A book 50 years in the making!

Renowned fiddler Antóin Mac Gabhann launches new book and CD

It’s been 50 years in the making but well worth the wait!

What started in the 1970s as a few seisiúns, interviews and recordings in various houses around the parish of Mullahoran has been collated into a book and CD ‘Ceol agus Spraoi’ by renowned fiddler Antóin Mac Gabhann.

The rich history of traditional music and cultural life in Mullahoran goes back 120 years. The book and CD, including some rare recordings, thought lost, uncovered from the 1920s, were launched in the Crover House Hotel last Wednesday night by Dr Phil Brady.

Speaking at the event, Phil said it was a great “honour” to launch the book.

“When that book deals with culture, its people and its music - that is a real privilege,” he said.

He lauded the rich traditional Irish culture that has always existed in Mullahoran and remembers fondly the early days of the annual Traditional Irish Concert.

“I remember a Sunday afternoon on the quays in Dublin, outside Liberty Hall, the purpose was a mystery bus trip. That trip was later to become a pilgrimage. There was music all the way from the start to the destination and that second part of the pilgrimage was every bit as important - it was the welcome that awaited us when we arrived when the bus pulled into Killydoon,” said Phil to applause.

“For years afterwards, Mullahoran became synonymous with music and, around Dublin people would ask: Are you going to Mullahoran? When is Mullahoran?... That was a concert that lasted for 50 years!”

He recalled the first concert when a group of musicians from the Sean Tracey branch of Comhaltas in Dublin and the Pipers Club played and Paddy Fallon was MC.

“Music is one of our greatest unifying influences. The concert, by the way, never had a programme. If you came through the door, you were as likely to finish up on the stage as in the audience. Tony would go down, periodically, he'd nod to somebody, they'd reach under the chair and take out a box or a fiddle case or a whistle out of their pocket,” remembered Phil.

“After 50 years, a book to remember the concert is a fitting tribute. It's a book dedicated to memories through music and it enshrines the memories that would be lost if it was not written. Tony and that committee [concert] deserve our huge gratitude,” he added.

The book also features memories of traditional customs such as hunting the wren. “One of the customs that gave a bit of colour to the monotone of our existence and that was the wren boys... I often wonder how we had such energy. It started at ten in the morning, it went on house after house, reel after reel until closing time... they wouldn't repeat a tune within 24 hours!” continued Phil.

Ceol agus Spraoi also contains a number of songs and recitations. Among them, the original words of ‘The Rocks of Bawn’ have been unearthed from a 1930s school project and the true meaning of the song restored.

“The book goes through the memories, through the uniting influence of music. It remembers a concert that lasted for 50 years. But is has gone full circle, there are younger people now, on the stage, creating memories - they are the young people of Mullahoran who are keeping the tradition alive,” said Phil, congratulating them on their success in the Fleadh Cheoil 2022.

“Sixteen All-Ireland titles this year! That deserves some credit,” he said.

“This history enshrines the memories that would have been lost, the memories that make us who we are,” concluded Phil, congratulating Antóin for “a lasting treasure that preserves those memories”.

'A bit of a journey'

Also addressing the crowd, a delighted Antóin admitted getting the book to publication had been “a bit of a journey”.

It was sparked by an interest in music and people and tradition.

He had huge praise for one man – Paddy Harten – who helped him in the early part of his research and recording.

“Back in the 70s, myself and Paddy Harten went around some of the auld musicians in the parish and the singers and we talked to them and we found out from there, who were the good musicians before you and who did you learn from?”

Antóin recalled a particular night in 1977 in the home of Jimmy Dunne, then 88 years, in Cloncovid.

"I slung the tape recorder over my back and we climbed over the gate and down to the house and we got a few songs recorded and it was that kind of thing that started it,” he said.

Antóin admits that “life got busy” and the project got put on the long-finger over the years until, Covid hit, and he was given the gift of time.

“All that stuff lay in a box for years and then, one day not so long ago – well maybe ten years ago – I said ‘if I don’t get something done with this stuff, it will all end up in a skip when I’m gone’… Eventually we got here!”

The level of detail in the book is extraordinary and there are some amazing old photographs too. The book contains a history of traditional music in Mullahoran, biographies on the musicians, tunes, songs and recitations, the dance halls, the wren boys, the marching bands, organisations such as Comhaltas and Scór, how the music and culture developed and fleadh winners from 1955 to 2021.

The history of the fife and drum bands, for example, goes back to 1888.

“We were able to detail and get little biographies on everyone or almost everybody that played an instrument or sang a song or done a step of a dance in the parish and we were able to set that down,” said Antóin, modestly describing it as a “little essay”. He also thanked Rosemary O’Reilly, his “anchor” who had supported him over the past 50 years with his research and also organising the concert.

Antóin also extended his gratitude to the County Cavan Local Development Committee and Sylvia Galligan, the chairperson of Mullahoran CCÉ, for helping to secure Leader funding for the project.

He reserved the biggest thanks to his family – wife Bernie and his family Seán, Áine, Bernadette and Caitlín for allowing him the time over many years to complete the work.

The event also co-incided with presentations to members of the Mullahoran branch of CCE for their All-Ireland Fleadh successes.

Congratulating them, Antóin ended by expressing great hope for the future: “I am delighted to see such a gang of young musicians playing here tonight… There’s a great batch of young musicians in the parish now. It’s great and they’re playing at a standard that I think is better than anything we ever had in the parish.”

In response, Sylvia Galligan thanked all those who attended the launch and congratulated Antóin on his “amazing” publication, praising the level of detail in it.

“It’s good to reflect on the previous generations and to be able to document that and we have that on the record for the history of the Irish culture in Mullahoran, it’s so important but also for the future generations,” she said, saying that the young musicians would be happy to refer to it.

“This publication should be in every household,” she said.

Antóin ended the night by giving a performance of Jamsie McInerney’s version of 'The Cavan Reel' on fiddle.

The original recording, from 1923 in New Year, was unearthed from a 78 record and produced by The Keltic Recording Company. It features on the CD Ceol agus Spraoi at track #28.

* For more photos from the event, see next week's print edition of the Celt.

The book and CD can be purchased in Lynch’s Shop in Killydoon or online at https://www.irishfiddlemusic.com/mullahoranbook