I released my debut album The Lonesome Fiddler in October of 2014 and the interest and support for The East Galway Irish Music Tradition (EGIMT) and Eddie Kelly has been exhilarating. This album is the first of its kind to showcase the EGIMT as played by Eddie Kelly, a legendary fiddle player from Eyrecourt, Co. Galway.
My second album Searbh Siúcra was released this past summer and it shares with the world for the first time, 21 Eddie Kelly compositions.
A recurring comment and question from many of you in your feedback is this; “I love the dark lilt of the music; however my ear is unable to discern what exactly defines this style. What is it that makes EGIMT what it is?.
So I decided to write a series of blogs that will cover the various features and traits that define EGIMT.
This week I will explain where in Ireland is East Galway, the history and inception of EGIMT and two traits of the playing itself that define the style.
Where is East Galway?
Roughly Bounded by the Slieve Aughty Mountains to the south, the river Shannon, Lough Derg and the river Suck to the east and an arc from Ballinasloe to Athenry and down to Gort on the west. Such geographical description is only approximate, but perhaps easier than defining the areas style musically, 'Regional style’ suggests a stable musical region with the fixed boundary created by geographical obstacles, in which communities of musicians, developed in isolation inhaling the same air, exhaling the same style.
In reality, regional style is a literate term imposed onto an oral tradition, often describing the music of only one musician, or a small group of musicians from an area who have gained national popularity and thereby are ascribed regional identity. More accurately, the term describes a cluster of local and individual styles centered on one area, but the similarity of these styles might easily be accomplished by the influence of Coleman 78s as any locational environmental factors. Fintan Valley (excerpt from the The Companion to Irish Traditional Music)
East Galway is such a small area that historically there really has only ever been about fifty musicians who have played EGIMT. Fintan explains that a style is born or defined when just a small group of musicians gain national popularity. In this case it was the Ballinakill Céilí Band and The Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band
The Ballinakill Céilí Band was formed back in 1927. The band was formed under the guidance of Fr. Larkin P.P. It’s members included Stephen Moloney, Anna Rafferty, Tommy Whelan, Tommy Whyte, and Jerry Moloney. They achieved many accolades in their day. Their recordings were a huge success not only throughout Ireland but across the waters also.
The Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band was formed in 1932 in Killaghbeg House and the founding members were Paddy Kelly, Jack Mulcare and Joe Mills. This band went on to become one of Ireland’s foremost céilí bands and essentially shaped the history of the EGIMT. The music was greatly influenced by Jack Fahy, father to the renowned Paddy Fahy and teacher to Paddy Kelly. The Lonesome Fiddler album features and interview with Eddie Kelly where he talks at length about Paddy Fahy and Paddy Kelly (Track 13).
Paddy Fahy is a former member of The Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band and the EGIMT style sprung from his music and that of his father.
What features in the music define EGIMT?
If you were to compare the music of Paddy Fahy and Eddie Kelly to other musicians of their time the main difference is the clear, clean-cut tone of the EGIMT.
Other musical traditions have a more raspy and rougher sound whereas the music of Paddy Fahy and Eddie Kelly is very smooth with each note having an absolute sound. During my many years of lessons with Eddie he would emphasize the importance of that, over and over, “Let each note ring before you play the next note, let the fiddle ring” he would say. And that took time and patience. It was never about how many tunes, it was about the quality of the tunes that I played. It was all about tone.
The next defining feature would be the bowing style. This is easy to spot when compared to the Sligo or Donegal style. EGIMT is long and flowing bow-strokes with at least three to four notes per bow and the bowing stroke itself is light yet strong. Other styles have a more choppy bowing style where the rhythm of the tune is made by the fast direction-change of the bow. For EGIMT, the phrasing and rhythm of a tune is achieved by the pressure and the easing of pressure on the bow. How the bow is held and handled plays a very important part in EGIMT bowing and in executing that lilt and pulse that defines the tradition.
Tomorrow I will discuss this bowing technique in further detail and I will cover ornamentation and the use of variations in EGIMT.
Listen to The Lonesome Fiddler Here
Listen to Searbh Siúcra Here