Áine Ryan
Féile John McGrath is certain to be a real festival of traditional music when the late famous Erris composer and fiddle player’s contribution to Irish traditional music is examined in Westport.
Organised by the Cathair na Mart branch of Comhltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the féile will explore such key aspects of our culture as hedge-schools, seannós singing, field-recordings, Mayo music and song, as well as the great musical contribution of John McGrath.
Among the prestigious line-up of contributors is local academic, Úna Quinn who will discuss the importance of the Lynch collection of Mayo songs. Dr Fintan Vallely will talk about the origins of the flute and its influences on Irish music while Máirtín Mac Donnchadha, of RTE, will examine Mayo’s seannós songs.
Furthermore, retired teacher and accomplished musician himself, Vincent McGrath, a nephew of John, will regale participants with music and stories about his famous uncle. While John McGrath is still celebrated in America as a great fiddle master, and an outstanding music teacher, his significance as a composer has received little attention.
“His extraordinary creativity made him one of the most sought-after musicians in New York, for not only did he write down unusual settings of standard tunes, but also he was probably unique among Irish traditional musicians in that he composed on demand,” explained Cormac Ó Cionnaith, one of the festival organisers.
An innovative aspect of the busy weekend schedule is that the local national schools have been invited to participate and establish junior comhaltas branches. The participating schools will be given scores of tunes written by John McGrath, which will then be performed by the children in concerts and seisiúin over the festival weekend.
Féile John McGrath will be held in the Knockranny House Hotel over the weekend of May 21 and 22 next. The late John McGrath, who was a native of Rossport, lived in New York from 1928 until his death there in 1955. Established in 1951, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is a not-for profit cultural group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music.
