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Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 2, Page 9

Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 2, Page 9
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
3
issue Content
The death of Torn Lenihan on Sundaythe 21st of January came as a shock toall who knew the West Clare traditionalsinger. Tom was the last of the oldstyle singers in West Clare. The main-stay of the annual singing recital at theWillie Clancy Summer School, Tom hadseen all of his old singing friends die,one by one, until he alone was left.Tom was born in the towniand ofKnockbrack on Christmas Eve 1906 intowhat he himself described as a musichouse. Toms mother and father couldboth play, his mother on the concertinaand his father on the flute. Thoughnever a musician himself, lom alwayshad a keen interest in music, and aparticular interest in singing the songshe learned from his grandfather, motherand father. A fine lilter of a tune, hewas also described to me as one of thefinest dancers who ever danced theCaledonian Set. He also had an unend-ing store of seanchas about the oldmusicians and dancing masters whoflourished before and after he was born.He was one of the links to GarrettHarty. the blind piper from Inagh whohad been a frequent visitor to theLenihan house in Torns grandfatherstime.Torn was a friend of Willie Clancys andtravelled to music gatherings with him.A story told of one of these tripsconcerns the song which was very nearto Toms heart Farewell To MiltownMalbay. Having attended a musicalgathering in Ennis, Tom was requestedto sing a song and duly obliged withFarewell To Miltown Malbay. WhenWillie heard the song he was veryenthusiastic about it, and when laterTom was asked to sing again Willierequested Tom to sing the same song.Tom refused saying Sure theyll think Ihave no other song Willie, but Williewas not to be denied and Tom had tosing the song twice more on the wayhome in the car.Torn Munneily in his few words atToms graveside made the point thatTom would have been pleased to seethe rain falling at his funeral, as Tomwas a great man for tradition, and as theold saying goes - Happy is the bridethat the sun shines on and happy is thecorpse that the rain falls on. WhenTom was alive he said When I die Iwant no sad faces at my funeral, I wantthere to be singing; dancing and music.In Pnddy Hennessys, on the afternoonof Toms funeral, there was certainly allof that.Ar dheis D go raibh a anam uasal.Jerry OReillyCOPYRIGHTThe February. 1988 issue of An Plobairereferred to breaches of copyright inthe context of the publication by theIrish Pipers Club (IPC) in America ofrecordings of Johnny Doran on whichthe copyright is held by the Departmentof Irish Folklore in UCD. This articledrew a response from the IPC in theform of an editorial in Iris na bPIobairI,several letters to NPU, and finally a visitto Henrietta Street by a member of theIPC committee.As a result of these contacts, to whichwe had in turn responded, in AnPIo.baire, by letter and by personalconversation, NPU assumed that thematter had been dealt with and laid torest. The most recent issue of Iris nahPIobairI to he received however,August 1989, contains a lengthy editorialto remind our members of theseunresolved issues,NPU hopes that it may help to resolvethe issue by declaring that we regret thetone of our original editorial and speci-fically apologise for comments thatAmerican members would have foundoffensive. We accept that when theserecordings were issued it was done ingood faith and with the best of inten-tions. In our May 1989 issue we notedthe IPCs response in withdrawing therecordings from sale.We trust that this divisive matter maynow be considered closed.iVORA CHRJbNNACa mbeir anocht, a Nra Chrionna?(a mbeir anocht, a Nhra ChrIonna?Beidh me thall I dtigh Shc in BeecherMar a mbeidh an ceol is hI is rince.Wont you come with me today?Ill send for you a horse and crupper.And if you should refuse to stayIll tell you who well have for supper.Magillicuddy of the Reeks,O I)onnchh an Ghleanna and the Dukeof Gloucester,Oliver Cromwell and Brian Flynn,CodwaladurWaddy and I...izzie Foster.For Im the girl to make the, stirFrom Cork along to Skibhcreen ah,AU the day Ill drink strong tay.And whiskcy too says Nhra ( hrionna.(. orraigh do thbiu. a Nora (,hrionna,(ottiiig!i fh I hdin., a Nora Chrionna,Corraigh (k) thom, a Nhra Chrionna,Is teach cc ghcohhair i gcomhair nahoiche.Diarmaid (3 Murithc, cag. An t-Amh-ran Macarnach.(Baile Atha Cliath 1980), Ich. 14O.Thimid buIoch do Shehn (3 Donghaiteas an ngiota sco thuas.(Settings of Nra (hrIonna, the jig way and the pieceway, may he tound in Ceol art Phinhaire,)L Tom LenihanTom Lenihan, the well-known Co. Clare singer and greatfriend of Willie Clancy died recently. The followingappreciation is by fellow singer, and pipef, Jerry OReilly.Terry Moylan1617
issue Number
2
page Number
9
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
1990-03-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 2

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