Weekend of trad in Milltown
Kate Pendred
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Mary and Billy Lynn, Margaret Igoe, Noel Heduan, Sandra Flood, Mick Foster and Moyra Fraser, organisers and volunteers at the event.Image 2 of 32
Aidan and Sandra Flood, Tom Flood, Joe Connaire, Ann Adlum and Mick Foster (four members of the Glenside Céilí Band).Image 3 of 32
Tom Lynn and Sandra Flood ready to enjoy the Glenside Céilí Band.Image 4 of 32
Mary Tormey, PJ Leslie and Bridie O’Hara before the dancing began in Milltown Rathconrath community centre.Image 5 of 32
Máire Thornton from Tullamore, Martin Newman from Durrow and Linda Curley from Bellmount.Image 6 of 32
Enjoying the dancing to the music of the Glenside Céilí Band.Image 7 of 32
Aoife and Ian Kelly at the Milltown/Rathconrath Community Centre to enjoy the Glenside Céilí Band.Image 8 of 32
Marie Mulvey and Kathleen Flaherty enjoying the Glenside Céilí Band.Image 9 of 32
Musicians staged an open air concert in Milltown last Saturday in honour of William J Mullally and Jim Seery, two pioneering musicians from the area. On stage, from left, Catherine Daly, Caomhán Mac Gabhann, this year’s All-Ireland concertina champion, with his uncle Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, Mícheál’s daughter Maeve, and Maeve O’Loughlin, and in front, from left, Jacob Divine, Siobhan Ní Chonnarain, lead administrator with CCÉ, Noel Battle, Ciara and Neasa Mangan-Lynch, Daragh McCabe, John and Thomas Reynolds, Beibhinn Ní Gabhann, Róise Ní Gabhann and Aine Ní Raghallaigh.Image 10 of 32
Eamon Doolin, a relative of William J Mullally, pictured with Professor Sean Byrne in Milltown last Saturday.Image 11 of 32
From left, Maeve Byrne, Eamon Doolin, Professor Sean Byrne and Eamon Seery pictured at the Frank Gavigan commemorative ceremony in Milltown last Saturday.Image 12 of 32
Members of the Milltown Community Singers, led by Moyra Fraser on keyboard, performing at last Friday’s concert in Milltown community centre.Image 13 of 32
Maura Stephenson, Sandra Flood and Eithne Mulvaney.Image 14 of 32
Noel Heduan, Lorraine Maher and Mick Foster before the evening commenced.Image 15 of 32
Peggy Stuart and Elisabeth Flood Clarke ready to enjoy the evening.Image 16 of 32
The Glenside Céilí Band playing on the night.Image 17 of 32
Renowned concertina player Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, centre, pictured with Eamon Doolin, on left, and Eamon Seery, in Milltown on Saturday afternoon.Image 18 of 32
Tom Price and Pat Scally at the Frank Gavigan CCÉ concert.Image 19 of 32
Vinny Glynn from Irishtown at last Friday’s concert in Milltown community centre.Image 20 of 32
George Farrar from Abbeyshrule enjoying the 18th annual Frank Gavigan memorial concert in Milltown last Friday.Image 21 of 32
Frank and Bríd Keegan from Forgney pictured in Milltown community centre last Friday at the Frank Gavigan memorial concert.Image 22 of 32
Eamon Doolin from Milltown pictured on Saturday with this year’s All-Ireland concertina player Caomhán Mac Gabhann at the site of the home of William J Mullally, the first man recorded playing the concertina. Eamon often called into the Mullallys, who were related to him, on his way to or from schoolImage 23 of 32
Caomhán Mac Gabhann pictured with the William J Mullally memorial trophy presented to him by the Frank Gavigan Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branch to mark his winning this year’s All-Ireland senior concertina player title at the Fleadh in Belfast. He is pictured at the plaque erected by the local CCÉ branch to mark the spot where the Mullally homestead once stood in Milltown.Image 24 of 32
A large crowd attended the 18th Frank Gavigan memorial concert in Milltown community centre on Friday last.Image 25 of 32
Milltown men, Paul Heduan, on left, and Seamus Kennedy, pictured at last Friday night’s concert in the community centre.Image 26 of 32
Cousins Eamon and Dessie Doolin attended the Frank Gavigan memorial concert in Milltown last Friday night.Image 27 of 32
Enjoying the entertainment at the Frank Gavigan memorial concert in Milltown last Friday were, from left, Rene Seery, Loughnavalley, and Betty Murtagh, Ballynacargy.Image 28 of 32
From left, Sean Byrne, lecturer Emeritus of Economics at Technological University Dublin, and grandnephew of William J Mullally, Joe Geraghty, Eamon Seery, nephew of Jim Seery, Paddy Gavigan and Willie Fallon, pictured at the open air concert in Milltown last Saturday.Image 29 of 32
Siblings Eamon Seery and Maureen Doolin, relatives of William J Mullally, the man who made the first ever concertina recording 100 years ago, pictured at a ceremony to honour him in his native Milltown.Image 30 of 32
At the 18th Frank Gavigan memorial concert in Milltown Community Centre last Friday night, from left, Geraldine Kennedy, Paul and Noel Heduan and Kate Dillon.Image 31 of 32
A large group of musicians joined in the al fresco session in Milltown last Saturday afternoon to honour William J Mullally and Jim Seery, two local musicians who pioneered traditional music.Image 32 of 32
Barbara Reynolds from Ballinagore, secretary of Westmeath Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and Paddy Gavigan, a relative of local music legend, the late Frank Gavigan, pictured in Milltown last Saturday.“In my opinion, Milltown is the strongest area in Westmeath for Irish music!” declared Colin Nea, three times All-Ireland champion musician and “one of Westmeath’s finest musicians”, at the opening of the Milltown trad weekend last Friday night.
More than 200 people filed into Milltown Community Centre for a feast of traditional Irish fare, served up by a cohort of award winning musicians, dancers and singers, as well as Milltown’s own raconteur and Leinster champion, Pat ‘Moe’ Heduan.
The Frank Gavigan Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Branch run a concert every October, but this year was special as it marked the centenary of William J Mullally making the first ever recording on the concertina, and also remembered another local pioneer, Jim Seery, one of the founders of CCÉ.
Mick Foster, chairman, welcomed all to this, the 18th Frank Gavigan memorial concert.
“If it wasn’t for Frank Gavigan, I might never have been heard tell of,” Mick said in an interview with the Westmeath Examiner at the concert. Mick, who went on to tour the world and has recorded more than 50 albums as part of the Foster and Allen duo, said that Frank Gavigan and Sr Agnes Murray in the Convent of Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon, “were my teachers”.
Colin Nea, who gave a fine performance on the button accordion, also paid tribute to Frank Gavigan, who, he said, was a fantastic accordion player and a fantastic man who encouraged many young musicians.
Martin Donohoe of Shannonside Northern Sound radio, compère on the night, remembered Frank Gavigan writing “tunes for me on the back of a fag pack my mother would give him – thank God she smoked 20 a day, or there would be few tunes”. A presentation of a plaque was made to Caomhán Mac Gabhann from Ballyhug, Ballynacargy, who won the senior concertina title at this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast.
Mick Foster told the gathering that Noel Heduan, treasurer of the local CCÉ branch, had proposed that, since it was 100 years since William Mullally had made the first recording on the concertina, the branch should make a special presentation to whoever won this year’s All-Ireland title. “It is particularly special that it is a fella from down the road that won,” Mick remarked.
Caomhán was joined on stage by his sister Roisin on the harp and Ruben Moore on the fiddle and they played a medley of tunes. Caomhán said Cormac Keegan had been scheduled to play but, due to a sports injury to his fingers, he was unavailable.
Among the acts who took to the stage were the Milltown Singers, who delighted the audience with a selection of popular songs.
Elaine and Nigel Black from Antrim also performed, playing the tin whistle and piano accordion respectively, before launching into a duet on the fife. Nigel stressed that he was not into the Green and Orange divide in Northern Ireland. He pointed out that the Hibernians “fifed and drummed too, not only the Orangemen, but on different days”.
Nigel remarked that although he is nearing 50, he is probably one of the youngest playing traditional music “up our side”.
Martin Donohoe, responding, said having Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast had “opened many doors”. He spoke of the shared tradition of music across the political divide.
One of the highlights of the night was a stellar performance by veteran singer and button accordion player Brendan Shine, who delighted the audience with several of his popular hits including ‘Shoe the Donkey’, which he and the late John Duggan wrote after a group decided to have “A Day in the Bog” in New York in 1994. We brought turf and a donkey to Yonkers, having first experienced great difficulty getting a Visa for the donkey, he laughed.
Brendan remembered his “great friend”, Patsy Farrell from Legan before singing a song composed by Patsy – ‘The Road to Abbeyshrule’. He finished off with ‘I met her in the Galtymore’, to which the audience clapped loudly.
Mick Foster and his wife Moyra, Willie Kavanagh and Aidan Flood of the Glenside Ceili Band, played for the Bunbrosna set dancers and step dancer Rose Carey from Castletown Geoghegan. Rose later performed at the concert’s pulsating finale, backed by the Rathconrath Ceili Band.
After the concert, many of the artists and audience retired to Gunning’s pub, Rathconrath, where the music, song and dance continued.
The following day, Saturday, there was an al fresco concert at the community centre in memory of William J Mullally and Jim Seery, and a ceili that evening to the strains of the Glenside Ceili Band.
On Sunday, Mass was offered for the Mullally family and deceased members of the CCÉ branch, and that evening there was music session in Fox’s pub in Loughnavalley.