Inaugural festival to revive legacy of famed Longford fiddle master

The giant violin sculpture along the N5 bypass around Longford town | LL

placeholder image — The giant violin sculpture along the N5 bypass around Longford town | LL

Local performers will gather in Ballinamuck to showcase Longford’s traditional music heritage

THE inaugural Féile Thomas ‘Blind’ Kiernan is set to take place in Ballinamuck this weekend in honour of the famous fiddle master from Cartron, Drumlish.

This festival celebrates Thomas ‘Blind’ Kiernan whose teaching led to the emergence of a strong Irish traditional music region in County Longford and south Leitrim in the 19th century.

The festival kicks off at 7pm on Friday in The Haggard, Moyne, with a concert featuring two legends of Irish music, John Daly and Connor Connolly. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite; entry costs €10. There is a limit of 50 tickets for this concert, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Féile Thomas Kiernan was set up by Cumann Ceoil Chonmhaicne to commemorate and promote Kiernan's music. The committee consists of Conor Ward, Darren Culliney, Cathal Culliney, David Cassidy, Anna Tully, Enda McKenna and Mary McKenna. Local and national artists will perform at events throughout the weekend.

Conor Ward founded Cumann Ceoil Chonmhaicne in 2016 to promote and preserve the historical music of the ancient Conmhaicne region, encompassing Country Longford and south Leitrim.

Speaking to the Longford Leader ahead of the inaugural event, Conor said he hopes the concert will promote Kiernan's music and bring it to the public audience. “We're just trying to kind of reimagine Kiernan's music in a modern-day setting.”

During his prolific career, Kiernan was in high demand as a performer and teacher throughout south Leitrim and Longford. He performed in taverns, crossroad dances and also at the ballroom dances hosted by Lord Granard in Castle Forbes for his family and affluent friends in the mid-1800s.

It is argued too that the foundations he laid for this fiddle tradition led to the emergence of a golden showband era that developed in Longford in the 1950s and 60s, producing renowned artists such as Kiernan's great-grand nephew Declan Nerney, Mick Flavin, Larry Cunningham and many others.

Music workshops will be held in Ballinamuck NS on Saturday morning at 11am, covering fiddle (John Daly), banjo (Elaine Reilly and Daithí Kearney), accordion (Daithí Gormley and John McCann) and tin whistle/flute (Andrew Beirne). Entry is €5. These workshops are filling up already so please contact Darren Culliney on 087 7118797 to book a place.

For those interested in the uilleann pipes, Cumann Ceoil Chonmhaicne is hosting a free workshop at 1pm in the school, 'Try the Pipes,' with Tommie Martin of Na Píobairí Uilleann, which is open to all.

Singing sessions with Fionnuala Maxwell and Sean Owens will take place in Dillon’s Bar at 4pm. On Saturday night, the grand Thomas Kiernan Concert will take place in Ballinamuck Hall at 7pm and will feature an array of local talent, as well as the vibrant music of The Walls Family from Co Antrim. Entry costs €10, with free admission for children and seniors.

The Friday and Saturday night session trails will be held in The 98 Bar and Dillon’s Bar, starting at 9pm and feature an exciting line-up of local and national musicians, dancers and singers.

The festival concludes with a bang on Sunday at 4pm in The 98 Bar with The Hybrid Roosters, a local trad band featuring Mike Lennon, Seán Sweeney and Luke Casey.