Hugely successful Kilcar Fleadh ends on a high note
A truly wonderful Féile Cheoil Chill Chartha (Kilcar Fleadh), finished on a high note last Saturday night with a spectacular concert from Martin Tourish.
Named TG4 Young Musician of the Year in 2008, Martin is widely known for his energetic, charismatic accordion playing. He was joined onstage by Niamh Varian Barry, Connie and Merla Drost-Byrne (fiddle) and Patricia Flynn (vocals). The musicians delighted yet another sold out house in a week that saw huge numbers of locals and visitors alike celebrating the best of the Donegal tradition of music, dance and song.
This year’s festival also featured a number of special events marking the Centenary Celebrations of Coguish NS, and these evoked wonderful memories of times gone by.
Wednesday night’s concert in the Parish Hall included performances from past pupils, including recitations by Brd Butler Cunningham (94), songs from Francie Byrne and a recital from the school choir of 1956 - their first performance together in over 50 years.
The hall was filled to capacity long before the music began, and everyone was delighted by the wealth of talent on show, especially as all the families from 'Up the Glen' were represented in some way. The Cunningham family - Samus, Brd, Agnes, Ann and Hughie - sang together onstage for the first time, while the Carr clan - Peter, Maureen and Caroline - played fiddle together, also for the first time on onstage. Sibling Stephen and Clare Gallagher joined Martin McGinley on fiddle, Tom Byrne, Peter Carr on keyboards, Gavin Whelan on tin whistle and Brian Sweeney on guitar for some rousing tunes that brought the house down while Tom’s harmonica playing had them cheering out loud.
On the night, thoughts went out to the two eldest living past pupils of the school, Kitty Byrne Gallagher (97) and her brother Patrick Gallagher (94). Special mention was also made of Brd Byrne, whom reunion committee chairman Maurice Hegarty called ‘the driving force behind the reunion’ who could not be there due to illness - she was wished a speedy recovery on behalf of everyone there. A special Mass was also said to remember all the deceased past pupils and teachers. This was celebrated by Canon Padraig McShane, assisted by Fr Eddie Gallagher in St Cartha’s Church on Wednesday.
The organisers were over the moon to see 300 people coming along to see the special Echoes in the Glen event on Thursday night. This is a re-enactment of an old tradition, where, at the end of a harvest day, someone on one side of the Glen would play a tune and someone on the other side would repeat it. Despite a rainy start, the skies cleared to allow for a magnificent procession of musicians and spectactors down both sides of the Glen and then meeting up on the new bridge, the only link between the two sides of the Glen.
There was also a large and enthusiastic attendance at Ronan Galvin’s excellent presentation on Music of the Glen, great interest shown Samus Cunningham’s presentation of all Christy Gillespie’s research into the history of the school, and in the exhibition of this history of the Glen, which was compiled by Peadar Hegarty and Maire Cunningham. Maurice Hegarty called this ‘a real labour of love and a phenomenal amount of work’. The research shows how each of the farms in the Glen were handed down from generation to generation from the time of the Griffith Valuation (c. 1850).
“It’s extraordinary to think that, in 1936, there were 956 people living Up the Glen and now there are just 156,” Maurice commented. “All those people had to eke out a living on their small holding, which must have been very, very difficult indeed.”
Thanks was also expressed to the Coguish Reunion committee: Chairman Maurice Hegarty, Maire Gillespie, Peadar Hegarty, John Hegarty, James G Byrne for the wonderful website www.coguish.com, Declan Gillespie, Eamonn and Seamus O’Donnell, Mairead Bohan, Brd Byrne and Annie Marie Lyons; as well to the Kilcar Fleadh committee for all their help and support.
James Byrne has compiled a DVD of old photographs, cost €10, available from the Aislann or by ringing (086) 996 9256. James Carr has compiled a DVD recording of the reunion events, cost €15 euro, available from the Aislann or by ringing (086) 078 5349.
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Weather for Donegal
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
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