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A Weekend to Savor in Tulla


Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 4:13 PM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 6:11 PM

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TULLA, Co. Clare - The sun was declining west of the Tulla town square where the gig rig was erected for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in that East Clare bastion of traditional music and dance. CCE Director General Senator Labhras O'Murchu led a group of CCE officials in reviewing the welcoming parade led by the Tulla Pipe Band. Ever articulate, he set the weekend tone in his opening remarks.

"I can't think of a greater moment than the celebration of our own musical tradition which doesn't belong in isolation, but rather it belongs to us as a people and a nation and as a community," he said.

"Tulla is celebrating 50 years of volunteering in our national service and we all know the challenges over 50 years, but they realized that the music was important if only in keeping faith with our ancestors."

As the weekend of September 14-16 unfolded it was clear to this first time visitor to Tulla that a great unbroken thread was properly lionized with the right mix of ceremony and craic in the East Clare village.

The late summer weather was ideal for an opening outdoor ceremony and display of musical talent and dancing, but the weekend was properly christened later on with a live Ceili House taping (to be aired November 17 at www.rte.ie/radio1/ceilihouse) and also a ceili mor with the legendary Tulla Ceili Band who recently marked their own 60th anniversary as a performing unit.

Martin Hayes, the son of founding member P. Joe Hayes from nearby Maghera, was home for the weekend joining bandmates Mark Donnellan, Sean Donnelly, Jennifer Lenihan, J.J. Conway, Michael (Mackie) McKee, Jim Corry and Mick Flanagan on both the radio program and the ensuing ceili in St. Joseph's Secondary School at the edge of the small village.

Ceili House compere Kieran Hanrahan, a native of Ennis, pointed out that there were ten All-Ireland champions on hand for the show, with fiddlers Martin Hayes, Seamus Connolly, Paddy Canny, Vincent Griffin, Michael O'Rourke and the latest and youngest Sorchadha Costello, who won the under-12 top medal in Tullamore in August demonstrating the prominence of the fiddle in these parts.

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