This fun night was to celebrate the Centenary of the Easter Rising 1916.
The concert
began softly and poignantly with the fiddle of former Dubliner John Sheahan and the deep vocals of Declan O'Rourke and songs of the heroes
of the Easter Rising.
We might
have been fooled into thinking this would be a serious night - even while the
warm firelights flickered up and down at the side of the stage. Upstairs the
galleries were packed out and the stage was set for a much bigger gathering of
musicians.
The main
event was up next when the Irish legends The
Chieftains took to the stage to play their reels and jigs and to take the
energy up a notch with those tap-dancing rhythms.
Alyth McCormack read the Roisin Dubh over Maloney's whistle and then she
sang impressive in Gaelic, music of the mouth, the Foggy dew into Poirt A Beul, when we were also treated to some Irish
dancing by Canadian fiddler John Polanski
and his brother.
Next to sing
was Karen Casey how sang The Mountains of Pomeroy - when she remarked 'Freedoms do not
fall from the sky, they have to be fought for. To fight against Inequality and
child poverty.' Kris Kristofferson, with his shock
of silver hair, looked slightly bemused with the proceedings and he sang
with his honey-toned deep vocals, Help me Make it Through the night and Bobbie McGee.
The second
half was s celebration joy-filled party. A half orchestra was conducted by Robert Maxwell (my son played with him
years back on a wonderful trip to Gozo). Scots singer Eddi Reader sang Light Over the Horizon and spoke of the Scottish connection to the Easter Rising,
such as James Connolly.
The Glasgow Gaelic Choir performed Shenandoah and the Long Journey
Home. To express those Celtic
connections the Chieftains and orchestra played the Galician Overture with Moloney's uilleann pipes over
the Spanish acoustic guitar. Several well known Scottish piers joined in for
the March to Battle.
This was
followed by an exuberant finale with also performances and was greeted with a
rapturous standing ovation! A rip-roaring night of fun!
Perhaps Ireland
is just glad to have their freedoms - to be socially free and equal. The Easter Uprising of 1916, the concert was preceded
by the launch of Luath Press’s thought-provoking essay collection, Scotland And
The Easter Rising. Irish Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú,
director-general of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, recently observed - "Our
cultural identity was central to the aspirations and motivation of 1916",
as embodied by the presence of several poets among the rebels, and the
simultaneous artistic ferment, encompassing song, literature, theatre and journalism,
which fuelled the nationalist cause."
Irish culture has increasingly flourished over the ensuing century
The
Chieftains are a traditional Irish band form Dublin that consist of Paddy Moloney, Sean
Potts and Michael Tubridy.
