The 1953 Fleadh Cheoil in Athlone
Athlone Miscellany with Gearoid O'Brien
The concluding part of a two-article series on the 1953 Fleadh Cheoil in Athlone.
The Third Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann was held in Athlone over the Whit Weekend in 1953 (24-25th May). The announcement in The Westmeath Independent declared that over 200 competitors from all parts of Ireland were due to take part in what it called ‘The All-Ireland Festival of Traditional Irish Music.’ That the Fleadh came to Athlone was in no small measure due to the support of Gentex through their esteemed director, the late Paddy Lenihan, and the major trophy in Athlone was The Sportex Cup.
St Mary’s Hall was the venue selected for the Fleadh and the hospitality was arranged by the Bon Bon restaurant in Church Street. According to the printed prospectus, the Fleadh was organised by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann (Craobh Gentex). The patron was Very Rev Fr Leonard O.F.M. (Guardian of Athlone Friary); the President was Patrick J. Lenihan, M.D. of Gentex; the Chairman was Frank Dolphin; Vice-Chairman Joseph (Josh) Broderick; Secretary Seamus McDonagh, N.T. Drumraney; and Joint Treasurers: Sean Temple and Jim Cunningham.
The official opening was performed by Fr William Quinn, Adm., St Mary’s parish, Athlone, whotold the assembled multitude that our native music was to a great extent neglected and went on to say; “There was a time, not so many years ago, when the violin and the bagpipe were common in the homes of the people”. He stressed the importance of our national music was that it was the very soul of our nation. Other speakers included Dr Brian Galligan of Cavan; Mrs E. Moynihan of Mullingar; Mr P.J. Little of The Arts Council; Mr Eamonn Murray, Monaghan, Gen Sean MacEoin T.D. and Fionnan MacColum, Dublin. The key-note speaker was Sean Óg O Tuama who spoke on ‘Aspects of Irish music’.
The number of categories and participants in 1953 was far less than one would have in a modern Fleadh but the quality of the performances was, undoubtedly, of a very high standard. It is no exaggeration to say that some of the biggest names in Irish traditional music in the 20th century performed in Athlone that year. A contemporary report tells us that there was keen competition in the Ceili Band competition where the Aughrim Slopes Ceili Band beat the Breffni Band by just one point, the victors won ‘The Sportex Cup’.
Paddy Canny of Ennis won the Colman Cup for the best senior fiddler, the cup was presented to him by a brother of Michael Coleman’s who attended the competition. Paddy Canny (1919-2008) was a remarkable musician. A native of Ennis, county Clare, he came from a great fiddle-tradition, he was a co-founder of the Tulla Ceili Band and an uncle of the musician Martin Hayes. His musical career spanned over six decades. He made a number of important recordings including the album ‘Paddy Canny: Traditional Music from the Legendary East Clare Fiddler.’
The cup for senior accordion went to Paddy O’Brien of Nenagh giving him an All-Ireland title. Paddy O’Brien (1922-1991) went on to become one of the most respected accordion players in Irish traditional music. He took up the fiddle at the age of seven and by the age of ten was teaching himself the three-row accordion. He played with several ceili bands before replacing the Galway accordion player, Joe Cooley, in the Tulla Ceili Band when Cooley went to London. Paddy O’Brien composed over a hundred tunes.
His daughter, Eileen, herself a well-known fiddler and pianist published a selection of his tunes some years ago. Paddy O’Brien and Joe Cooley came head-to-head in Athlone and the adjudicator, Kieran Kelly, found it very difficult to decide but after a recall he awarded first place to Paddy O’Brien. This was a legendary battle between two greats of Irish music.
Kieran Kelly, a native of county Offaly, who was employed in Gentex, went on to win the All-Ireland senior title for button-accordion in Loughrea in 1955 and Ennis in 1956.
Joe Cooley (1924-1973) who was just pipped at the post in Athlone went on to become one of the great names in Irish traditional music. He was born into a musical family in Peterswell, Co Galway, both his parents played the melodeon. He was one of the very early members of the Tulla Ceili Band and played with them until he decided to emigrate to the U.S. in 1954.
In the States he was involved in the Irish music scene initially in New York but later in Chicago and San Francisco. He returned to Ireland in the Spring of 1973, having been diagnosed with cancer, he died in December that year.
Of course, one of the biggest names to take a title at Athlone, or rather to retain his title at Athlone was Willie Clancy (1918-1973). Willie Clancy was born into a musical family in Milltown Malbay, Co Clare. He took up the tin-whistle aged 5 and later took up the flute. He was about 20 years old when he got his first set of uileann pipes, the instrument for which he was to gain his high reputation. His early influences included Leo Rowsome, John Potts and Seamus Ennis. Willie Clancy won the Oireachtas competition for uileann pipes in 1947. He emigrated to London where he worked as a carpenter for about ten years before returning to live in Milltown Malby. However, he returned to Ireland in 1951, 52 and 53 to take part in the Fleadh Cheoil competitions – he won the senior uileann pipes title first in Mullingar in 1951, he tied with John McAloon of Fermanagh in Monaghan in 1952 and he completed his hat-trick by winning again in Athlone in 1953.
His music was widely published in the 1960s until his death in 1973. The Mercier Press has published three volumes of his tunes. He is commemorated by the annual Willie Clancy Summer School which was established 50 years ago and continues to be one of the highlights of the traditional music calendar.
Getting back to the 1953 Fleadh in Athlone, among the artists who took part in the Fleadh Concert were: Leo Rowsome a third-generation uileann piper who not alone played and taught the pipes but also made them; Mrs Elizabeth Crotty the famous concertina player from Co Clare and the equally famous Ulster fiddle player Sean Maguire. Since 1953 this area has been very well represented at Fleadhs around Ireland with title holders (both senior and junior) including: Kieran Kelly, Accordion 1954 & 1955; Paul Brock, Accordion, 1955, 56 & 57; Ellen Costello, Piano Accordion 1990; Austin Berry, Mouth Organ 1993, 96, 97 & 98; Ruaidhri O Leochain, Mouth Organ (junior) 1996, 97 & 98; Aileen O’Connor, Singing – nine titles; Cathy Gunning, Singing, 1997; Mary Gunning, Piano Accordion 1999; Niamh Brett, Melodeon 2004; Catherine Healy, Slow Air; Audrey Murphy, Flute 2008 and Tin Whistle 2008, 09, 10 and 12; and Donal O’Beolain (Ballymore), Fiddle 2014.
Truly, Athlone witnessed the cream of Irish traditional music at the Fleadh in 1953 and it is exciting to know that seventy years later we are to have a ‘Fleadh Day’ in Athlone this year in conjunction with the All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar.
The first part in this series can be read here