An Eve of Irish Music in Middletown

Claddagh na nGael, or Irish Shore, the Middletown-based Irish culture and music organization, held its fourth benefit concert on Friday, April 15 at the Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall in Middletown.  The Evening of Irish music featured Matt Cranitch on fiddle and Eamon O’Leary on guitar.

A renowned fiddle player and resident of County Cork, Ireland, Cranitch is an author and teacher who has performed extensively at concerts and festivals and on radio and television. He is also well known for his lectures, master classes and workshops on various aspects of Irish music.

Claddagh na nGael, which was founded in 2010 by a group of local authentic Irish music and dance enthusiasts, offers music and dance classes and will expand this summer to offer a full week of summer camp that promises to "provide a fun and engaging introduction to the traditional music and dance of Ireland." 

In addition to that work, the group also regularly holds events like the one at the Hibernians' Hall.  Last week, the folks from Claddagh gathered for a Ceilidh, a social gathering that features traditional music.

"For many people, Irish traditional music is an important part of Irish identity," Cranitch said. "(It's) a fact which is often particularly more manifest when people are away from Ireland. Also because the music itself is so powerful, it has a wide appeal to people who are not Irish, but who are moved by beautiful music."

An authority on the music of Sliabh Luachra, a southwestern region of Ireland, Cranitch also holds a Ph.D. from the University of Limerick for his study on the fiddle-playing tradition of this region.

Cranitch is also a consultant on traditional music programs for Irish language television.  In 2003 he received the Hall of Fame Award from University College Cork where he teaches a number of courses in traditional Irish music.

Accompanying Cranitch on Friday night was Dublin native, Eamon O’Leary.  While growing up in Dublin, O’Leary developed an interest in Irish music through his friendship with the Mayock family, noted traditional musicians originally from County Mayo, Ireland.

He moved to New York in 1992, and has since become a fixture in the city’s thriving Irish music scene. O’Leary has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, performing with many of Irish music’s great players.

Cranitch praised the work of Claddagh na nGael, saying that the organization fulfills an "important role in fostering and promoting Irish culture. Not only do these events bring Irish culture to audiences in this part of New Jersey, they also provide a platform for Irish musicians."

The show included a full spectrum of traditional Irish music, including jigs, reels, slides and polkas as well as much talk and explanation of the songs, melodies, histories and music.

Cranitch will also be teaching a fiddle class on April 17 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church Street, adjacent to the Middletown Train Station. 

For more information about that or to register for the class go to: http://midatlanticcce.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/fiddle-master-class-with-matt-cranitch/

For more information about Claddagh na nGael programs and shows check them out on the web at: www.irishshore.org

Download the movie