Well known broadcaster and music collector Ciarán Mac Mathúna has died.
Born in 1925, he was a recognised authority on Irish Music and lectured extensively on the subject.
A native of Co Limerick, Ciarán Mac Mathúna first joined RTÉ as a radio producer in 1955. One of his first jobs was to travel around the country in the company of a mobile recording unit gathering material for Radio Éireann's traditional music archive.
Mac Mathúna started his Mo Cheol Thú programme in 1970 and it became one of the longest running programmes on radio, finishing in November 2005.
Listen to Mo Cheol Thú programmes from the RTÉ archive
Each 45 minute programme offered a miscellany of archive music, poetry and folklore, mainly of Irish origin.
It was described as an 'unashamedly nostalgic and wistful' mix of poetry, instrumental music and song.
For more than 50 years he made an enormous contribution to the preservation and development of Irish traditional music.
He won two Jacob's Awards in 1969 and 1990 for his radio programmes and received the Freedom of Limerick City in 2004.
Sad news. I remember his measured tones on Radio Eireann in the 1970s and maybe 80s, when it could be picked up with varying degrees of audibility in North-East England.
Listening to his voice on his Sunday morning programme, I always got the impression he was going to fall asleep at the mic. I remember the story about when he was travelling around the country in the fifties recording musicians for Radio Eireann. He was living in a mobile home and one morning as he was using his electric razor to shave, an old fiddler arrived at his mobile home and asked to be recorded. Ciarán held out his electric razor and the fiddler played a few tunes into it. I bet he had many such stories. May he rest in peace.
A true Gentleman and Scholar of Irish music has passed on. I'm sure he will enjoy the music with Ennis, Clancy, Doran, Casey , and the many others he shares a table with now. May he rest in peace.
We listened every Sunday morning in bed as the teasmaid boiled up. I loved the way he dug out the gentler side of the music and the old stuff. I learned Lark in the Clear Air by ear by hearing it twice a week, every week. He sounded like a lovely feller, even over the crackly old medium wave.
I have to thank Ciarán largely for an interest in this music. Although I grew up in Dublin (in the punk years), trad music just didn't feature in the family or even much in the community.
But I did and still do listen to a good bit of radio and it was on that regular Sunday slot that I was exposed over the years to this great music. And even though I wasn't playing anything at the time, the melodies and the essence of it winkled its way into my consciousness.
I dare say Ciarán did more in terms of raising the consciousness of Irish trad music in Ireland for the Irish than any other single person or organisation.
You'll have the flashy stuff nowadays, the Riverdances etc. but he knew where this music was rooted and where it came from - the countryside and ordinary rural people of Ireland.
I seem to remember RTE chopping and changing, the Saturday morning programme with Pat Butler was shortened till it died, and on Sundays there was dear Ciarán holding fast.
I think there was a protest to stop it being cancelled.
And who can ever forget his reverential soft voice as he introduced the programme with that beautiful greeting "Bail Ő Dhia oraibh!"
Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Friday, 11 December 2009 19:18 RTE
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1211/macmathuna.html
Well known broadcaster and music collector Ciarán Mac Mathúna has died.
Born in 1925, he was a recognised authority on Irish Music and lectured extensively on the subject.
A native of Co Limerick, Ciarán Mac Mathúna first joined RTÉ as a radio producer in 1955. One of his first jobs was to travel around the country in the company of a mobile recording unit gathering material for Radio Éireann's traditional music archive.
Mac Mathúna started his Mo Cheol Thú programme in 1970 and it became one of the longest running programmes on radio, finishing in November 2005.
Listen to Mo Cheol Thú programmes from the RTÉ archive
Each 45 minute programme offered a miscellany of archive music, poetry and folklore, mainly of Irish origin.
It was described as an 'unashamedly nostalgic and wistful' mix of poetry, instrumental music and song.
For more than 50 years he made an enormous contribution to the preservation and development of Irish traditional music.
He won two Jacob's Awards in 1969 and 1990 for his radio programmes and received the Freedom of Limerick City in 2004.
# Posted on December 11th 2009 by Martin Donohoe
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Sad news. I remember his measured tones on Radio Eireann in the 1970s and maybe 80s, when it could be picked up with varying degrees of audibility in North-East England.
# Posted on December 11th 2009 by nicholas
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Sad news indeed.
I remember listening to him back in 1970 when his was my favourite RTE radio show, back then.
If I remember correctly, it was on fairly early, each Sunday morning. Didn't it have 'The Lark in the Clear Air' as it's signature theme?
Unfortunately those links to the old shows don't work for me, up here in da North.
# Posted on December 11th 2009 by Ptarmigan
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Listening to his voice on his Sunday morning programme, I always got the impression he was going to fall asleep at the mic. I remember the story about when he was travelling around the country in the fifties recording musicians for Radio Eireann. He was living in a mobile home and one morning as he was using his electric razor to shave, an old fiddler arrived at his mobile home and asked to be recorded. Ciarán held out his electric razor and the fiddler played a few tunes into it. I bet he had many such stories. May he rest in peace.
# Posted on December 11th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
Sad indeed,
I have memories of the signature tune from his Sunday morning program in my head.
May he rest in peace.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/mocheolthu/1066225.html
# Posted on December 12th 2009 by .
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
A true Gentleman and Scholar of Irish music has passed on. I'm sure he will enjoy the music with Ennis, Clancy, Doran, Casey , and the many others he shares a table with now. May he rest in peace.
# Posted on December 12th 2009 by Eh!
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
We listened every Sunday morning in bed as the teasmaid boiled up. I loved the way he dug out the gentler side of the music and the old stuff. I learned Lark in the Clear Air by ear by hearing it twice a week, every week. He sounded like a lovely feller, even over the crackly old medium wave.
# Posted on December 12th 2009 by Steve Shaw
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
I have to thank Ciarán largely for an interest in this music. Although I grew up in Dublin (in the punk years), trad music just didn't feature in the family or even much in the community.
But I did and still do listen to a good bit of radio and it was on that regular Sunday slot that I was exposed over the years to this great music. And even though I wasn't playing anything at the time, the melodies and the essence of it winkled its way into my consciousness.
I dare say Ciarán did more in terms of raising the consciousness of Irish trad music in Ireland for the Irish than any other single person or organisation.
You'll have the flashy stuff nowadays, the Riverdances etc. but he knew where this music was rooted and where it came from - the countryside and ordinary rural people of Ireland.
# Posted on December 12th 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: Broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna dies
That is sad indeed. I grew up on his programme.
I seem to remember RTE chopping and changing, the Saturday morning programme with Pat Butler was shortened till it died, and on Sundays there was dear Ciarán holding fast.
I think there was a protest to stop it being cancelled.
And who can ever forget his reverential soft voice as he introduced the programme with that beautiful greeting "Bail Ő Dhia oraibh!"
Bless you and God rest!
Brian x
# Posted on December 12th 2009 by briantheflute