GREAT IRISH BANDS, PART 21: SEÁN Ó RIADA
Mar 5th, 2008 by Conor McCabe
The post below on snobbery, art, and Dvorák, got me thinking about an Irish composer who drew heavily from this country´s heritage - namely, Seán Ó Riada.
Born in Adare, Co. Limerick in 1931, Ó Riada studied music under Aloys Fleischmann at UCC, before getting a job in 1952 at Radio Éireann. In 1955 he left Ireland for Paris. His period in France is one full of rumour and myth, involving bohemianism, drunkeness, and fast cars. However, he was brought back to Ireland by his wife - Ó Riada had married in 1953 - and became musical director of the Abbey theatre.
In 1959 Ó Riada scored the soundtrack to the documentary, “Mise Éire”. He did so at a time when in Ireland traditional music was looked down upon by the middle classes as a form of ´low balladry.´
Ó Riada´s work on “Mise Éire”, along with subsequent work with his band Ceoltóirí Chualann, was part of the revival of Irish traditional music - indeed, the acceptance of Irish traditional music as an art form is due in no small part to the work of Ó Riada, among others. (A similiar revival of Irish music was taking place in London at this time. ) Ó Riada lectured in music in UCC from 1963 until his death in 1971.
No footage survives of Ó Riada playing any of his pieces. From memory, I seem to recall Nicholas Carolan, presentor of RTE´s excellent “Come west along the Road” saying once that RTE had taped over all its footage of Ó Riada. It had done so in order to save on buying new tape.
Just think, for the price of one of Celia Larkin´s houses we could have preserved what was under any definition a priceless collection.
The video below is of one still to the tune, ” Mna Na H’Eireann”, recorded by the Chieftains for their 1974 album, Chieftains 4.
I know this to be “low balladry”, but still, try to enjoy.
Conor, if I listen to this, will it clash with my lace curtains ? …. As I remember from the Nicholas Carolan clip - he stated that (about the wiped tapes) before playing a clip of O Riada from Danish TV, I believe - only interview / outdoor footage from around his home in Coolea (wasn’t it ?).
Bear in mind that the cost of video tape in those days (late 60s) was probably a bit closer to the price of a gaff wherever the delicious Celia resides.
Could listen to Mná na hEireann all day - and of course the Chieftains are an outgrowth of sorts from Ceoltóirí Chualann. Don’t forget the son (Peadar) who is to be thanked for having brought traditional (and indeed Classical) musical practise onto a university curriculum on this island - can never remember if it’s Cork or Limerick he’s at..
I’m sure his father would have done the same had he not been taken from us so early in his life.
There are, of course, Irish musical mullahs out there who see any deviation from traditional structures as a crime worthy of decapitation. However, it is true that by the 1950s Irish music in the Republic was looked down upon by the lace curtain crowd as “low balladry”, and certainly not an art form. It took the whiff of classical music respectability from Ó Riada to make it alright for them to listen to it.
Don’t exclude O Riada as one of the mullahs Conor, I think he had fairly rigid ideas about how trad Irish music should be played. That famous comment about the accordeon and the penknife is his, isn’t it ? (Best way to play an…) Later adapted to the bodhrán
I’m not at all. As I said, the point I’m making is about respectability and pretentions. By the way, the 112th annual Feis ceoil is taking place in Dublin this week, not exactly an event known for pushing the boundries. And it’s interesting to read about Sean Nós and the debate between original composition and preservation. Irish traditional music is no Arcadia, but in terms of social attitudes to same it’s interesting to see parallels between what constitutes “art” in the 1950s and “art” today.
JMI - Journal of Music in Ireland, is where you can find lively chat and debate about folk, classical and ‘contemporary’ music. Shaun Davey with The Brendan Voyage et. seq. has been following creatively in O’Riada’s deep footsteps. Some day we’ll be lucky to hear the Great Irish Symphony.
http://www.thejmi.com
The YouTube video linked above is no longer available. I’m fond of the Kate Bush version of the song (as Gaeilge!), which is available:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=VpMGWOAAKs4
Maybe some lost Sean Ó Riada videotapes will turn up on YouTube sometime!
Hi soubresauts, I tried the video link and it seems to be working fine. But thanks for the link to the Kate Bush version, it´s pretty good as well!
Re Sean O,Riada, Has anyone any tapes of the radio programmes put out by Sean O, Riada of his” Reacearacht an Riada”programme,particularly Ceoltoiri Cualanns version of “Rolling in the rye grass”which I was trying to explain to some musician friends about.I taped it so others must have done.all lost like mine?I have the LP of the programm but it doesnt have this tune on it.
Dave Lewis.