I recently joined a ceili band. A good friend and brilliant musician Melissa Hayes rounded up a group of people to form a band to enter this year's Fleadh Cheoil. It has been the best thing I have done in a long time. It has brought me right back to the beginnings of my musical life and many of the conversations during our rehearsals remind of the people, places and events that were a big part of musical life back in the day! I thought it would be nice to share some of those times and the people who made it all so much fun!
Irish traditional music was around me all the time. It did so many great things to me, it's difficult to explain but you know it when you feel it! LMFM's Green Scene was an institute in our house and I remember going to mass every Sunday with the radio on in the car singing along to a Fureys or a Dubliners classic. One of my favourites was 'Sweet Sixteen' by The Fureys. There is something so incredibly beautiful when the banjo plays the intro to the song. The other great thing about Sunday mass journeys was the ice-cream on the way home from mass, listening to the music and letting it just go right through to the soul. Sweet in many ways... (see what I did there!!)
The Fureys - Sweet Sixteen
Music was everywhere ALL the time, thats just how I remember it to be. I started Irish dancing at three. In fact, I wasn't due to start that young but Mam took me to the dancing lessons with my sister Fiona and once I saw all the other children dancing, I apparently just had to do it too and Mam recalls me out on the floor in my nappy holding on to the dance teacher's hand trying to do my 'one, two threes'. I continued Irish dancing with the great Scoil Rince Ní Rodaigh until I was about 10 or 11.
Such was my love for Irish trad that Dad and Mam thought I should learn the fiddle. I really don't think I was any good at it despite the brilliant training I had from the late Rose O'Connor. She was an absolute lady and so talented. She started by teaching me the classics like 'Roddy McCorley' and 'The Boys of Bluehill'...pieces I remember nearly note for note to this day. She had the patience of a saint because I was never on time for my lessons (sorry Mam) and to be honest, I don't actually think I played the fiddle, more like 'screeched' it. I was a terrible chatterbox too and tried my best to divert her attention from my playing to talking about things but she knew better. Rose wrote the music out by hand with a lovely blue pen and rarely ever made a mistake. I remember her hands very clearly and I loved when she played for me. She encouraged me to enter the féis's for the solo fiddle events and I did enter some of them but I was fairly shocking to be honest and didn't ever make it past the first round. I did however play a duet with my friend Breda who played the piano accordian. Now I don't actually know how we did it, but one year in particular we got through the first round and made it to the 'Leinsters'. Myself and Breda laughed so much at everything that I'm not quite sure how we kept our faces straight enough to get through a set of reels and jigs and actually qualify but to be fair to us both, we had something good there when we were on form.
Whilst I didn't enjoy playing the fiddle in solo competitions or events, I absolutely loved being in the ceili bands. The man responsible for so many incredible ceili band achievements in the Dundalk area is the late Rory Kennedy. The man was a genius. He knew every tune in the book, by ear, note for note. He was a brilliant piano accordian player and teacher and he liked to smoke...a lot. He scared you into learning your tunes without shouting at you or anything mean, you just respected him to know not to come unprepared. That way, he got the very best out of us and whatever he did, worked.
Playing traditional Irish music is a gift and a blessing. It tickles my insides...it's just class. From finding yourself playing the fiddle on a bale of hay on the back of a lorry at the St.Patrick's Day parade in town to winning an All Ireland ceili band medal (must work out what year that was), there are no stories or words that will sum up all the adventure that it brings. Here's to an exciting few months being part of a ceili band again and competing in the Louth fleadh in May!!
A Personal Favourite...Mícheál O'Súilleabháin
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
The day I gate-crashed Louis Walsh's and Kian Egan's girlband auditions....
Imagine the scene...it's a lovely Saturday morning, mid July 2008 and I am literally squeezing my five foot long Roland piano, weighing 19.5kg into the back of my Megane Coupe. It just about fits in with very little room in the car for more than me and my handbag. Heading up the M1, I wonder if I really have gone insane and consider turning back numerous times along the way!
It's the first day of auditions for what is set to be Ireland's next big thing, an all-female pop group, managed by top pop manager Louis Walsh and Westlife's Kian Egan. Most girls on their way to the same auditions are concerned about their make-up, their hair and their vocals and all I can think of is finding a parking space as close to the Pod Venue as possible so that I don't have to walk too far with a piano!!!
I arrived at Adelaide Road and with a stroke of luck managed to find a parking space just a short walk from the entrance where the queue of girls had started to form. I took my bag and left the piano and joined the queue. I made small talk with the girls around me, most of whom had friends or relatives with them. We queued for probably an hour before we actually got inside the entrance where we were held like cattle for another hour or so. Eventually we got through to the main 'holding' area where it was filled with chatter and excitement and vocal warm-ups. I was totally out of my comfort zone and considered leaving at least once nearly every hour but I was there now and sure what was there to lose. The event organisers brought people in, in small groups and those that were successful were asked to return the next day.
After many, many hours of waiting around and watching the excitement and the disappointment of all the girls coming out of the audition room, it eventually got down to the last group of people of which I was expected to line up in. I quickly explained to the organisers that I wasn't there to audition but I had in fact 'gate-crashed' the auditions to introduce myself to Louis and Kian and perform a selection of 'pop' songs that I had written in the hope that there may even be one song in there, that may be considered as a track for the new girl group they were about to unleash on Ireland. In fairness to the organisers, they agreed although reluctantly to let me play a few tunes for Louis and Kian and whilst the last group of girls auditioned, I nervously returned to my car to get my piano. There were wheels on the case so taking it from the car to the entrance was no problem....the problem was inside when I was faced with 50 odd steps to clamber up with approx 19kg of weight in tow, to the floor the auditions were being held in!! I managed to get to the last 10 or so steps when a security guy gave me a hand. I hurriedly found a place to plug in and set up and within seconds, along came Louis and Kian. I can only imagine the conversation that must have gone on between the organisers and the two lads as they were coming out front to meet me:) There was a quick hello and I went straight into a set of songs, short versions of at least 3 songs, one leading into the other. All in all, my nervous performance lasted about 3 minutes.
I have never told anyone this story until now. In my innocent understanding of the music industry, I actually thought that getting out there and making a point of meeting the guys who pretty much run the pop music industry in Ireland, would somehow help me along my songwriting career. Knowing what I know now, I can look back and have a little giggle about it but unfortunately at the time, I didn't understand why it wasn't enough to be right there, right in front of these guys with enough music to fill two albums, only to be told that they didn't operate with songwriters directly and that all I could do to have my music considered for their acts was to get a 'publishing' deal. I knew about publishing deals but again in my innocence, I thought that being face to face with these guys could have had some influence on becoming recognised as a potential writer of pop music for Irish pop bands. I said thank you to them both for coming to meet me. I packed up and went home. As you can imagine, going down the stairs was much easier than going up although I must admit, my wee heart was broken.
I left my house that morning full of nerves but also full of hope that there was such a thing as being in the right place at the right time. I do believe that to be true. However, it certainly wasn't the right place or the right time that day and most importantly it was not the right approach. I was embarrassed and for a few months afterwards, I didn't play or write. It was an early insight into the industry I would eventually give everything up for and I am actually grateful for it. It had nothing to do with the music that day. Even if I had had one huge hit among the selection of songs I performed, it would not have made one bit of difference. And once I understood that it wasn't about the music, I realised it was time to grow some hair on my chest, get back on the ball and find a way in...
"...you can't connect the dots looking forwards, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that somehow the dots will connect in the future..." Steve Jobs
www.facebook.com/sineadmcnallymusic
www.twitter.com/SMcNallyMusic1
www.youtube.com/glossnglitter
It's the first day of auditions for what is set to be Ireland's next big thing, an all-female pop group, managed by top pop manager Louis Walsh and Westlife's Kian Egan. Most girls on their way to the same auditions are concerned about their make-up, their hair and their vocals and all I can think of is finding a parking space as close to the Pod Venue as possible so that I don't have to walk too far with a piano!!!
I arrived at Adelaide Road and with a stroke of luck managed to find a parking space just a short walk from the entrance where the queue of girls had started to form. I took my bag and left the piano and joined the queue. I made small talk with the girls around me, most of whom had friends or relatives with them. We queued for probably an hour before we actually got inside the entrance where we were held like cattle for another hour or so. Eventually we got through to the main 'holding' area where it was filled with chatter and excitement and vocal warm-ups. I was totally out of my comfort zone and considered leaving at least once nearly every hour but I was there now and sure what was there to lose. The event organisers brought people in, in small groups and those that were successful were asked to return the next day.
After many, many hours of waiting around and watching the excitement and the disappointment of all the girls coming out of the audition room, it eventually got down to the last group of people of which I was expected to line up in. I quickly explained to the organisers that I wasn't there to audition but I had in fact 'gate-crashed' the auditions to introduce myself to Louis and Kian and perform a selection of 'pop' songs that I had written in the hope that there may even be one song in there, that may be considered as a track for the new girl group they were about to unleash on Ireland. In fairness to the organisers, they agreed although reluctantly to let me play a few tunes for Louis and Kian and whilst the last group of girls auditioned, I nervously returned to my car to get my piano. There were wheels on the case so taking it from the car to the entrance was no problem....the problem was inside when I was faced with 50 odd steps to clamber up with approx 19kg of weight in tow, to the floor the auditions were being held in!! I managed to get to the last 10 or so steps when a security guy gave me a hand. I hurriedly found a place to plug in and set up and within seconds, along came Louis and Kian. I can only imagine the conversation that must have gone on between the organisers and the two lads as they were coming out front to meet me:) There was a quick hello and I went straight into a set of songs, short versions of at least 3 songs, one leading into the other. All in all, my nervous performance lasted about 3 minutes.
I have never told anyone this story until now. In my innocent understanding of the music industry, I actually thought that getting out there and making a point of meeting the guys who pretty much run the pop music industry in Ireland, would somehow help me along my songwriting career. Knowing what I know now, I can look back and have a little giggle about it but unfortunately at the time, I didn't understand why it wasn't enough to be right there, right in front of these guys with enough music to fill two albums, only to be told that they didn't operate with songwriters directly and that all I could do to have my music considered for their acts was to get a 'publishing' deal. I knew about publishing deals but again in my innocence, I thought that being face to face with these guys could have had some influence on becoming recognised as a potential writer of pop music for Irish pop bands. I said thank you to them both for coming to meet me. I packed up and went home. As you can imagine, going down the stairs was much easier than going up although I must admit, my wee heart was broken.
I left my house that morning full of nerves but also full of hope that there was such a thing as being in the right place at the right time. I do believe that to be true. However, it certainly wasn't the right place or the right time that day and most importantly it was not the right approach. I was embarrassed and for a few months afterwards, I didn't play or write. It was an early insight into the industry I would eventually give everything up for and I am actually grateful for it. It had nothing to do with the music that day. Even if I had had one huge hit among the selection of songs I performed, it would not have made one bit of difference. And once I understood that it wasn't about the music, I realised it was time to grow some hair on my chest, get back on the ball and find a way in...
"...you can't connect the dots looking forwards, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that somehow the dots will connect in the future..." Steve Jobs
www.facebook.com/sineadmcnallymusic
www.twitter.com/SMcNallyMusic1
www.youtube.com/glossnglitter
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