1001 Gems
In 1001 Gems, the contemporary composer Seán Doherty goes in search of the story behind Chief O’Neill’s influential collection of traditional fiddle tunes The Dance Tunes of Ireland: 1001 Gems. It’s a story that follows the contours of O’Neill’s own journey from Ireland to the US and deep into the musical life of Irish immigrants in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The story takes us from pub sessions to the computer science department of the University of Galway, from handwritten notes to wax cylinder recordings as Sean develops his fascination with the book into an appreciation of the man who according to biographer Nicholas Carolan had ‘the greatest individual influence on the evolution of Irish traditional dance music in the twentieth century’.
With contributions from among others fiddler Martin Hayes, Nicholas Carolan former director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Mike O’Malley historian at the George Mason University in Virginia, Aileen Dillane Lecturer in Music at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick and James McDermott of the School of Computer Science in the University of Galway.
Presenter: Seán Doherty
Producer: Claire Cunningham
1001 Gems is a Rockfinch Production for RTÉ lyric fm made with funding from Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme and RTÉ’s Independent Radio Productions Unit from the television license fee.
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 4th May, 6pm-7pm
