The Party Continues in Bofield
The senior Bofield Céilí band celebrates 100 years of Mayo music making, and in association with Humingbird Records and RTE had a night of nights in The Downhill Hotel, Ballina earlier fhis year when they launched their album and book.
Bofield, Gort na mBó, a small townland in Bonniconlon is situated 4 miles South East of Ballina close to the Mayo Sligo border. It has a long proud but heretofore undocumented tradition in Irish music. However this situation is now being reversed and the Bonniconlon community in conjunction with the Local CCE branch have over the years taken steps to ensure that future generations in the area will enjoy the rich legacy of culture of which we are the custodians.
100 Years of Music
The parish which, down through the ages has survived on community resourcefulness has always had a strong and plentiful supply of music. In fact, it is clear had a string band early in the 1900’s. The peripatetic teacher at that time was Ned Hallinan. Some of his relatives are still playing with the current Bofield band - one hundred years later. One of his pupils Ber McNulty, left our area and was a co-founder of the Tulla band in 1946.
The Loftus family in Bofield established the first Céilí band in 1930’s. This family had their own dance hall, The Laurel Ballroom. It was situated at the crossroads beside their house and was opened on Christmas night in 1938. In an age when environmental protection is of the utmost importance the local CCE branch has been quick to show initiative and became involved in preserving the Loftus homestead at Bofield cross, where the founders of the first Bofield band were reared. The ballroom near the house is now demolished but thankfully the cottage still stands and is in reasonable repair. The spot has been marked with a small inscription stone which states the importance of the house in terms of musical heritage of the area. Local interests have at present applied for planning permission and it is hoped that the future of the cottage is guaranteed. The site has been visited by Senator Labhrás O’Murchú CCE, and ClIr Jack Roche who has built a teach Cheoil in Rockchapel, Co Cork.
Bofield school, a stone’s throw from the Loftus home has also been a vital factor in the musical heritage of the area. The 1950’s saw the then school principal in Bofield, James Brennan, encourage music in the area. He had various school bands that played and won at numerous competitions. They were recorded by RTE and there are still some households in the area that have recordings of the broadcast. The original acetate recordings are in possession of the Brennan family now living in Dublin.
In 1978 the senior céilí band won the Mayo and Connacht fleadhanna Cheoil and represented the province at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Listowel. Many of the musicians on that group had been former pupils of James Brennan.
The 80’s saw the tradition of music playing in the area go from strength under the guidance of Peter Neary who had just completed his BA and HDE. He devoted himself to the teaching of music on a full time basis. Later his wife Mary, who plays the button accordion and teaches evening classes, joined him. They have completed their TTTC course and have received a Diploma in Music Education from UCG. At the moment the Gort na mBó branch of CCE offer classes on all traditional instruments and cater for all ages. They have four Céilí bands: under 12, 12-15, 15-18 and senior level. Individuals and groups have participated in competitions in Scór Readóirí, Fleadhanna Cheoil and Slógadh and have won at various levels including All Ireland.
A number of musicians have appeared in various publications associated with Irish music including, Ireland’s Eye, Treoir, the official CCE magazine and Irish Music, the monthly magazine of folk and traditional music. Musicians too have been featured on national TV when they were captured at numerous street sessions during Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 98 and 99. They have also appeared on Saturday Live. The Senior Céilí Band has played on local radio and on RTE’s Céilí House. Many of the branch musicians have gone on world-wide tour either as groups or individuals. Their next excursion is to Paris in September where they will play at a twinning ceremony. Although Bofield has a small rural branch it is still very progressive and offers exams in traditional music. The new traditional Irish Music Examination is a joint RIAM/CCE initiative and was launched by President Mary McAleese in Dublin Castle 1998. In the year of its introduction the branch had in excess of twenty musicians who sat the exam locally, and since then the branch have had exams twice a year. Technology too is embraced by the branch, and their web site: www.bofield.com is currently being developed. On the site the viewers will find lots to browse through and in due course they will be able to download real audio. With regular updates planned and links to other sites being negotiated, visitors to the bofield page will have instant access to what’s happening at branch level.
A History Publication
Gort na mBó CCE branch is currently involved in a number of projects including the publication of a book about the history of music in the area. The history entitled Bofield a Century of Song covers the last hundred years of music and is a celebration for the millennium. With at least 80 black and white, and thirty colour illustrations, not including maps, music manuscripts, line drawings it is a ‘must’ for all those interested regional music and styles.
As a companion to the publication, two recordings are being made. Both the publication and recordings will serve as essential reference points with respect to traditional music in the area over the last hundred years. 100 Years A Growing, is a recording of the Senior Céilí Band, and has just been released by Hummingbird. It is being distributed by Ritz. The producer was RTE’s Peter Browne. The tunes recorded here are a pleasant mixture of older tunes that were played in the area, present tunes and some new compositions.
The other recording Music from Bofield, Ó Fhás Go hAois, consists of solos, duets, trios and small groups and is due for release later.
Instead of going to a recording studio the Bofield Céilí band opted for a weekend break in Lettefrack. They returned home, refreshed, as one should be after a break, however they had an extra bonus - a CD in the can. This was no accident as they had planned the event well in advance.
Peter Browne, Producer
Peter Browne, Uilleann piper, flute, and tin whistle player, record producer, broadcaster, writer and lecturer on traditional music, produced their CD. He has worked with the Bothy band, and recorded two LPs in the 1980’s with Philip King. As a broadcaster, he has produced and presented several radio programmes, eg. The Long Note, Airnean, Mo Cheol Thú, Ulster Folk, Teach a’Chéillidhe and also a series of documentary tribute programmes on musicians, eg. Paddy Keenan, Tommy Potts, Johnny O’Leary, Paddy Keenan etc. He has also produced three CDs of rare recordings of traditional musicians from the RTE sound archives: The Sliabh Luachra Fiddle Master - Padraig O’Keefe, Denis Murphy - Music from Sliabh Luachra and Seamus Ennis - the Return from Fingal. He has played as a session musician with such people as Mary Black, Paul Brady, Mick Hanley, The Dubliners and also as guest soloist with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
The venue for the recording was Monastery Studio, Letterfrack, Co Galway. John Dunford, who manages Sharon Shannon, had a mobile studio in location at the Monastery Hostel, for the month of November, to record a new Sharon Shannon album. The Shannon crew had a mid month break and the studio was re rigged for the Bofield Céilí Band by Richard Forde, who was part of Sharon’s crew. The sound engineer was Richard McCullough who has a vast knowledge and experience, which included working with Bill Whelan, Riverdance composer.
100 Years A Growing
The album celebrates the long tradition of music in the area. The tunes are a pleasant mixture of material local to the area as well as some new compositions. There are sixteen tracks in all, many of which are from the repertoire of local musicians. One of the new compositions, a jig called Father Pat Peyton, is dedicated to the famed rosary priest who was a past pupil of Bofield school. Other tracks are dedicated to former members now deceased. 100 Years a Growing, includes marches, jigs, slides, hompipes and reels. Both the book and recording compliment each other and are a proud testimony to one small branch of CCE who are working to preserve the tradition, which they inherited.
