175th Birthday of Francis O’Neill
Happy Birthday to Francis! On this day, 175 years ago, he was born in Bantry, Co. Cork. This article from Irish Central celebrates the day and outlines his many achievements. Read More …
Tag: Chicago
Cry of a People Gone
Although I have been occupied with other things, I thought I should revisit this blog with a little review of Richie Piggott’s magnificent Cry of a People Gone. Full disclosure, Read More …
Book Review in The Irish Times
It was a pleasure to revisit Bantry, County Cork and catch up with friends and relations. We even got a chance to meet with the man himself! UPDATE: A friend Read More …
Irish Music Stories Podcast
If you are a fan of Irish Music and haven’t checked out Shannon Heaton’s excellent Irish Music Stories Podcast, you’re in for a treat! Shannon explores Irish, Scottish and other Read More …
Clare FM Interview
Thrilled to be back in Ireland after a long spell away. As well as spending some time visiting family and friends, I was fortunate enough to make it into the Read More …
Traditional Song Forum
I gave a presentation on Francis O’Neill at the recent online meeting of the Traditional Song Forum. TSF was founded in the U.K. in 1997 as a community of people Read More …
Article in Treoir Magazine
Treoir is the official magazine of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann. CCE is a wonderful organization and I was delighted when they agreed to publish an article of mine in their recent Read More …
From Cork to Chicago: A Fascinating Journey
[This is a cross-post from The Bookshop.ie Blog] As a child in the Eighties, I came across Francis O’Neill’s 1001 Gems: The Dance Music of Ireland in our local book Read More …
Bringing The Past To Life
I have joked before about making a movie about Francis O’Neill, imagine my surprise when I was able to bring the famous chief of police and music collector to life Read More …
A Merry Christmas
Looking back on 2020 like Scrooge from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, there is much cause for gloomy reflection: a global pandemic wreaked (and is still wreaking) havoc all around the Read More …