The traditional music heritage of Mayo is at the centre of an exciting three-month artist residency at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar this winter. Led by traditional musician and composer Emer Mayock, the residency celebrates traditional music in Mayo and in particular the compositions of Mayo musicians and singers from the past, present and future. The residency will result in a unique digital resource of notated songs and tunes, a CD recording, and a concert featuring Mayo’s leading lights in Traditional music on Wednesday, January 31 at the Linenhall.
Supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, the residency is unearthing and preserving elements of music indigenous to Mayo. It combines desk and field research, as well as music sharing, composing, recording, and workshops with young musicians, the results of which will be shared with musicians, music teachers, students and traditional music enthusiasts through an online digital resource.
Speaking about the residency Emer Mayock said “the project strives to expose the musical voice of the county and to present traditional music repertoire from Mayo through interaction with musicians and singers from the Iorras and Achill Gaeltachts to the musicians of east, west and south Mayo”. Over the course of the residency Emer has captured unique recordings that will be available in CD/digital format, and which feature musicians of all ages from the county. They are playing music from Mayo that can be traced back to the earliest music collected here in manuscript form in the late 18th and early 19th century, the tunes that became synonymous with musicians from Mayo who emigrated to the US in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the repertoire and compositions of Mayo natives through the decades and up to the present day.
A very special concert and CD launch of The Music of Mayo will take place at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar on Wednesday, January 31 and will mark the realisation of the residency. The concert will feature performances from the musicians and singers who so generously contributed their knowledge, support and repertoire to the project. For information and booking call (094 ) 902 3733 or visit www.thelinenhall.com
