The music of this area of Ireland is mainly polkas, slides and hornpipes and is mainly played for set dances. The name comes from the geographical area stretching across North Cork and into Kerry, near Casleisland. The centre of the Liabh Luachra area is a town called Scartaglin. The whole area is wild and desolate and the word "Sliabh" means mountain and the area is Luachra.
I grew up in Millstreet on the borders of Sliabh Luachra and did not appreciate the unique music as I grew up. Now of course I do.
There were local musicians in Millstreet by the name of Bill Brian and Jerry Kavanagh, who played with the Millstreet Rovers for set dances. Before I left the area in the early 70's I had the luck to play with them on a few occasions.
The music of the area is alive and well, thanks to musicians in Knocknagree, Rathmore and the rest of the area. Also, there is wider interest in the music-session sare held in the Roaring Donkey Pub in Cobh near Cork city. It is great music to lift the spirit and when played at a nice, steady pace it is joyous.
If you get a chance to listen to musicians like Johnny O'Leary, Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy maake sure you do.
Sessions in this part of Ireland are welcoming and friendly.
If you visit the area take advantage.
Thanks Jerry for highlighting the exciting Sliabh Luachra dimension of Irish traditional music. It's a great pity that so many sessions totally ignore the many vibrant slides and polkas which are identified with this "culturally" fertile area - maybe we should make a conscious effort to introduce at least one such set at all sessions.
Jack Roche runs sessions and other traditional events at his Bruach na Carraige Teach Cheoil (Music Centre) in the heart of Sliabh Luachra and it's well worth a visit if you're ever in the area. Details are given on the website at http://www.sliabhluachra.com/.
During a visit in Ireland I played in Castletownbere (Beara Peninsula) with some old men (a fiddler and a box-player) and late that evening one of the guests came to me - drunk to crossed eyes and hard to understand, so it took a while to get his message: he recommended sliabh luachra style as "the forgotten gem" of irish music and told me to go there and get me a fiddle teacher there - To his oppinion I seemed to have a good base to get the idea of sliabh luachra music with some guidance ... that night I hardly understood what he means (because of his condition and because I had never heared of Sliabh Luachra before and therefore had no idea how this sounds). He needed more than a dozen repetitions of the name - every "shleeeve loooooachra" sounded diffferent and I could not tell wether I really got the name of this style or just its drunken version and I was sure that night on my way home: everybody on my way I try to ask about, would laugh at me or feel offended because I definitely mispronounce it in ridiculous ways....
That time my tour was not going to the Sliabh Luachra region - and I asked a few irish musicians about Sliabh Luachra but nobody had heard about it - until one early afternoon I met a pretty sober man who pronounced "Sliabh Luachra" exactly the same way I remembered it from that late night guest at the Castletownbeere pub. And back home I found more about it - Mike Crannitch, a cork man, for exampel mentioned it and had "The Spartaglen Polka" on one of his learning cds. So I circled it without hitting the center for a while .....
sometimes I think this center is only a vision, but I come closer and closer (some old field recordings here and there on some clare and cork fiddle samplers ..... ) - maybe one day I sit and play in meatspace session with people who really can teach me more about the Sliabh Luachra spirit...
Polkas tend to be regarded in most circles as beginners tunes, and are often abandoned by more accomplished musicians in favour of jigs and reels. Perhaps this is not altogether a bad thing, as when played by musicians outside the Sliabh Luachra tradition, even some highly respected ones, they are very often not done justice.
Of modern-day musicians, Jacky Daly and Seamus Creagh make great work of them.
Kevin Burke played in Toronto recently and he opened his second set with 3 slides from the new Sliabh Notes album. That set definitely stood out on a night with many memorable tunes and stories. KB said that he and Matt Molloy had been called on to give the band a higher profile. He said they didn't need to, as they are such good musicians. I can't wait to get my hands on this album!
@octogreg: does Sliabh Notes has to do with Sliabh Luachra?
@all: while I did my first post in this thread at the ofice I am at home now and went through my cds (see my new entry at the recordings: http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/519/comments#details ) ... I wonder from where comes the idea, Sliabh Luachra Music is mainly polkas and slides ... on this recordings from the 50th are many reels, jigs, hornpipes as well.
Sliabh Luachra, on the Cork/Kerry border, is well-known for its unique style of Irish traditional music, particularly its distinctive repertoire of slides and polkas. The area has long been an inspiration and source of influence for 'Sliabh Notes'. At the heart of their sound is the playing of Don
ok, thank you - so it all puzzles together ... and of course I meant Matt Cranitch (how could I name him Mike? - sorry - I should not write postings at the office when all the daily race is on ...) but again: on this wonderful sunny first may morning of the year I sit next to the sunny window, listen to the Kerry Fiddles cd, feel "wunderbar" and can
Listening to recordings of Denis Murphy and Julia clifford ('The Start Above the Garter' and 'Music from Sliabh Luachra'), the greatest part of the repertoire is made up of reels, much like in other regions of Ireland. But the point is, the slides and polkas are unique to the Sliabh Luachra tradition. Polkas do crop up in the local music of many other areas of Ireland (notably Sligo), are not nearly as numerous as in Cork and Kerry. Slides, as such, occur only in Sliabh Luachra and the neighbouring areas (although some of them may appear elsewhere in Ireland - and outside Ireland - as single jigs).
Sliabh Luachra Music
Sliabh Luachra Music
The music of this area of Ireland is mainly polkas, slides and hornpipes and is mainly played for set dances. The name comes from the geographical area stretching across North Cork and into Kerry, near Casleisland. The centre of the Liabh Luachra area is a town called Scartaglin. The whole area is wild and desolate and the word "Sliabh" means mountain and the area is Luachra.
I grew up in Millstreet on the borders of Sliabh Luachra and did not appreciate the unique music as I grew up. Now of course I do.
There were local musicians in Millstreet by the name of Bill Brian and Jerry Kavanagh, who played with the Millstreet Rovers for set dances. Before I left the area in the early 70's I had the luck to play with them on a few occasions.
The music of the area is alive and well, thanks to musicians in Knocknagree, Rathmore and the rest of the area. Also, there is wider interest in the music-session sare held in the Roaring Donkey Pub in Cobh near Cork city. It is great music to lift the spirit and when played at a nice, steady pace it is joyous.
If you get a chance to listen to musicians like Johnny O'Leary, Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy maake sure you do.
Sessions in this part of Ireland are welcoming and friendly.
If you visit the area take advantage.
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by jerrygermany
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
How do you pronounce that?
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by cuchulain54
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
The english spelling for Sliabh is Slieve, although I'd say the right pronuntiation is something like Shlieve Lukra
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by Toni Ribas
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Thanks Jerry for highlighting the exciting Sliabh Luachra dimension of Irish traditional music. It's a great pity that so many sessions totally ignore the many vibrant slides and polkas which are identified with this "culturally" fertile area - maybe we should make a conscious effort to introduce at least one such set at all sessions.
Jack Roche runs sessions and other traditional events at his Bruach na Carraige Teach Cheoil (Music Centre) in the heart of Sliabh Luachra and it's well worth a visit if you're ever in the area. Details are given on the website at http://www.sliabhluachra.com/.
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by Bannerman
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
To the list of musicians of SL music mentioned by Jerry, I
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by murfbox
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
During a visit in Ireland I played in Castletownbere (Beara Peninsula) with some old men (a fiddler and a box-player) and late that evening one of the guests came to me - drunk to crossed eyes and hard to understand, so it took a while to get his message: he recommended sliabh luachra style as "the forgotten gem" of irish music and told me to go there and get me a fiddle teacher there - To his oppinion I seemed to have a good base to get the idea of sliabh luachra music with some guidance ... that night I hardly understood what he means (because of his condition and because I had never heared of Sliabh Luachra before and therefore had no idea how this sounds). He needed more than a dozen repetitions of the name - every "shleeeve loooooachra" sounded diffferent and I could not tell wether I really got the name of this style or just its drunken version and I was sure that night on my way home: everybody on my way I try to ask about, would laugh at me or feel offended because I definitely mispronounce it in ridiculous ways....
That time my tour was not going to the Sliabh Luachra region - and I asked a few irish musicians about Sliabh Luachra but nobody had heard about it - until one early afternoon I met a pretty sober man who pronounced "Sliabh Luachra" exactly the same way I remembered it from that late night guest at the Castletownbeere pub. And back home I found more about it - Mike Crannitch, a cork man, for exampel mentioned it and had "The Spartaglen Polka" on one of his learning cds. So I circled it without hitting the center for a while .....
sometimes I think this center is only a vision, but I come closer and closer (some old field recordings here and there on some clare and cork fiddle samplers ..... ) - maybe one day I sit and play in meatspace session with people who really can teach me more about the Sliabh Luachra spirit...
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by crannog
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Polkas tend to be regarded in most circles as beginners tunes, and are often abandoned by more accomplished musicians in favour of jigs and reels. Perhaps this is not altogether a bad thing, as when played by musicians outside the Sliabh Luachra tradition, even some highly respected ones, they are very often not done justice.
Of modern-day musicians, Jacky Daly and Seamus Creagh make great work of them.
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Kevin Burke played in Toronto recently and he opened his second set with 3 slides from the new Sliabh Notes album. That set definitely stood out on a night with many memorable tunes and stories. KB said that he and Matt Molloy had been called on to give the band a higher profile. He said they didn't need to, as they are such good musicians. I can't wait to get my hands on this album!
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by octogreg
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
@octogreg: does Sliabh Notes has to do with Sliabh Luachra?
@all: while I did my first post in this thread at the ofice I am at home now and went through my cds (see my new entry at the recordings: http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/519/comments#details ) ... I wonder from where comes the idea, Sliabh Luachra Music is mainly polkas and slides ... on this recordings from the 50th are many reels, jigs, hornpipes as well.
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by crannog
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Crannog, from a bio of Sliabh Notes:
Sliabh Luachra, on the Cork/Kerry border, is well-known for its unique style of Irish traditional music, particularly its distinctive repertoire of slides and polkas. The area has long been an inspiration and source of influence for 'Sliabh Notes'. At the heart of their sound is the playing of Don
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by octogreg
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
ok, thank you - so it all puzzles together ... and of course I meant Matt Cranitch (how could I name him Mike? - sorry - I should not write postings at the office when all the daily race is on ...) but again: on this wonderful sunny first may morning of the year I sit next to the sunny window, listen to the Kerry Fiddles cd, feel "wunderbar" and can
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by crannog
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Don't forget to listen to old recordings of P
# Posted on April 30th 2003 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Sliabh Luachra Music
Listening to recordings of Denis Murphy and Julia clifford ('The Start Above the Garter' and 'Music from Sliabh Luachra'), the greatest part of the repertoire is made up of reels, much like in other regions of Ireland. But the point is, the slides and polkas are unique to the Sliabh Luachra tradition. Polkas do crop up in the local music of many other areas of Ireland (notably Sligo), are not nearly as numerous as in Cork and Kerry. Slides, as such, occur only in Sliabh Luachra and the neighbouring areas (although some of them may appear elsewhere in Ireland - and outside Ireland - as single jigs).
# Posted on May 1st 2003 by CreadurMawnOrganig