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Traditional musicians visit schools from Midleton to Glengarriff this week
Traditional musicians Matt Cranitch and Eoin Ó Riabhaigh will be visiting County Cork schools from Monday February 1st to Friday February 5th, presenting a workshop which introduces two of the most important instruments in Irish traditional music - the fiddle and the uilleann pipes. The project is generously supported by The Ireland Funds and managed by West Cork Music.
On Monday, they visit Gurraneasig National School near Kilbrittain and Cloughduv National School, Crookstown. Tuesday it’s the turn of Colaiste an Phiarsaigh, Glanmire and Scoil Barra Naofa in Monkstown. On Wednesday, the musicians will present the workshop at Midleton CBS Primary and Gaelscoil Uí Drisceoil in Glanmire. Thursday they head to the west and visit Ballymoney National School in Ballineen and Scoil Fhiachna, Glengarriff. On Friday, they round off their week with workshops at Kilcrohane NS near Bantry and then Cloghroe National School near Blarney.
As well as explaining about these instruments, and how they work, Matt and Eoin will demonstrate how they are played. In addition, they will talk about the various different kinds of tunes and rhythms that are featured in this style of music, such as jigs, reels, slides and polkas, and they will perform examples of each. The workshop will deal with the instruments themselves as well as with the music that they create.
Matt Cranitch is renowned as a fiddle-player and teacher. He has performed extensively at home in Ireland and abroad, and has presented many lectures, master-classes and workshops. He is author of The Irish Fiddle Book. An authority on the fiddle-music of Sliabh Luachra, he has taught courses in Irish traditional music at UCC. He has been a recipient of the ‘University College Cork Hall of Fame Award’.
Eoin Ó Riabhaigh comes from a famous piping family and has been playing since childhood. He has appeared on television and radio since the age of ten. He is holder of several All-Ireland piping titles, and has performed widely in U.S. and in Europe. He has presented master-classes in various countries, and is also highly regarded as a maker of uilleann pipes.
