Seán Corcoran remembered: singer, field-worker and song collector rte.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rte.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Prior to 1961, public performance of Irish traditional music in Galway took place primarily in the form of céilís in large dancehalls — namely in the Hangar, the Commercial and the Astaire. These were enormously popular — remember the hundreds of bicycles parked outside the Hangar on a Sunday night — but they began to go out of fashion in the sixties and were regarded as old fashioned and backward.
One of Ireland’s original ballad scene leaders, the singer – and RTE staffer – released two solo albums and left a lasting impression.
Tullaroan native Paddy Cleere has been playing music all his life. The youngest of nine, Paddy recalls many sing-songs and sessions of traditional music and son.