REPORT ON THE TOMMY MAKEM INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SONG
REPORT
ON THE
TOMMY MAKEM INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SONG
JUNE 3rd.-JUNE 10th 2000, SOUTH ARMAGH
Martyn
Kaal, the Netherlands
Last
year in our summer holidays we passed through the City of Armagh and
visited the Tourist bureau in that most interesting
ecclesiastical centre. Being lifelong fans of Tommy Makem we
enquired whether he would be present or performing in the district at that
particular time. Immediately phone calls were made to Keady and the reply
was negative. However they notified us on the possibility that next year
Tommy would be around for something special and they gave us the address,
email and phone-number of Peter Makem of the organising committee.
Martin Kaal sings a few gems at O'Hanlon's Pub in
Mullaghban on Friday night.
photo: K. Akers After completing our 1999 travels in Ireland,
including Portrush, Ballycastle and Belfast in our itinerary, we returned
home to the Netherlands and got in touch with Peter soon enough. He sent
us detailed information about the background of the festival, the
participants, dates, the accommodation and the programme. After taking
account of all this I decided there would be no excuse for missing this
opportunity and head out for South Armagh. In Amsterdam we run a
songcircle, which meets once a month to sing together in chorus and
a-capella,
Irish songs most of the time, but also Dutch, African, Jewish,
Ladino, French, Scots, American and English ones. At present we have six
regulars in the circle and three of them were able to get time off from
work to come to the festival: Marianne, Jan and myself. As soon as Peter
gave us the green light and arranged accommodation for us with the
O'Neill's in Forkhill, we prepared our trip, getting in touch with
friends in Ireland, booking airline tickets and working away at our
repertoire of songs. In the afternoon of June 3rd we met in Forkhill,
unpacked our luggage and had a cup of tea with our landlord and lady, both
very pleasant company and extremely helpful. With our friends from
Belfast, the Meenehans, we drove round the district, inspecting the back
roads of South Armagh and Crossmaglen. For our meal we decided to go to
Dundalk and then returned to Mullaghban for an evening concert in the
community centre, Ti Chulainn. This gave us our first chance to meet with
the committee that introduced itself to the crowd. We made acquaintance
with the locals and the American delegation. All made us feel extremely
welcome, it was Céad Míle Fáilte from beginning to end. Tommy Makem and sons
plus the Sands family
treated us to great songs and a few stories as well. Everyone was
encouraged to join in with the chorus and most people did, there was quite
a storm blowing at the end of the concert. South Armagh had broken the ice
if it was ever there. We got back to Forkhill, henceforth called home,
with ears ringing. On Sunday most people
went to mass and Jan went in for some set dancing in Lislea, where he
enjoyed himself and learned a lot about the figures and the special
atmosphere that goes with it. Marianne and I did a long walk on the roads
around Forkhill and Mullaghban, ending up in O'Hanlon's bar to raise
our spirits and rest our tired feet. It was quiet in the bar, so we
chatted and sang a few songs. There being no restaurant nearby and
ourselves without a car, our kind publican drove us to Meigh where we
enjoyed a meal in Murphy's and got back home in a taxi. That night
Marianne stayed home, Jan continued his steps and I went back to
O'Hanlons for a session with the locals of Crossmaglen and Mullaghban.
There was plenty of singing and instrumental music there, including the
soft accompaniment with a saxophone that sounded great. My first songs in
South Armagh went down well and we didn't stop till very late. I believe
it was my landlord that drove me home.
On
Monday we were taken by Kate, one of the American participants, first and
mistakenly to the Slieve Gullion Courtyard, where the venue had been
cancelled due to reconstructing work. Quickly we drove back to Ti Chulainn
to enjoy a lecture on poetry and the origins of rhythm and rhyme, well
presented by Peter Makem who made the poems sound like songs. Afterwards we
had some lunch in the centre and
sang with the Americans outside on the stone circle. Acoustics in the
clear open air were good and some fine singers presented themselves.
Slieve Gullion looked down on us and did not seem to object. By hired
Ulsterbus, that stayed with the group
the greater part of the week, we took a guided trip through the South
Armagh countryside, which proved to be peaceful and filled with historic
interest. The Ogham letters, Newry Canal, dolmen, the gap of the North,
the history and legends of South Armagh and the border, all came to life
during this well presented tour. A good bit of time was spent with the
exchanging of songs-imagine Dutch and Americans coming to South Armagh to
swap Irish songs, that is the multicultural aspect. Our meal was enjoyed in
a large company in the
Canal Court Hotel in Newry, a grand place with every facility one could
wish. Around the table we continued our musical session, careful not to
frighten the other customers. As evening drew nigh we walked to the Mourne
Court Hotel on the north side of town where the American guests had their
lodgings. The whole lot of us got on the bus and drove out to Creggan,
where a large hall had been made available for a show called "The 300
million years of history of South Armagh". This proved to be an
understatement as a geologist explained that the history goes back at
least 500 million years. Being a teacher of geography I enjoyed his
explanation of continental drift, volcanic activities, the caldera which
forms the ring of Gullion, the different strata of rock and the huge
influence of the different ice-ages on the local landscape, including the
tail of Slieve Gullion. This story was enlightened by slides, beautiful
songs, and poetry read by Peter, a grand night. At the end of it we got
together to do more songs, Tommy and his sons doing a fine job, they were
tireless and in good spirits from beginning to end. John, one of the
Americans, gave his guitar a blast and I did
a Scottish version of the song "the Nightingale", many people joining
up with the chorus. The soundsystem was near-nigh absent but, thanks to
the politeness of the audience, we could make ourselves be heard easily.
After plenty of talk with musicians, locals, and
French and Germans touring the area, we were taken home by our landlord
and lady and contentedly rolled into bed. On Tuesday we had a hearty
breakfast as
usual, be it Irish or Ulster, a cross-border fry. It was a lovely morning
and we walked on the byroads from Forkhill to the Cloverhill Golf Club
where our American friends had just arrived. Tommy Makem addressed us with
a lecture on "The grace and power of lyrics and melody" which proved
once and for all the great power of songs to charm and be charmed and to
bring people together. Many digressions, serious and humorous songs
and remarks made for a lively morning. The song "Redmond
O'Hanlon" was sung by all, it proved to be the peg for our festival
and was done many times by Tommy, even on the radio. It was cosy sitting g
close together at the
dinner table in the golf club, filling our bellies with fine Irish spuds
and beef. The afternoon tour carried the group through the
mountains to Carlingford, with lovely views over the Mournes and Rostrevor
and even as far as Dublin Bay on the other side. Marianne and myself were,
over the last 25 years, keen singers of the song "Carlingford" so we
did it again on the bus and out there in the hills, a wee dream come true.
Marianne, herself a tourist guide in Amsterdam,
had a nice chat with Anne who had done the guiding for the day. The
busdriver dropped us off at home. Both drivers that week proved to be very
helpful, ready to drive us anywhere at any time of the day and night and
always in good spirits. That same night brought us back to the Golfclub
for songs and stories. The Makems were singing again, there was a group
from Dublin, and some great
storytelling (and singing) was done by John Campbell and Len Graham,
giving us an impression of the great artistry of the Shanachie. The craic
was enhanced by a large group of Poles
who were able to attend this one venue. They had not much English but
great enthusiasm carried them through. Two of them did a Polish folksong
and we talked in German with some of them. When their bus was ready to
whisk them off to Ti Chulainn, some of them didn't want to go and had to
be dragged out by their fellow-Poles. When most people had left, Jan and
myself stayed
for a singing session with the Dublin group and
locals from Mullaghban including Len Graham. Some beautiful songs
were enjoyed and we returned home with Art and Maura most impressed by the
friendliness and generosity that were extended to us. On Wednesday morning
it was up to Ti Chulainn
once more for a lecture on the fiddle music of the Donegal fiddler John
Docherty. David Hammond did a great job at it, especially bringing to life
the way rural people lived in Ulster in the past century. The fiddle tunes
of John Docherty were played on tape and afterwards we were able to talk
to David, another Ulsterman who has done great deeds for the survival and
enhancement of the Irish song tradition. Unfortunately he was pressed to
return to his home in Belfast and was unable to return in the second half
of the festival week. Marianne stayed home to rest herself in the
afternoon while Jan and myself were taken up the mountain road by Art and
put down just below the top of Slieve Gullion. We walked to the summit,
where we had a great view of the Ring of Gullion and almost the half of
Ireland, from the Wicklow Mountains in
the South to Lough Neagh in the North, and from the Irish Sea in the East
to Slieve anIarinn in the far West. It was great while it lasted, soon we
were overtaken by clouds, rain and little hailstones. We walked down
through blooming flowers, bog cotton, pine and deciduous forests until we
came to a hard road, where a friendly lady proposed (without us asking) to
drive us home to Forkhill. It was there we had hot tea and scones and a
shower to make ourselves presentable to the outside world. We took a quick
meal from the Mullaghban
takeaway and set out for Ti Chulainn, where we were invited to take part
in the commemorative event for those in South Armagh who had kept the fire
of traditional song, music, poetry, and storytelling lit in troubled
times. There was mention of many artists in their right, certificates were
handed to those still with us and relatives of those who have passed away.
There was great applause, songs by the Makems and Eugene from America,
readings of poetry and presentations by the organising committee. We were
moved by the sincerity of the
commemoration, some people were crying at the mention of names of their
loved ones. On Thursday in the morning we assembled in
Belleek in the Country House, where the locals and some diehards from the
American group came together to listen to a lecture on Irish songs in
Europe by Tommy Sands. Obviously this topic has many Dutch, German,
French, Spanish and Scandinavian connections. It was great to see on video
how the Sands family had been playing in East Germany before the fall of
the wall. The song "The Winds are singing freedom" (one of Tommy
Makem's) got these Germans into a very special mood. Tommy did a very good
job indeed and explained
the popularity of Irish music in Europe and especially in Germany, where
the local folk music has been tainted by fascism and the marching drum.
Irish bars are to be found and heard all over Europe now and the music
brings together such a motley crew: young and very old, environmentalists
and golf-players craving for green, fishermen going for salmon,
revolutionaries, ethnic minorities (Basks, Frisians, Bretons), Celtic
magicians, boozers, soccer hooligans, horse-people and all those that go
for craic, friendship and homeliness, as the cup of tea in the Irish
kitchen beats all. This last line is not by Tommy Sands, but his stories
made me think on this theme: What draws so many people to Ireland? The
morning ended with questions, some answers,
a few lines of songs and friendly conversation. Like David Hammond and the
Makems, Tommy Sands displayed a great love of his music and all those that
participate in it. In the afternoon everyone on the bus was in good
spirits and many a song was sung in the back of it. We were taken to the
City of Armagh and briefly admired the two cathedrals. A wedding in the
Catholic one gave us some delay and Tommy Makem was shaking hands with
some of the guests at the party. Next stop was at Navan Fort, where an
historical overview was given of stone-age and iron-age County Armagh,
including the legends of Maeve and Cuchulainn. Products of local artesanry
were sampled in
Derrynoose and we had a wee lunch in Keady, Tommy Makem's hometown,
while the bus went up and down to Newry to please some American guests. It
came back in time for the busdriver to take snapshots of our group in the
middle of Keady, let's hope they turn out well as they'll show how
much fun we had. From Keady it was back to Belleek for another
surprise: a feast of bardic revelry and hellery, in which all the bards of
Armagh and surrounding counties showed us their ways with the words. Some
of the wisecracks and accents were difficult to follow for us poor
Dutchmen, but we found a great enjoyment and fun, some good actors, funny
voices, and jokes that would make ladies in Old Amsterdam blush. At this
venue our dear friend Matt from Dublin,
a long-time member of our songcircle since the days when he worked in the
Netherlands, made a surprise appearance and would stay with us till the
end of the festival. He gave us a ride back home that night. On Friday the
morning lecture had to be
cancelled as our speaker, Gerry Doherty, (recommended by friends) was not
well, so we had the morning off and time for reading, writing postcards
and a stroll. We met Tommy Makem on the road and he was helpful and full
of stories. Then we walked up the hill behind Forkhill to talk to the
magic whitethorn tree and among ourselves, feeling happy in the sunshine
looking down on the lake and home. We kept clear of the top since the
birdlife up there is not recommended by anyone we met in South Armagh and
that's all we'll say of that issue. In the afternoon Marianne went on tour
with the
Americans to the Mournes and had a very good time in the company of the
Makems g. Matt, Jan and myself took a small singing session in O'Hanlons pub
in Mullaghban, where we had time and quiet surroundings for our songs and
recall memories. Then we drove out to the Mourne Court Hotel, and,
together with Marianne, several Americans and the Makems we settled down
in the Canal Court for our supper. From the hotel the crowd made for Lislea,
for
the Grand Ceili. We arrived early and few people had turned up as yet, so
we started a singing session in the bar, including African songs and Dutch
songs. The Americans and Makems joined us again. The locals "forced"
me to take part in the dancing, to the tunes of a fine Ceilidh-band, first
time ever. It made me sweat like a marathon runner. Late in the evening most
of us left for
Mullaghban, where we got into the session at O'Hanlons. We were welcomed
to take part in the music, there was a big crowd, microphones, and a local
band. Tommy Makem sang "Redmond O'Hanlon", most appropriate. The
Americans were in good form and I tried singing the "Newry Highwayman"
and got no complaints, very satisfactory. The session lasted till 2 a.m. and
ended in
Irish style. Tired but satisfied we got home.
Saturday after the concert, outside Ti Chullain.
photo: K.Akers On Saturday the stock of postcards had
disappeared and there were none left in Mullaghban, showing that tourism
needs more developing. Next time there'll probably be new postcards,
posh restaurants and Dutch evening papers in the local shops (I hope not).
I tried to hitchhike to Dundalk to buy some ( I know this sounds crazy to
most readers of my story), but alas no luck, just a long walk on both
sides of the border, nice views and some refreshing rain. At home we had tea
and went to O'Hanlons for
our first pint of the day and for a meeting with Matt, who stayed in a
B&B round the corner. At Ti Chulainn we had lunch and met with all the
familiar faces: Committee, Makems, Americans and locals alike. The afternoon
was filled with musical
presentations by Eugene, John and other Americans, and the Makems. Matt
and ourselves did a Dutch concert to give the festival a multicultural
boost. Nobody understood the words, but we got the message through that
the old fishing life of our Zuiderzeeballads has disappeared. Part of the
sea has been turned into potato fields, freshwater lakes and new housing
estates, come and see for yourselves next time you are in the Netherlands
and we'll give you a song to go with it. While Tommy Makem sang, dozens of
crows settled
down in the field behind him and they seemed to be excited and flapping
their wings as soon as he speeded up the rhythm. Tommy told us the crows
tend to get on his tail regularly, he'd make a terrible scarecrow. The
Armagh Rhymers put on a great show,
camouflaged in straw hats and singing traditional childrens' songs,
wrenboys' songs and mumming-songs, well known from Tommy Makem's and
David Hammond's recordings. The children in the company had great fun
and were constantly involved in the proceedings. At the end we sat down
again on the stones of the stone-circle and sang Irish songs with the
Irish and the Americans, who had become more and more Irish in the course
of the festival. Matt and ourselves drove out to Meagh for our
dinner at Murphy's and then on to Newry to the Mourne Court hotel, where
the whole group had assembled for a farewell party in which everyone (at
least 30 people) participated. Many complimented the Makems and the
Committee on the work they'd done to make the festival a success,
everyone will want to come back next year and preferably with a few
friends. We will certainly try to make it. Marianne got a lot of help in the
chorus of the
Grey Funnel line, Tommy Makem had a great version of the Loch Tay
Fishermen, Matt put an Irish stamp on the night with "For Ireland I'll
not tell her name" in Irish and my "Irish peasant girl" was well
appreciated by the sons of the emigrants of old. After everyone, including
the children, had done
a song, a story, an impression or some poetry, we set off for the barn in
Mullaghban and continued the session with the locals, a band, 15 Americans
with energy left, and the Makem Brothers. Jan was in good singing form
and many stories were told, everyone being happy and sad at the
same time. Happy that so much had gone well during the festival and that
we would all live on with these pleasant memories and new friends. Sad to
take the parting glass. Hopeful to be back the next time and grateful for
all the gifts received. Thank you South Armagh. On Saturday we took leave of
Maura and Art who
have become great friends and left for Dublin (more songs there) and home
in the Netherlands.
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