Special agent

A major knees-up was held at the Roisin Dubh in Galway for the launch of the new compilation CD The Celtic Connection (see review elsewhere in this magazine). Hosting the event was Austrian agent Dietmar Haslinger, who put together the album and has been booking tours for a plethora of Irish artists over the past eight years or so. As Haslinger points out in the album’s liner notes, he’s renowned among musicians for surpassing the usual agent’s role in organising extra-gig activities: “During a tour we may visit vineyards, climb mountains, swim lakes, see lovely towns, take trips to the countryside, meet people, wine and dine well, and most of all give the many people that attend the gigs the best music we can produce.”

Such beyond-the-call-of duty service inspires ardent loyalty, and many of Haslinger’s clients displayed same by travelling long distances to attend the launch – Karan Casey and Niall Vallely from Cork, Meabh O’Hare from Belfast, and others from Dublin, Mayo, Sligo and Clare. The inevitable almighty session took place, which at one point included Vallely on concertina; O’Hare, Breda Smyth, Charlie and Eilis Lennon, and John McHugh on fiddles; Johnny Connolly, Mary Staunton and PJ Hernon on accordions; Mary Bergin on whistle; Conor Byrne, Brian Lennon and Marcus Hernon on flutes; Kevin Hough and Declan Askin on guitars; and Fergus Feely on mandocello.

There were songs from Casey, Seán Keane and Don Stiffe, while listening, chatting and holding up the bar were as many musicians again: Donogh Hennessy, Cora Smyth, Mirella Murray, Tom Doherty, John Blake, Oisín Mac Diarmada, Mary Shannon, Alan Kelly, Kathleen Loughnane, Dearbhaill Standún, Martina Goggin, and others too numerous to mention.

Artists embarking on forthcoming tours organised by Haslinger include the fine young trad group Téada as well as Eleanor Shanley and her band, who are heading over for three weeks this month.

Iarla Ó Lionáird is taking time out from his Afrocelts duties to do a one-year course at the University of Limerick leading to a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology; he’s also been awarded the post of Sean-Nós Singer-In-Residence, which comes with a full scholarship sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge. When I managed to catch up with him at home in Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny, he told me that the band has given him their full support: “Simon [Emmerson] has an academic background in social anthropology himself, so he was all for it! I thought it would be a nice thing to do to get a sense of perspective on a lot of the work I’ve been doing. Artists tend to be remote from the academic side of things – they’re creating the arguments, but not articulating them. It’s a course that every Irish musician should do, because a lot of the tradition-versus-innovation debate is fuelled by lack of knowledge. Five years ago I was accused of being a purist, and now I’m accused of the opposite, but I’ve no apologies to make. You do what you do.”

In addition to the MA coursework, Iarla’s working away in his home studio on a solo album, due out towards the end of this year. A couple of evenings before we spoke, Steve Cooney had dropped in to record a few guitar tracks, which reminds me to mention that Steve and Bumblebees harp player Laoise Kelly are expecting a baby in several weeks’ time – keep us posted, Steve and Laoise! And while we’re on the subject, big congratulations to Calico bouzouki man Pat Marsh and partner Naomaí on the birth of Blaithnaid on March 2....

Meanwhile, the Afrocelts are gearing up for a tour to promote their new album Seed. The full-scale travelling show will begin in June when Iarla finishes his studies, but in the meantime there’s a Dublin Castle gig set for May 15, so mark your diaries; the band will also be performing on the Late Late Show with special guest Mundy on March 28.

As a solo artist, Iarla’s heading over to the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference for a few days this month, and he’ll be taking part in the University of Limerick’s annual festival of sean-nós and traditional song, Lá na nAmhrán, at the Irish World Music Centre on Wednesday, 9 April. The day-long event includes a seminar during which renowned Irish singer Áine Ó Ceallaigh will interview Len Graham and Padrigín Ní Uallacháin, as well as an evening concert featuring the aforementioned artists plus Eilís Ní Shuilleabháin, Shauna Mullin, Tadhg Maher, Ellen O’Connor, Dominic Mac Giolla Bhríde, Sorcha Ní Cheileachair and Aoife Murray. Further details and tickets on Lá na nAmhrán can be had from the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick, tel. (061) 202917.

I braved the inner sanctum of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann a few days back to attend the launch of The Leo Rowsome Collection of Irish Music (Walton Manufacturing Ltd) – a beautifully designed and put together collection of nearly 500 tunes penned by the master uilleann piper and pipemaker, who died in 1970 and would have been 100 years old on 5 April 2003. Leo Rowsome made his first radio broadcast in 1926 and was the first Irish artist to appear on BBC television in 1936-37. Performing regularly throughout Ireland and the UK as well as in New York’s Carnegie Hall and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he was responsible for bringing traditional Irish music to a wider audience than ever before.

The book incorporates a brief illustrated biography and a reproduction, in its entirety, of Rowsome’s Tutor For The Uilleann Pipes, originally printed by Walton’s in 1936 and the first such tutor published in Ireland. Speaking at the launch in Monkstown, Helena Rowsome (the piper’s daughter, who edited the music in the book) described her father as “a man who totally dedicated his life twenty-four hours a day to the promotion of the pipes and of traditional music in general.” The director-general of Comhaltas, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, went on to salute “a close personal friend and a professional to his fingertips” who “gave a status to the music no matter where he played”.

Others in attendance included pipers Gay McKeon (newly elected chairman of Na Piobairí Uilleann and former pupil of Leo), Joe McKenna, Vincent Broderick, Mick O’Connor and Seán Potts, as well as Claddagh Records founder The Hon. Garech De Brún, who released Rowsome’s debut album back in 1966. De Brún enlivened the proceedings considerably with an impromptu (and, as he cheekily pointed out, unasked-for) speech, during which he told the crowd in emotional tones that "Leo encompassed something extraordinary. He made the whole thing possible, through both the making of the instrument and the playing of the instrument – and is there any piper present who hasn’t learned from somebody who was taught by Leo?" There wasn’t.

Cork’s Northcregg are currently recording their third album in Glasgow with producer Donald Shaw of Capercaillie. The album will be the first with new singer Fiona Kelleher and is scheduled for release this coming May. For more info on that, check out www.northcregg.com.

Musicians and singers with news to share can e-mail Sarah on [email protected]