 1534, he constituted the Church of England, throwing off the church's allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church. He then turned his attention to Ireland and the submission of the Irish chieftains to the English throne. This marked the beginning of a downward turn in Sligo's fortunes. For years, insurrection and ruin marked the countryside. The French Revolution of 1789 fired the imagination of the Irish. Poverty and exclusion created perfect conditions for a similar event in Ireland and this found its expression in the rise of the United Irishmen in 1798. The French, eager to export their particular brand of revolution, looked to Ireland to provide the opportunity to harass the ancient mutual English enemy. A French expeditionary force landed in Killala Bay in 1798 under the command of Major General Humbert and defeated the British at the battle of Carrickmagat. However, after his departure, the British took their revenge on the Irish peasantry in a most brutal fashion. The Act of Union in 1800 consolidated British rule in Ireland and while poverty was widespread, the density of the population also ensured the growth of towns like Sligo. The new merchant and landlord class established the industries of brewing and distilling and the rope, linen and leather trades ensured the growth of the town's infrastructure. The port of Sligo developed rapidly and a railway arrived in the town in 1860. Disaster struck again with cholera epidemic in 1832 causing more deaths in Sligo than anywhere else in Ireland. People were left dead in the streets and whole families were wiped out. Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) had his macabre imagination fired by his mother, a Sligo woman, who told stories of coffin makers knocking on doors in the night looking for corpses and of victims being buried alive. The Famine of 1847 exacerbated this situation when the potato crop failed and no other alternatives crops were made available to the starving peasantry. Again bodies lay in the streets and the emigration ships filled as the countryside emptied. Sligo became a haunted land with no children in the schools and fields that lay bare for years. A journalist at the time coined the phrase "Sligo is no more" Today Sligo is a prosperous town, although it remains steeped in history. Most of the streets of the town have remained unchanged for centuries and were never intended for automobile traffic, a fact that hinders the town's traffic planning. However, the construction of a third bridge has helped alleviate some of these problems and the town remains on course to reinvent itself yet again. The last twenty years have seen a wealth of development in the town, much of which was helped with the Irish government's decision to centralize many of its functions to regional centres in the 1980's. Since then, the booming Irish economy and the emergence of the Celtic Tiger has done much to fuel the area's economic growth. This prosperity demonstrates how an area that was once so devastated can rejuvenate and renew itself. Many are choosing to locate themselves in the area, drawn by its natural beauty and emerging opportunities. Without losing its charm or forfeiting its romantic past, Sligo is positioned to grow and develop both culturally and economically as the gateway to the north-west of Ireland.
Directory of Celtic Arts For Lessons: Bagpipe, Flagstaff Jim Thomson: 928.522.8797 Bodhran Ron Barton: 928.774.7261 Fiddle & Irish Dance Kari Barton: 928.600.1365 Cans for Bands Project: Don't forget to save those aluminum cans for our "Cans for Bands" project! Call Jim Thomson at 522-8797 to arrange a drop-off at his shop (Thomson and Son Bagpipes, 555 Blackbird Roost #7). For Performance and Music: Bagpipers Jim Thomson: 928.522.8797 The Knockabouts John McGregor: 928.814.2480 www.knockabouts.org