September 12th, 2001
’Sé Mo Laoch Launch Report

Irish traditional music fans had a unique opportunity to experience the playing of some of the finest Irish musicians of the older generation on last Sunday night. At the launch of TV series ‘Sé Mo Laoch’ a sell-out audience at the Dingle Skellig Hotel was treated to four hours of music and stories from all corners of the country. The title of the 6-part series produced by Lunasa TV translates to ‘He's My Hero’ and each program focuses on the playing of a different musician of the older generation.

The first act of the night was Sliabh Luachra box player Johnny O Leary, who was accompanied on tin whistle, by his daughter Lil. Johnny’s playing is favoured by set dancers everywhere, and with the Dingle area being rich in the dance tradition, it was little wonder that Johnny's reels, slides and hornpipes went down a treat.

The recurring theme of the night was the importance of passing the tradition down from generation to generation. Johnny referred several times to his own teacher Padraig O Keefe, who was regarded as one of the finest teachers in the Sliabh Luachra tradition.

Dingle box player Brendan Begley (of Beginish fame) was the presenter for the night. He joined Johnny for some tunes and, in between, managed to glean several great stories from him, although a strong Kerry accent made them inaccessible to some tourists in the audience.

Next up were the Campbell brothers Jimmy and Vincent to give us a taste of Donegal fiddle music. In keeping with the theme of the concert, they were accompanied by Vincent’s son Peter, also on fiddle.

Again there were plenty of stories. This time they were dispersed amongst the reels, highlands and mazurkas predominant in the Donegal fiddle tradition. Vincent treated the audience to a trick, involving a rather unorthodox way to play the fiddle, which he learned as a boy from a Donegal fiddler known as Paddy Bazaar.

Legendary Galway box player Joe Burke was next next on stage, accompanied by his wife Anne Conroy-Burke on guitar and button accordion. Burke has been a fixture on the Irish music circuit since the 1960s and gave a polished performance, which included well-known tunes like Bonnie Kate, Jenny's Chickens, The Flowers of Red Hill, the Shaskeen Hornpipe and others learned from the playing of Andy McGann and Paddy Killoran.

Clare was the next county represented on stage. Fiddle and flute player Peadar O Loughlin was joined by Dublin piper Ronan Browne with whom he recorded an album called the South West Wind in 1993.

A rapt audience were treated to sets of reels and jigs which included tunes like the Flogging Reel, the West Wind, the Curragh Races and the Swallow’s Tail. As a member of the Tulla Ceili band Peadar played with Paddy Canny and also played with musicians such as Mrs. Crotty, Joe Cooley and Willie Clancy.

Chieftains founder member and Pipers Club Chairman, Seán Potts was the next performer on stage and he was joined by his son Seán Óg on uilleann pipes.

The Potts family is a great example of the tradition being passed down. Seán’s grandfather John Potts was a Wexford piper who moved to Dublin. The tradition passed to his sons Tommy (fiddle) and Eddie (pipes and fiddle) and then to Seán himself. He in turn has passed the tradition on to his own family, most notably Seán Óg who has played with Donal Lunny Band, Bakerswell and Na Connerys.

The final act of the evening was Belfast-born fiddle virtuoso Seán Maguire. He took to the stage with his band comprising a piano player, a guitarist, an accordionist and a second fiddle player.

In the course of his performance, Maguire played music from various musical genres which influence his playing. His set list included a classical piece, two Hungarian tunes, a Cape Breton air, and of course several Irish hornpipes and reels (including the self-penned ‘Fiddle on the Fiddle’).

Being a classically trained musician who's playing features a lot of improvisation, there has been much debate as to whether Maguire’s playing can actually be described as traditional. What has never been questioned however, is his technical ability, which was flawlessly demonstrated throughout his performance. The standing ovation given at the conclusion was fully deserved (if somewhat encouraged by Maguire).

The evening was neatly rounded off with all of the evening’s performers being invited back on stage for one last set of tunes. The series will to be broadcast on Irish TV station TG4 each Thursday night at 8pm starting September 26th and repeated on Sunday nights. The broadcast schedule is as follows:-

September 26th: Joe Burke
October 3rd: Seán Potts
October 10th: Seán Maguire
October 17th: Peadar O Loughlin
October 24th: The Campbells
October 31st: Johnny O Leary