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Oriel a renewal of tradition 190 Pádraigín Ní Uallacháín Oriel - a renewal of (1) research and publication, tradition (2) assimilation and recording, Oirialla, anglicised as Oriel, is regarded (3) transmission and online access to as one of the richest regions in Ireland tradition, (4) public performance. for traditional music and song. For centuries, its traditional music Oriel and Oral Traditions heritage has been passed down orally Oriel is a region without boundaries from generation to generation: which stretches inland, across county instrumental music and the song and state borders, from the Cooley tradition in English has thrived; classes peninsula on the east coast of Ireland. for young people in harp, fiddle, pipes, It straddles two provinces of Ireland, flute, accordion and bodhrán continue extending from Carlingford across to fill to capacity and its teachers and south Armagh, through the south players are celebrated throughout drumlins of Monaghan; north from the Ireland. Although Oriel was regarded borders of County Down, south to the as a mecca of literary and song hinterlands of Drogheda. Although activity during the 18th and 19th in Leinster now, County Louth was centuries, while Irish was its in Ulster until the late 16th century. community language, the song It was Ulster in dialect, song, literary tradition in our own time has been and cultural activity, sensibility and hanging on by a hair’s breadth. allegiances. Fortunately, the tide has turned again: Oriel is now regarded by many Much of Oriel was a Gaeltacht until Gaeltacht sean-nós singers as a key recent times, and its cultural heritage location of song; Oriel singers are is one of the richest in Ireland. competing in national Oireachtas The Irish language was, in most parts, sean-nós competitions; awards are the vernacular of its people until the returning to the Oriel hearthstone; middle of the 19th century, and its young singers are embracing the local dialect was Ulster, not unlike the tradition with a renewed confidence present-day dialect of the Donegal and a natural entitlement. Alongside Gaeltacht. its instrumental music tradition, Oriel Gaelic song is now heard on local While Irish flourished as the and international media and on the community language in Oriel, poetry, worldwide stage. This is the fortuitous song, dance and instrumental music outcome of an ongoing, long-term, was the life blood of its community in four-pronged plan of renewal: times of sorrow, joy, celebration, grief, 191 birth and death, at home and at public to produce a repository of the rich cul- ritual and ceremony. With the tural legacy of Oriel. Published in it are dramatic and sudden annihilation of facsimiles of a significant amount of the native language, the artistic and instrumental music by collectors and creative linguistic voice of a people musicians such as Patrick McGahon was silenced within a few generations; c.1817 and Luke Donnellan c.1900 inter-generational continuity of oral from the Louth/Armagh border, and arts was arrested, an insidious cultural song words with music in staff nota- memory loss crept in and much of the tion and tonic solfa from many collec- oral traditions in Irish were lost. tors, most notably Co. Louth native, Lorcán Ó Muirí. Collectors and Music What is unique about the Oriel region A Four-Pronged Plan of is that over one hundred years ago Renewal the extent to which collectors (1) Research and Publication gravitated towards it to transcribe and Although A Hidden Ulster focused on record what remained of its precious the recreation of a once vibrant and cultural gems. Some of the collectors vital song tradition, the core work is were interested in song, some in placed at the heart of the social life of language and dialect, others were the people with its traditions, singers, more interested in instrumental music musicians and rituals. There are 54 or in recent inventions for recording songs published – most of which had and photography. They were far-sight- been lost to the tradition - including ed collectors, both male and female music and words previously separated and from various religious denomina- in disparate collections, with extensive tions, who recorded, collected, and contextual information on local photographed some of this cultural traditions and the people who gave wealth before it disappeared from their songs and stories. living memory, at the turn of the 20th century. (2) Assimilation and recording Following the publication of the songs, A century later A Hidden Ulster – there was an awakening of interest people, songs and traditions of Oriel from the wider community in the was published in 2003, drawing on traditions that had been lost. the disparate work of these collectors, The second stage of the plan of found in archives, libraries, private col- renewal was the process of assimila- lections, recordings and photographs, tion and recording of a corpus of Oriel 192 song. This was mainly undertaken online project www.orielarts.com was by the author Padraigín Ní Uallacháin launched in Omeath to critical ac- who was a native of Oriel, an Irish claim, in autumn 2017. Funded by the speaker from birth and a traditional Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle singer. Fourteen songs were recorded Ealaíon, it was launched by Nicholas by her with instrumental accompa- Carolan ITMA and Fergus O’Dowd niment by Liam O’Flynn on uileann TD. The Oriel Arts Project is a website pipes, Steve Cooney on guitar, Laoise of reclamation and renewal, with over Kelly and Helen Davies on harp, and 150 pages of information and over 40 Ódhrán Ó Casaide on fiddle. Fourteen videos. It is an online celebration of other unaccompanied songs were artistic expression of previous gener- recorded and featured on a double ations, through performance by con- CD Ceoltaí Oirialla in 2017 (http:// temporary musicians. It has become www.irishsong.com/ceoltai-oirialla/). a source of song for local singers with To date, over 35 songs have been performances by Bláithín Mhic Cana, returned to the tradition and the work Feilimí O’Connor, Piaras Ó Lorcáin, is ongoing. Siubhán O’Connor and well-known sean-nós singers Lillis Ó Laoire, Máire (3) Transmission and online Ní Choilm, Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin and access to tradition Diane Ní Chanainn. An essential aspect of the renewal of the song tradition was the trans- One of most celebrated aspects of the mission of these songs to singers website is the renewal of Oriel harp and an audience interested in song. music played on the early Irish harp by Consequently, RTÉ Radio and Raidió Sylvia Crawford from Co. Armagh. na Gaeltachta were a key element in A Hidden Ulster revealed an inextrica- the awakening interest in Oriel song ble link between the song and harp through broadcasting documentaries tradition, showing Oriel poets and and airplay of recorded song. As the harpers in close collaboration, and Oriel community is not a Gaeltacht songs of the poets and the people one with an organic community surviving in the harpers repertoire supporting the song tradition, it was collected by Edward Bunting c.1800. necessary to find an outlet. The new It shows how both genres can inform Oriel Arts Project began with an aim each other in relation to repertoire and of replenishing the well and trans- interpretation. The Oriel project has mitting elements back to the com- renewed this link, and collaboration munity - restored and renewed. The and research between harper and 193 singer continues with performances at local events and concerts. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in It is imperative that this fragile ancient Drogheda 2018. Music from the tradition continues to be supported by manuscript collections published in local and national festivals. A Hidden Ulster have been renewed on the Oriel website by local musi- Outcome cians such as Darren Mag Aoidh, The outcome of this long-term Dónal O’Connor, Gerry O’Connor, Zoë renewal plan is five-fold: a new Conway, and John McIntyre. These awareness in the wider national music manuscript collections are now community of one of Ireland’s richest a source for many other instrumental sources of song and music; a world- musicians including, fiddle player wide access to Oriel traditional arts Séamus Sands, flute player Dermot online; songs are being taught and Rafferty, the Dept. of Creative Arts and sung locally; a sense of pride and Media in DkIT, the Louth Folk Youth ownership in the local community of Orchestra of Music Generation Louth a noble and ancient inheritance; a and many more, while also continuing number of television and radio to replenish the tradition. documentaries, recordings, new research, awards, performance and (4) Public Performance events celebrating this magnificent The fourth prong in the long-term plan national treasure trove. There is a re- of renewal is a key one: that singers newed confidence and vibrancy in the are given an opportunity to perform oral and music traditions of Oriel. publicly so that they and the songs can be heard orally in the tradition. Pádraigín Ní Uallacháín 2018. Young singers are winning long established sean-nós awards with public performance: Piaras Ó Lorcáin from south Armagh, won the trophy in the national Oireachtas na Gaeilge sean-nós competition in 2016 and Feilimí O’Connor from Cooley won in 2015. They have turned the tide of sean-nós singing by bringing an Oireachtas sean-nós awards to Oriel for the first time. Other young singers are seeking out a platform at festivals, 194.

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