World Fiddle Day

The world of academia and performance can sometimes sit apart due to awkward preconceptions but this is far from the case in the Scartaglin Community Centre. Under the wonderful directorship of PJ Teahan the community regularly gathers to hear guest speakers talk about traditional musicians from the community and their repertoire.

Last weekend, on the eve of the World Fiddle Day, I got to hear a wonderful lecture by Matt Cranitch about the fiddler Julia Clifford. This was followed by a performance on flute by her son Billy Clifford. it was great for him to be present and to show the importance of passing on the music through generations in this community. This event was followed by a number of performance by young and upcoming musicians and stalwarts like Maura O'Keeffe and Jackie Daly.