Cork s Greatest Records: Conal Ó Gráda and his influential 1990 album, The Top of Coom
The Ballincollig man drew heavily on Cúil Aodha influences for a record named after the highest pub in Ireland
Conal Ó Gráda recorded The Top of Coom over five days at Tadhg Kelleher’s Sulán Studios in Baile Mhúirne.
Wed, 03 Feb, 2021 - 20:00
Pet O’Connell
Irish traditional musicians take many winding roads to learning, but picking up tunes from a whistle-player who is steering a car with his elbows is a route less travelled now than it might have been in the 1970s.
The newly formed Ensemble Múscraí, a traditional music orchestra, was this week receiving the plaudits of trad lovers following its debut performance .
The ensemble featured in an online Christmas concert which was made available on Sunday night by Baile Mhúirne s Ionad Cultúrtha an Dochtúir Ó Loingsigh.
The event on YouTube featured local musicians with national and international followings, as well as up and coming musicians and singers.
Ensemble Mhúscraí is an orchestra led by TG4 award winner Oisín Morrison which will focus on performing new works as well as tunes made famous by composer and musical pioneer Seán Ó Riada, who lived in Cúil Aodha.
The decision has been taken by organisers to cancel the annual Wren s Day gathering in Dingle on 26 December.
It is the first time in living memory that the event, which has pre-Christian roots, will not take place in the West Kerry town.
Ní rachaidh Lá an Dreoilín chun cinn sa Daingean i mbliana den chéad uair le cuimhne na ndaoine. pic.twitter.com/iKrLmeYwUb NuachtTG4 (@NuachtTG4) December 23, 2020 I guess something we are particularly proud of in Dingle is that we have an unbroken tradition, going a long way back, Dr Aoife Granville of the Sráid Eoin Wren explained.
Why we turned Ireland s black and white past into colour
Updated / Friday, 30 Oct 2020
15:37
All aboard: passengers on a mail car near Black s Royal Hotel, Eyre Square, Galway circa 1880. From Old Ireland In Colour (Merrion Press)
The Old Ireland in Colour project began in 2019 as an Instagram account when John Breslin, a professor from NUI Galway, developed an interest in historic photo colourisation, enhancement, and restoration. He began working with DeOldify a programme that had been developed by Jason Antic and later
Dana Kelley. In early 2020, Sarah-Anne Buckley, a lecturer in History in NUI Galway, joined John to create what is now the