On Fridays Morning Focus the show was brought to you live from Miltown Malbay for the Willie Clancy Festival.
Marian Egan began the show by speaking to Harry Hughes, Administrative Director of the Willie Clancy Summer School and Gay McKeon of Na Píobairí Uilleann. They group discussed all the festivities so far this week. Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy is a week-long summer school in traditional music and set dance held annually at Miltown Malbay. The first and biggest of such events, it commemorates the town's best-known uilleann piper, Willie Clancy, and has been running since just after his death in 1973. The idea was initiated by Clancy himself, and implemented within six months by teacher Muiris Ó Rócháin in collaboration with CCE's timire ceoil Séamus Mac Mathúna and local musicians Martin Talty, Paddy Joe McMahon and Junior Crehan. The school is focused around the teaching of instruments and set dancing in formal classes, but stresses the value of the oral/aural tradition. In its fleadh-style volume of music-making in bars it has become something of a Mecca in the music.
Up next we heard a report from Clare FM’s Kiara Gannon. Dave Hegarty needs no introduction to anyone who has been involved with the uilleann pipes over the last thirty years. He is an expert in reed-making for the pipes. For many years he has been a familiar feature of the Willie Clancy Summer School, presiding over the reed-making activities and providing instruction and encouragement to all who seek it and, on occasion, aid and comfort to distraught pipers. Clare FM’s Kiara Gannon went along to meet Dave and find out about his reed-making skills.
Brid O'Donoghue is a Music teacher at the Summer School. She brought two of her students along to the show. Aideen Dunne from Limerick and 7 year old Sorcha Ni Scolai from Dublin who are both learning the whistle. All 3 spoke about their love of music and also gave the listeners a couple of tunes.
The Willie Clancy Summer School is in its 42nd year. Thousands of music lovers flock to Clare for this annual event. Clare FM’s Kiara Gannon was out and about in Miltown Malbay to speak to many of the people that have travelled from near and far to hear how they have been enjoying it.
Up next Marian spoke to Mick O’Connor, he was a great friend of Willie Clancy and played many times with him and learned many tunes from him. Mick married a girl from Ennistymon so he spent a lot of time down here. His granddaughter Eoileen will also be with him to play a tune on the fiddle that Willie taught Mick.
Throughout the show you heard about the classes and workshops happening all this week as part of the festivities. One of those classes sees Clare Man Vinny McMahon take on a number of students to introduce them to the fiddle. Kiara Gannon went along to one of his classes to find out more.
Alana Macinnes is a Scottish girl running a Scots Gaelic language classes this week. This is Alana’s second time at Willie Clancy. She is teaching Scots Gaelic and taught Marian a few words!! She is also a great pipe player and gave us a tune.
Finally Marian was joined by a Scottish brother and Sister fiddle duo. Ian and Mary MacGillivray have been to this festival twice and say it’s their favourite. They chatted with Marian about their love of music and played some tunes for the listeners.
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