Focus
Q&A: Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
Ciarán Ó Maonaigh is a fiddle player from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. A grandson of Proinsias Ó Maonaigh (a.k.a. Francie Mooney), he was the 2003 TG4 Young Traditional Musician of the Year. This year he released the album Fidil together with Aidan O’Donnell. Fidil is also the name of his group with O’Donnell and Damien McGeehan. The group is this year’s recipient of the Music Network Young Musicwide Award.
The Long Now
Our society lives on a short fuse. The current economic turmoil and the cuts in arts funding demonstrate the lack of a long-term perspective. Michael Cronin asks how our society can escape the tyranny of the moment.
The Art of the Possible
It is possible now to do almost anything to Irish traditional music. Whether one should is open to debate.
Turn it Up: An Interview with Broadcaster John Kelly
For over a decade, John Kelly has been broadcasting his own distinct mix of music on national radio, first with the BBC, then Eclectic Ballroom on Radio Ireland (now Today FM) and Mystery Train on RTÉ Radio 1, establishing a reputation as a broadcaster who is always at the musical cutting edge, and building a particularly loyal listenership. His current show, JK Ensemble on RTÉ Lyric FM, is a rarity in Irish broadcasting, mixing classical, traditional, jazz and the avant-garde on weekday daytime national radio, and it has just reached its second year. In this interview, Toner Quinn, Editor of JMI, talks to John Kelly about his views on broadcasting, the current Irish music scene, the artists he admires and the listenerships that aren’t being catered for.
From great composers to decorative baubels
The great works of the classical canon abide because they have something to say about the here and now. We need to stop devaluing them, writes Michael Quinn.