A Job with No Clock: Séamus Ennis and the Irish Folklore Commission
Ríonach uí Ógáin
At just twenty-three years of age, Séamus Ennis went on his first collecting field-trip to Conamara on behalf of the Irish Folklore Commission. Here, Ríonach uí Ógáin, currently working on an edition of Ennis’ diaries during his time with the Commission (1942-1946), provides a fascinating glimpse into his collecting work – his exceptional talent as linguist, collector and transcriber, his deep love of music and song, and his warm rapport with many of the great tradition bearers.
Séamus Ennis is probably best remembered as an exceptionally talented piper, singer, storyteller and musician. In 1942, his appointment by Séamus Ó Duilearga, Director of the Irish Folklore Commission, as fulltime collector of music and song was to prove inspired, and Ennis’ legacy in this capacity is unsurpassed.
Ennis was ideal for the job. His father, James, taught Séamus to play the pipes and to read music and also shared his love of the Irish language with his young family. The Ennis household, in north county Dublin, was constantly visited by traditional musicians. Not long after leaving school, Ennis began work at the publishing house ‘At the Sign of the Three Candles’ in Dublin where he worked with Colm Ó Lochlainn, setting music and proofreading material for publication.
A position as fulltime collector with the Commission then became vacant for which Ennis had the necessary qualifications. He was able to transcribe both music notation and song lyrics and was equally at ease in Irish-speaking and English-speaking communities. He also had what might be described as a ‘natural feel’ for the material. Ó Duilearga was approached by Colm Ó Lochlainn, a friend of his, recommending Ennis. A letter of appointment was sent to Ennis on 28th May 1942.
At the 29th meeting of the...
