IN THIS ISSUE:

€200,000 Capital Instrumentand Music Day Grants

IMRO revenue down

New MUI RTÉ NSO SectionCommittee

MUI RTÉ freelance orchestralrates

Chris Long resigns from RTÉNSO

European Court of Justicefavourable sick-leave ruling

Russian teenager wins Dublinpiano competition

Christy Moore supports formerVita Cortex workers

Death of Larry Cunningham

Daniel O’Donnell receives free-dom of Co. Donegal

Tommy Makem to be honoured

Arts Sector supports thousandsof jobs

Tim Kirwan, RTÉ NSO violinist,retires

Obituary: Doris Keogh

Simone Orr on the DublinSymphony Orchestra

Nóra Geraghty on the Clé Club

Dr. David Grant on WilliamVincent Wallace

Helen Ledwidge on William (Willy)Hofmann, violinmaker andrestorer

Volume 10 No. 3 | Autumn 2012

€200,000 MusicalCapital Scheme andMusic Day Grants

NEWSLETTER • OF • THE • MUI: MUSICIANS’ UNION OF IRELAND

The Minister for Arts, Heritage andthe Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, TD,recently confirmed capital funds of€200,000 for the Music Capital Schemeand love:live music/national Music Day2013. Both initiatives are managed byMusic Network.

The Music Capital Scheme providesfunding for the purchase of musicalinstruments to both non-professionalperforming groups/ensembles andprofessional performing artists; love:livemusic, Ireland’s National Music Day,celebrates the value of music incommunities throughout the countryon 21st June each year.

Commenting on the Minister’s announce-ment, Sharon Rollston, Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Music Network, said: ‘Music Net-work is very pleased to be able to continuethe Music Capital Scheme in 2012, as oneof a range of supports we offer to Irishmusicians. As well as individual artists,among others the scheme supports youthbands, ensembles, orchestras, communityinitiatives and resource organisationsworking in a diverse range of genresincluding rock, pop and contemporary aswell as classical, traditional Irish, Baroque,jazz and electronic music. The high numberof applications to the scheme each yearbrings home the level of need that exists inthe area of capital provision for music.’

Continued on page 2

Dublin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) Concert, NCH, 9th June, 2012, l-r: Polly Ballard(cello), Elaine Clark (violin), David Clark (piano), soloists in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto,with Simone Orr (Chairperson, DSO) and Fergus O’Carroll (Conductor). (see also page 5)

SOUND POST AND FREEEXPRESSION

A forum of free expression, SoundPost welcomes material from MUI members. Unless explicitly stated,the views expressed in this news-letter, including goods and servicespromoted in advertisements, arenot necessarily endorsed by theUnion.

Sound Post is compiled and editedby John Swift, former MUI Secre-tary, and produced by the Commu-nications Department of SIPTU.Material may be e-mailed to JohnSwift johnpswift45@gmail.com orforwarded to the MUI office.

UNION DUES/ARREARS

MUI members paying union duesby cash/cheque, who may possiblybe in arrears, are requested tocontact the MUI office as soon aspossible to ensure that they re-main benefit members of theUnion.

2

MUI RTÉ Freelance Orchestral

Daily Rates

Effective from 29 June 2009

Tutti: €149.49

Sub-Principal: €159.72

Principal: €173.18

I wish to join the Musicians’

Union of Ireland

(BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE)

Name: ______________________

Address_____________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

E-mail:_____________________

Tel:_________________________

Please return completed form to

the Musicians’ Union, Liberty Hall,

Dublin 1.

Sound Post | Autumn 2012

€200,000 MusicalCapital Scheme andMusic Day Grants

Continued from page 1

Rollston added: ‘love:live music almostdoubled in size this year on last year’sevent, with over 300 free live musicevents and an estimated 45,000 peopletaking part. Again, we are delighted toreceive confirmation of the continuedsupport of the Department of Arts,Heritage and the Gaeltacht for thisinitiative in 2013’.

Information, application packs andguidelines are available at: www.music-network.ie/musicians/funding/.

The Irish Music Rights Organisation(IMRO) has reported a fall of 4% inrevenue last year to €36.5 million.Commenting on this development,Vincent Finn, Chief Executive, said theslight fall-off had been expected andreflected the overall economic climate.‘IMRO tends to track the economicperformance of the hospitality, broad-casting and live music sectors, whichcontinue to be affected by the down-turn’, he said.

Last year, IMRO paid €32.16 million inroyalties to its 8,500 members. Some37% of IMRO’s revenue derives frompublic performance sources, such asshops, bars, offices and live concerts;radio and television broadcasters payabout 33%; and the balance comesfrom cable providers and overseassources.

Music Royalties RevenueDecline

New MUI RTÉ NSO Committee The recently elected MUI RTÉ NSO Section Committee for 2012-2013 is com-

posed of Polly Ballard, Matthew Billing, David Clark and David MacKenzie.

Earlier this year, an interim committee comprising Ballard, Billing, Clark, Chris

Long, Niall O'Loughlin, Connie Tanner and Edward Tapceanu served for several

months.

Sharon Rollston (Photo: Music Network)

IMRO, which is owned by its members,employs fifty staff. Its operating costsof €4.69 million last year were fraction-ally lower than the €4.73 millionrecorded the previous year.

Among IMRO’s board of directors well-known singer-songwriters as PaulBrady, Eleanor McEvoy and CharlieMcGettigan.

Paul Brady

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

Chris Long, Union Activist,Resigns from RTÉ

Russian TeenagerWins DublinInternational PianoCompetitionNineteen-year-old NikolayKhozyainov, a native of Russia, wonthe first prize of €15,000 at theDublin International Piano Competi-tion in May. Second prize of €10, 000went to Jiayan Sun from China; thirdprize of €7,500 was awarded toAndrejs Osokins from Latvia; whilefourth prize of €5,000 was won byUSA-born Alexander Bernstein.

The highest placed Irish competitor,Nadene Fiorentini, won a series of

SoundsImpressive…The concert included an extra,when violinist Timothy Kirwan,appearing for the last time beforeretirement after a remarkable 48years of service, took over theleader’s chair for an invigoratinglysharp, fizzy and precise perform-ance of Glinka’s ‘Russlan andLudmilla’ Overture.

Michael Dervan, Music Critic, theIrish Times, 15th May 2012, on theRTÉ National Symphony Orchestraconcert at the National ConcertHall, Dublin, on 4th May 2012.

Tim Kirwan (Photo: Pat Gantley)

Chris Long, who resigned from the RTÉNational Symphony Orchestra (NSO) inSeptember, was a leading union activistover many years. Following his musicaleducation at the Royal NorthernCollege of Music, Manchester, Kent-born Long worked as a freelance doublebassist in Britain from the mid-1980sto 1990. In May 1990, he was appointedas a double bass player with what isnow the RTÉ National SymphonyOrchestra (NSO).

A member of the (British) Musicians’Union from 1984-90, Long joined SIPTUin 1990. Over the last couple of decadesor so, he has been a member of theSIPTU-MUI RTÉ NSO Section Committeefor some ten years, including four asPresident.

In 2003, Chris Long was elected found-ing Vice-President of the Musicians’Union of Ireland (MUI) and, at the timeof his retirement, he had served as anMUI Executive Committee member forsome seven years, including four asVice-President.

Long was actively involved in all themajor union events since 1990, includingthe RTÉ musicians’ lockout, 1991, theRTÉ strike, 1992, the founding of theMUI in 2003, the successful MUI cam-paign of the mid-2000s for the employ-ment of indigenous musicians atWexford Festival Opera, and the ongoingcampaign for the removal of restrictionson the negotiating rights of freelancemusicians. Moreover, it was on Long’sinitiative that the MUI affiliated to the

Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) in2004. A regular participant in theIAWM’s many public demonstrations inDublin, Long was elected as the MUI’srepresentative to that body.

In more recent years, Long has beencentrally involved in the protracted andongoing negotiations relating to RTÉ’smajor financial crisis which has led tojobs losses and reduced pay and condi-tions. He was also a contributor to theMUI newsletter, Sound Post.

The departure of Chris Long, who isreturning to Britain after a period oftwenty-two years in Ireland, is a majorloss for the MUI.

Chris Long

Nikolay Khozyainov

European Court ofJustice FavourableSick Leave RulingThe European Court of Justiceissued a ruling in June 2012 thata worker who becomes ill while onpaid annual leave is entitled toclaim back, at a later date, thetime he or she was sick.

The ruling followed a case takento the Spanish supreme court bya group of Spanish trade unionsunder the 2003 Working TimeDirective. The Spanish Court re-ferred to the European Court aquestion on the interpretation ofthe leave provision of the directive.

The European Court ruled it wasirrelevant at what point an illnessarises. It said entitlement to paidannual leave must be regarded asa particularly important principleof EU social law, which is expresslyenshrined in the EU Charter ofFundamental Rights.

prizes, including the €3,500 SeánO’Connor Bursary, the €1,500 CharlesJ. Brennan Prize, and the RTÉ andNational Concert Hall Prizes of aconcerto with the RTÉ NSO and adébut recital, respectively.

The next Dublin International PianoCompetition will take place from 15th-26th May, 2015.

Sound Post | Autumn 2012

4

Death of LarryCunninghamOne of the legends of the Irish show-bands scene, Larry Cunningham, died atthe age of seventy-four on 28th Septem-ber. Born in Clooneen, Granard, Co. Long-ford, in 1938, Cunningham was acarpenter by trade. Initially a part-timemusician, he played with a céili band inDerby for a period before returning toIreland where he performed with theGrafton Showband.

His breakthrough came in June 1963 whenhe was fronting the Mighty Avons Show-band at the Orchid Ballroom, Lifford, Co.Donegal. Playing support to Jim Reeves,who walked off stage over an out-of-tunepiano, Cunningham consolidated his sta-tus as Ireland’s Jim Reeves by completingthe American singer’s set. When Reeveswas killed in a plane crash the followingyear, Cunningham honoured him with hisrecording, Tribute to Jim Reeves, whichsold 40,000 copies within a fortnight inBritain. It was also with that recordingthat Cunningham became the first Irish-based artist to break into the British popcharts.

Further success followed with what wasprobably his most popular hit, LovelyLeitrim, which was inspired by his mother,a sean-nós singer from Leitrim. The songwas No. 1 in Ireland’s Top Ten for fourweeks. In 1966, Cunningham and theMighty Avons attracted a crowd of 6,850at the Galtymore Ballroom, Cricklewood,London.

In a music career spanning half a century,Cunningham performed at the Royal Al-bert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Grand OldOpry and played with the likes of JohnnyCash, Hank Williams junior and LorettaLynn.

For many years, Cunningham was a mem-ber of the trade union, the Irish Federationof Musicians and Associated Professions.

Larry Cunningham is survived by his wife,Beatrice, and their four children.

Vita Cortext WorkersSupported byChristy Moore

Daniel O’Donnell HonouredIn what he described as the biggest honour of his career, popular Irishsinger, Daniel O’Donnell, received the freedom of Co. Donegal in June. Theaward was in recognition of ‘his contribution to music and the ambassado-rial role he has undertaken for Donegal for decades’.

The fifty-year-old singer is only thefifth person to be so honoured, the pre-vious recipients being the Irish interna-tional goalkeepers, Shay Given andPackie Bonner; songwriter, Phil Coul-ter; and the Brennan family of Clannad.

At a ceremony marking the occasionin the County House, Lifford, O’Donnellwas joined by many guests, includingsongwriter, Pete St. John, and theCanadian Ambassador to Ireland,Loyola Ahern. Daniel O’Donnell saidhe was genuinely overwhelmed by thehonour: ‘This is a privilege that Inever expected and I am delighted andthrilled…I am honoured and humbled’.

Larry Cunningham

Not for the first time, singer-song-writer, Christy Moore, paid tributeto the former SIPTU Vita Cortexworkers by inviting them to appearat his live gig at the Marquee con-cert in Cork in late June. Fourmonths earlier, Moore had played afundraising concert for the twenty-three workers during their five-month occupation of the Cork plantin pursuit of redundancy payments.

Support for the SIPTU campaigncame from many quarters and, asidefrom Christy Moore, who dedicatedhis song, Ordinary Man, to the work-ers, many other well-known figurespledged their support, including SirAlex Ferguson, manager of Manches-

Makem to be HonouredTommy Makem, the renowned Irish folksinger, is to be honoured in his native townof Keady, Co. Armagh, by a new, multi-millioncommunity and arts centre which is to benamed after him. Work on the new facility isscheduled to commence early next year. Ithas also been proposed that the town squarein Keady be renamed ‘Makem Square’.

Makem made his name in Ireland and over-seas as a solo artist and with the famousClancy Brothers.Tommy Makem

Daniel O’Donnell

Christy Moore

ter United; Katie Taylor, World Cham-pion boxer; Cillian Murphy, the actor;former Irish international soccerplayer, Paul McGrath; and NoamChomsky, the philosopher, historianand human rights campaigner.

The dispute, which commenced onthe 16th December, 2011, was finallyresolved in May when the Vita Cortexworkers received their final redun-dancy payments.

Sound Post | Autumn 2012

5

The Dublin Symphony Orchestra Gala 40th Anniversary Concert, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 31st March 2007.

tra. We now have members from Europeand beyond such as Bognan Rusin(Poland), Gundula McKeever (Germany),Noemie Soules (France), Vincent Riou(Brittany), Martin Smutny (Czech Repub-lic), Philip Ilten (USA), Nicolaus Gregory(Malasyia) and Karolina Jabezula (Poland).

Over the past number of years, we havewelcomed many foreign students andwandering minstrels who have foundthemselves at our door through our web-site (www.dublinsymphony.org). Our re-hearsals take place weekly fromSeptember to June and we perform anumber of concerts every year.

So what induces fifty or so amateur andsemi-professional musicians to brave theelements and congregate every Tuesdaynight in St Louis’ School in Rathmines toplay music composed a couple of cen-turies ago? I think the answer lies inBerthold Auerbach’s lovely quote: Musicwashes away from the soul the dust ofevery day life.

And that’s it. We rehearse. We perform.We are purified.

I would like to thank Brian Foley (PrincipalDouble Bass) for his archival work in rela-tion to this article.

The next concert by the DSO will be heldin Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, inDecember.

Dublin-bornSimone Orr(2nd Violin) isChairpersonof the DublinSymphonyOrchestra.A generalpractitionernurse, she isa member ofthe tradeunion, theIrish Nurses’Organisation(INO).

The Dublin Symphony Orchestra –Making Overtures for 45 years In 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson was leader of the ‘free world’, while in IrelandÉamon de Valera occupied the Áras and Fianna Fáil was in power with JackLynch as Taoiseach. It was a year of new innovations and a time of optimism.

By Simone Orr

In South Africa, Christiaan Barnard per-formed the first heart transplant. The firstlive television satellite link-up in the worldfeatured the Beatles performing All YouNeed Is Love to an audience of over 400million people. It was the year FrancisChichester became the first man to sailaround the world single handedly. Elvismarried Pricilla. Dustin Hoffman got se-duced by Mrs. Robinson in The Graduateand the first disco opened in London. Youcould say it was the summer of love andthe winter of our discotheque.

Modern classical music was following itsown peculiar path and the world was ex-posed to what was termed ‘minimal music’as epitomised by Steve Reich and PhilipGlass.

It was against this backdrop, forty-fiveyears ago, that the Dublin Symphony Or-chestra (DSO) stepped on to the stage ofthe Eccles Street convent hall on Sunday,November 12th, 1967, and under the batonof Colin Block performed its first concert.The programme included the EgmontOverture by Beethoven, the Rosamundeballet music by Schubert, the Piano Con-certo in A minor by Schumann (withsoloist Veronica McSwiney), and Brahms’Symphony No. 2.

Admission was five shillings (students 2shillings and sixpence) and the programmenotes sold for a reasonable three pennies.By all accounts, the concert was very wellreceived and so began a musical journeythat continues to this day.

Three members of the Orchestra whoplayed in that concert still perform withus and coincidentally, they all play in thefirst violin section: Caitriona McKenna,Margaret Mulvey and Seoirse McCraith.Each has also led the orchestra on manyoccasions in their own inimitable style.

Three other members who have been withthe orchestra for over 40 years are DavidK’Eogh (trombone), Stephanie Griffith(leader of the viola section), Rosney Nulty(leader of the second violin section andorchestra archivist) and Howard Freeman(trumpet). It is this amazing dedicationthat has held the Orchestra together forso many years.

The orchestra attracts members frommany walks of life, many of whom have af-filiations with various unions such as theASTI, CWU, IMPACT and the INO, to namebut a few.

The DSO has enjoyed a special relation-ship with RTÉ through the National Sym-phony Orchestra (NSO), or RTÉ SymphonyOrchestra as it was known back in the1960s. Three of our principal conductorshave been members of the NSO: ColinBlock (horn) was the first conductor(1967-77), Padraig O’Connor (viola) thesecond (1978-1983), John Hughes, MusicDepartment, RTÉ, the third (1984-1997),and Fergus O’Carroll (Section PrincipalHorn), our present conductor, who hasguided us since 1997.

From 2005 until 2007 we performed withCiaran Crilly as our Principal Guest Con-ductor. Ciaran is also a guest conductorwith the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

John Kinsella who was Head of Music inRTÉ until 1988 is a patron of the DSO andalso has been a member of our violasection. He has composed a huge body ofwork including ten symphonies. Johncomposed the Celebration Overture espe-cially for the DSO to commemorate theOrchestra’s 40th anniversary in 2007.

One big change from the ensemble thatmade its debut 45 years ago is the multi-national make up of the present orches- Simone Orr

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

It is sad to say that Dublin is some-times looked down upon by certain in-stitutions of traditional music. At timesit seems that Dublin is “not quite asIrish” as, for instance, Clare, Sligo orKerry, each of which boasts long histo-ries of distinctive styles and highly re-garded native musicians, but Dublinhas a right to take its place among thegreat cultural centres, with its owncrop of unique musicians, not least ofwhich would be the Potts family, fromthe Liberties, and the O’Connor family.During the 1960s, Mick O’Connor wasthe leader of the Castle Céilí band andsince those days he and his wife, Ann,have produced a new generation of finemusicians, including internationallyrenowned fiddler, Liam O’Connor.

Liberty Hall also has a long tradition offacilitating culture in the city centre.The trade union movement worldwidehas always had its share of musicians,singers, poets and writers who haveunderstood that the battle for betterwages and conditions does not stopthere, but represents a constant striv-

ing towards human fulfilment, for whichculture plays a central role. James Larkinand James Connolly were known to havevision in this regard, Connolly commentingon the founding of a new theatre in LibertyHall in February 1916 as: “Next to the revo-lution, the greatest event of 1916.” DeliaLarkin, sister of Jim, formed the unionchoir in February 1912, which led to theformation of a drama group four monthslater. The Irish Workers’ Dramatic Class(trained by Delia Larkin) made its debut onSt Stephen’s Night 1912 with four one-actplays.

As part of the millennium celebrations, in2003, SIPTU decided to renovate and re-

structure the cultural space in Liberty Hall.This was seen as a means of reviving thehistoric role of that venue in the culturallife of the city and honouring the foundersof the ITGWU.

Traditional musician and MUI member DesGeraghty, then president of SIPTU, re-solved that the new space should be a wel-coming location for all those interested inthe arts, and put a particular emphasis oncommunity and trade-union based tradi-tional music and song.

The Clé Club was founded to correspondwith the opening of the new theatre andbar. Founding members included: SallyCorr; Tom Crean; Séamus Dooley; NóraGeraghty; Jimmy Jordan; Jimmy Kelly;Mary Maher; Jerry O’Reilly; Manus O’Rior-dan; Noel Pocock; and Kathleen Smyth. Itwas the unanimous feeling of the foundingcommittee that the different strands ofculture should not be kept separate, as isoften the case where you have music ses-sions, singing circles, céilithe or poetryreadings, but that the Clé Club should offera well-rounded variety of themes andartists through different disiplines.

It was agreed that to facilitate full partici-pation, a focus on the “living tradition”should be encouraged and that singers,musicians, poets and dancers, dabblersand aficionados should all be welcome tocontribute performances. Although this“open door” policy may have seemed like agamble at the time, it has so far workedvery well, possibly because the high stan-dard set in the early years established anorm, and the respectful attention paid toall who contribute has consistently givennewcomers the confidence to rise to thatstandard.

Another important principle of the clubfrom the outset has been affordability. Thisis reflected in the low cover charge (cur-rently €5) which is maintained no matterwho the invited guest might be, and therehave been some very prestigious guestsindeed!

Seán Tyrrell

Next year, 2013, marks animportant anniversary of thetrade union movement, a timeof major upheaval in LibertyHall when prevailing circum-stances brought matters to aboil, causing radical changeswhich represented new hopefor many, and a new outlet ofexpression for the downtrod-den worker was born. I amspeaking of course about thefounding of the Clé Club in2003. What? The Lockout?Oh well of course there isthat too… but we’ll getaround to that in due course.

Nora and Des Geraghty

A Decade o By Nora Ger

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

Among those who have performed at theclub are: Roisin Elsafty, Niamh Parsons,Peadar Ó Ceannabhain, John McEvoy,John Wynne, Liam O’Connor, Sean McK-eon, Mary Mac Partlan, Thom Moore,Paudie O’Connor, John O’Brien, CathalMcConnell, Vinnie Caprani, Peter “theRacker” Donnelly, Sibéal Davitt, JoeAitken, Geordie Murison, Noel O’Grady,Damien Dempsey and Andy Irvine. Thislist is by no means exhaustive, but givesa flavour of the diversity and richness ofculture embraced by the Clé Club.

Larkin was famously described by SeánO’Casey as a man who would put a rosein a vase as well as a loaf of bread on thetable, and it is this ethos that the CléClub has nurtured over the years, provid-ing entertainment for the masses and animpressive display for visiting tradeunionists from other countries, who havealways been most impressed with theclub and many of whom have kept intouch often sending others who havecome with high expectations and leftsatisfied.

The Clé Club house band, Liffey Banks,has played at trade-union events includ-ing fundraisers, conferences and demon-strations all over Ireland andinternationally. Members of the Clé Clubhave come to regard the club, its bandand many contributing singers as some-thing of a “cultural wing” of the tradeunion movement.

In 2009, to correspond to the anniver-sary of the founding of the ITGWU by JimLarkin, the club set up an annual festival,The Larkin Hedge School. Now in itsfourth year the festival, which is based inLiberty Hall, has provided top-quality lec-tures, classes, workshops, concerts, po-etry readings and sessions, and all withthe same emphasis on affordability and

full participation. The festival waschaired by Séamus Dooley, Irish Secre-tary of the National Union of Journalists,and run by a small but committed group.From the outset the LHS had the supportof SIPTU, the NUJ and other unions aswell as Poetry Ireland, which has been anenthusiastic provider of poets and spon-sor of poetry events. Mick O’Connor wasthe first Hedge Master, giving an illus-trated talk on the history of that famousDublin institution the Pipers’ Club.

In 2011 the LHS changed its date fromJune to May in order to join forces withthe ICTU and run events in conjunctionwith the Congress May Day festival, aweek-long series of cultural trade-unionevents.

Also in 2011 the LHS added an ambitiousproject in the form of the schools out-reach programme, sending musiciansinto the classrooms to talk to teenagersabout music and song. SIPTU’s TonyMurphy made overtures to local schoolthe Larkin Community College and theresponse was encouraging. The initialproject was well received and it wasdecided to broaden the scope in 2012.Poetry Ireland agreed to support aproject to have poet Macdara Woods andpiper Néillidh Mulligan combine forces tokeep the youngsters entertained andevoke their curiosity.

The Clé Club has moved house a coupleof times since 2003, moving to theStag’s Head, No. 1 Dame Court, in 2011after a spell in The Flowing Tide. Commit-tee membership has changed over theyears, as has membership of the houseband, Liffey Banks, but the club contin-ues to offer excellent value. Although ithas attained a certain amount of prestigeand is certainly well known in trade unionand traditional music circles, earning itsown entry in the second edition of FintanVallely’s Companion to Irish TraditionalMusic, it has maintained an informal,relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Agreat place to relax after a hard dayfighting for the rights of workers!

Information about the Clé Club and theLarkin Hedge School can be found on theclub’s website www.cleclub.wetpaint.comor you can contact the club atcleclub@gmail.com.

Nóra Geraghty is amember of boththe MUI and theNUJ. Editor of‘Irish Journalist’,official newsletterof the NUJ in Ire-land, she is alsoEquality Officer ofthe NUJ’s DublinBranch.

.

r

a

s

Nora Geraghty

Manus O’Riordan in full voice

Banjofest, l-r: Seán Óg McKenna, Padraig Drew and Barney McKenna

of Culture a Geraghty

Sound Post | Autumn 2012

RTÉ NSO Violinist,Tim Kirwan, RetiresFollowing a remarkable career of someforty-eight years as a violinist with theRTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (NSO),Tim Kirwan retired on 4th May last. Hav-ing first performed with the Radio ÉireannSymphony Orchestra (RÉSO) as a free-lance player in 1964, Dublin-born Kirwanwas appointed in August 1968 as a mem-ber of what was by then the RTÉ SO.Co-Leader of the RTÉ SO from 1984-87,Kirwan led most of the concerts duringthe years 1985-86. Blessed with staminaand good health, Kirwan hardly missed aday through sick-leave and displayed out-standing commitment, professionalismand dedication throughout his forty-eightyears as an orchestral player.

Prior to embarking on a musical career,Kirwan studied the violin at the MunicipalSchool of Music (now the DIT Conserva-tory of Music and Drama), Dublin, wherehis teachers were Clara Greene andJaroslav Vanecek.

At the time of his retirement, Kirwan hadbeen a union member for almost half acentury. He joined the Irish Federation ofMusicians and Associated Professions in1964 and, for seven successive years from1969-76, and again for the two-year pe-riod from 1977-79, he was a member ofthe Federation’s Dublin No. 2 Branch (RTÉOrchestral Players and Singers) Commit-tee. For the final three years of his career,he was a member of the MUI RTÉ NSOSection Committee.

Among union achievements duringKirwan’s period on the Committee in the1960s and 1970s were significant specialpay awards for musicians and singers in1969 and 1974; and the introduction ofsupplementary fees for musicians partici-pating in public concerts in which RTÉwas collaborating with external bodies orindividuals, and for which there was anadmission charge.

His more recent period on the MUI RTÉNSO Section Committee was dominatedby the repercussions of the major finan-cial crisis in RTÉ, including job losses andpay reductions.

Arts Sector SupportsThousands of Jobs

Tim Kirwan (Photo: Pat Gantley)

According to a new independent report published on 7th October,public funding through the Arts Council supports almost 2,270jobs in the sector. The report states that the posts generate an-nual turnover of €184 million and a return of €41.8 million interms of tax revenues, including income tax, PRSI and VAT. Thewider arts sector supports 20,755 jobs and contributes €336million in taxes.

Sounds ImpressiveIt has been said of the American opera sensation Danielle de Niese that, withher around, “not much else matters”. The remarkable thing about her Irishdebut, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra…, was that the whole performance,and not just the star attraction, mattered very much indeed.

…Under its regular guest conductor Neil Thomson…they [the RTÉ ConcertOrchestra] collectively dispatched the accompaniments with versatile stylis-tic aplomb and ensured that their own four numbers, by Mozart, Gluck, deFalla and Donizetti, were immeasurably more than programme fillers.

Andrew Johnstone, Music Critic, the Irish Times, 29th August, 2012, on theRTÉ Concert Orchestra concert at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on 24thAugust, 2012.

RTÉ Concert Orchestra (Photo: RTÉ)

8

The report, Assessment of the Eco-nomic Impact of the Arts in Ireland,which was written by Indecon and pub-lished by the Arts Council, reflects theposition in 2011 and updates Indecon’s2009 report on the sector.

Over the five year period up to 2012,the Arts Council’s grant-in-aid hasbeen reduced by €22 million or 25%,resulting in ‘very significant job lossessince the 2009 report and proportion-ate losses of VAT and other taxes tothe exchequer. In 2011, total ArtsCouncil funding amounted to €60 mil-lion.

The latest Indecon report states thatthe ability of arts organisations tosupport employment is directly re-lated to overall income of the arts or-ganisations. Pat Moylan, Chairpersonof the Arts Council, said that the re-port showed that, ‘with smart invest

ment, the arts are capable of stimulat-ing more job creation and economicactivity at a time we need it most’.

When the impact of the creative indus-tries, including film, video, publishing,advertising, software, radio, television,libraries, archives museums, etc., is in-cluded, the arts contribute €4.7 billionto the economy, supporting some77,000 jobs.

Pat Moylan (Photo: Arts Council)

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

Wallace was born on 11 March 1812 inWaterford city, where his father,Spencer, was stationed for a year as amusician with the North MayoRegiment of Militia from Ballina, hishome town. Wallace’s mother wasElizabeth McKenna of Limerick, wherethe couple married in August 1810.In 1816, following Waterloo, the regi-ment returned to Ballina, whereWilliam grew up in the years to 1823,when his father joined the 29thRegiment as bandmaster. At that stage,there were four children: a secondson Spencer Wellington, born 1814, withdaughters Susanna and Elizafollowing in 1818 and 1820 respectively.Susanna probably died young, butthe others, under their father’s tute-lage, all became professional musicians.William far outshone his siblings in mu-sical ability, however, and when thefamily left the army in 1826 and movedto Dublin, he developed his talentson violin and piano to virtuoso level. Inthis he was greatly influenced bythe internationally-known exponentsJ.B. Logier on piano, based in Dublin,and the visiting virtuoso, Niccolò Pa-ganini, who played at the Dublin MusicFestival of 1831. Hearing Paganini madeWallace determined to become aviolin virtuoso, and in 1834, before heleft Dublin for Australia, he played aviolin concerto of his own at a concertin the Rotunda. The death of theWallaces’ mother in Dublin c. 1830 wasprobably why William married, atage 19, the even younger Isabella Kellyof Blackrock, a decision whichbrought much unhappiness to both ofthem subsequently.

The Wallaces, including the father’s sec-

ond wife and young family,emigrated to Australia in 1835—36,where William stayed two years. Beingthe first virtuoso to visit Sydney, he washailed there as “the AustralianPaganini”. His marriage in disarray,Wallace, leaving his wife and son Willythere with relatives, crossed the Pacificand travelled on northwards to theCaribbean in the years 1838—40, andfinally entered the United States. Hewas fêted as a virtuoso on violin andpiano in New York in 1843-44, wherehis first compositions were published.After the success of Maritana, the am-bitious Wallace moved into the fieldof grand opera with his subsequentworks Matilda (1847) and Lurline(1847-48) for London . But the firstproved only a critical success, and thesecond had to be shelved for variousreasons, and was not staged until1860. In January 1848, Wallace, as-sisted by Franz von Suppé, had thedistinction of conducting the continen-tal première of Maritana at theprestigious Theater an der Wien inVienna.

In the years 1850—60, Wallace returnedto New York along with his sisterEliza, where he lived with his secondpartner, the German-born pianistHélène Stoepel. They had two sons. Heearned a living principally as asuccessful composer of salon music,but worked away steadily at operacomposition. He attempted no less thannine further operas after Lurlinebut, following its eventual success atCovent Garden in 1860, only three ofthem, The Amber Witch, Love’s Triumphand The Desert Flower weresubsequently staged on his return to

London with his second family in theearly 1860s.

In 1864, in his early fifties, Wallace de-veloped a heart condition, and spenthis last 18 months in Paris undergoingtreatment. Not recovering, however,and with the end in sight, Hélène hadhim moved to the south of France, tothe Château de Bagen in the HauteGaronne, in sight of the Pyrenées, thehome of her sister, the Baroness Marie-Thérèse de Saintegême. It was inthis romantic location that Wallacedied, surrounded by his second family,on 12th October, 1865. His embalmedremains were brought back to London,and he was buried in Kensal Green.Hélène returned to the USA with theirsons, Clarence and Vincent, and died inBrooklyn in 1885. Isabella Wallacelived on in Dublin until 1900, when shedied aged 87 in Phibsborough.Apart from the composer and hisimmediate family, the rest of the Wal-laces who went to Australia died thereeventually.

David Granthas just com-pleted a PhDon Wallace asa retirementproject withthe Open Uni-versity(2010). Histhesis in-cludes a newedition of theViennese ver-sion of Mari-tana (1848)

William VincentWallace (1812-65)A Bicentenary AppreciationBy Dr. David Grant

William Wallace was probably the greatest musician to come out of Ire-land in the 19th century, being a virtuoso of international renown onboth violin and piano. He made a trail-blazing world tour in the period1835-45, the first known virtuoso of any nation to do so. On his even-tual arrival in London, in 1845, he achieved fame overnight as a com-poser with his first opera Maritana which, becoming among the mostpopular operas in English worldwide, made his name internationally.However, its very popularity has obscured Wallace’s versatility as acomposer (for example, he published some 200 piano pieces and manysongs), and has eclipsed his five later completed operas, one of which,The Amber Witch (1861), is among the most ambitious grand operas inEnglish of the whole 19th century.

Dr. David Grant

William Vincent Wallace

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

The music world lost one of its leadinglights on August 10th 2012 with thesad passing of Doris Keogh, an inspira-tional and uniquely committed teacher.Professor of flute and recorder at theRoyal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM)from 1969-1993, she also taught at theDIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.Treating her pupils as her other “fam-ily” she gave of her time, life and homeas though we were all blood relatives.In her beloved Capriol Consort severalgenerations of flute and recorder play-ers performed music, song and dance ofthe renaissance and medieval era in fullauthentic costume, all painstakinglyresearched by Doris during visits to thegreat libraries of the world.

Born in Dublin in 1922, the daughter ofa professional flautist, her early musicstudies were with her father and laterat the Municipal School of Music,Dublin, where she met her future hus-band Val Keogh. She performed in the

Abbey and Lantern Theatres, and wasfirst flute of the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin,Orchestra. Working regularly with theRadio Éireann Orchestra, she was un-happy that women were paid less thanmen and campaigned for equal pay.In 1988 she received a MillenniumAward for her contribution to music inDublin and in 1993 was awarded anhonorary fellowship of the RIAM.

On September 8th, many of her formerstudents gathered with her Irish friendsand family in Dublin to pay tribute toher memory. A feast of music and songensued amid heartfelt personal trib-utes. It is a testament to Doris’ endur-ing impact on the international fluteworld that Sir James Galway wrote anextensive tribute that was read aloud atthe gathering.

Her students will never forget her andthe profound difference she has madeto their lives, giving them the opportu-

nity to forge careers that would neverhave been possible or imaginable with-out her. We thank her family for their in-dulgence in allowing us to invade herlife to such an enormous extent. Aboveall, we remember her irreverent senseof humour and infectious enthusiasmfor the flute and all things musical.

Catriona RyanFlute Section Leader, RTÉ NationalSymphony Orchestra

Obituary: Doris Keogh(16th April 1922 - 10th August 2012)

Times Past

The Joe Hayes’ Terpsichorean Band, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, 1929, l-r: Mick Hayes, Gerard Roche, Sam Prendergast,Jack Hayes, Maureen Hayes, Tommy Fry, Joe Hayes (Leader) and Jim Hayes. Joe Hayes was Treasurer of the IrishFederation of Musicians from 1962-65 (Photo: Hayes’ Collection).

Doris Keogh

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Sound Post | Autumn 2012

By Helen Ledwidge

William (Willy) Hofmann was a descendant of the famous Hofmann familyof violinmakers from Markneukirchen in Saxony. He was widely respectedfor his knowledge and skill as a violinmaker and restorer. His fatherWilliam Georg Hofmann was an apprentice to Ernst Glasel from one of theoldest violin making families in Markneukirchen. In 1906 William Georgcame to Dublin to work as a violinmaker in Gustav Meinel’s workshop; onthe outbreak of the First World War he was sent to a prisoner of war campon the Isle of Man.

Helen Ledwidge

William (Willy) Hoffman –Violinmaker and Restorer

After the war he returned to the shop inDublin and later he was made a partnerin the business. William Georg set up aworkshop in 1924 at Lincoln Place andin 1928 he married Violet Lane, theironly child William (Willy) was born in1929. At the age of twenty, Willy joinedhis father in the business, father andson working alongside each other intheir shop opposite the Dental Hospitalin Dublin. Willy didn’t enjoy making fid-dles, as he preferred restoring them. The Hofmanns’ honoured craftsmanshipbrought ‘love and skill’ to their work.Once, William Georg proudly repairedone of Ireland’s two Stradivari. Willy re-fused money for a repair to a Guadagninibecause he said, ‘It was a privilege tohave been able to examine it’. The Hof-manns were proud of the wood theyused, wood that was dried betweenthirty and fifty years, then cut with pre-cision across the grain, maple from Mit-tenwald, Swiss and Argentinean pine.

Clients who visited their shop all com-mented that you would stand in awe atthe collection of instruments hangingup and displayed in cabinets. Oneclient, well-known violinist Geraldine O’Grady, said: “It was a magic cave filledwith the smell of wood shavings, men-tholated spirit, and Willy’s cigars. Bothmen wore green aprons, the shop wallswere cluttered from ceiling to floor withall kinds of stringed instruments, somebehind glass doors. Violins, violas weredisplayed, and the walls were lined withframed photographs of clients.”

Willy’s father died in 1966. In his life-time he made twenty-six violins andone cello. In his old ledgers his list ofclients included nearly every ConventOrchestra in the country. His ledgerconfirms that he sold a Joseph Roccaviolin in 1926, a Jacob Steiner violinand a cello made by Tobin. Willy notedagainst each page of a small red bookwhen his father’s violins came up forsale and who was the owner of each in-strument; the book was updated untilWilly’s death.

Willy closed the shop in Lincoln Place in1972 and transferred his clients to hisnew workshop at Sydenham Road,Dublin. The five bed-roomed housesoon became cluttered with instru-ments. One observer who visited thehouse regularly said: “The amount ofinstruments in the house was astonish-ing. There were fiddles everywhereabout the house, they had a board overthe bath that held five cellos.”

After work, Willy played in Theatre Or-chestras, the Gaiety, the Royal, theCapitol, and the Olympia. At first hestarted playing on the violin, thenchanged to the viola ‘the love of his life’and then the double bass. Willy’smother Violet died in 1974. Three yearslater Willy married Aíne, who played thecello, and they sometimes played in thesame orchestra. They were happilymarried for 25 years.

In 1980 Willy moved to Kilpedder inCounty Wicklow and set up a workshopat his home. He worked at his father’sold workbench, using the same toolsthat were passed down to him. Willywas very proud of his father’s work andhad managed to acquire a cello madeby him. It was one of his most treas-ured possessions.

In the early 1990s, Willy and Conor Rus-sell formed a working partnership andthey opened a workshop in Greystones.A lifetime of inhaling dust and smokingtook its toll on Willy, who developedbronchial asthma, and emphysema andneeded oxygen daily. Willy retired fromthe workshop in Greystones in 1998,but he still worked from his cottage inKilpedder.

A gentleman well known for his senseof humour, he took an avid interest inyoung musicians and attended FeisCheoils on a regular basis. Years afterthe Berlin wall was taken down, Willywas invited to an exhibition inMarkneukirchen, Germany, his father’shometown. The organisers asked him

to display one of the violins his fatherhad made after he left Germany. A group of Willy’s clients organised atribute night for him in Merrion Square.His old clients from Ireland and abroadgathered to pay tribute to his crafts-manship. Willy Hofmann died in May2003 aged 73 years.

Somewhere out there are twenty-sixviolins and one cello, written on eachlabel Place of Origin Dublin and signedby William G Hofmann. The Hofmanntradition that had stretched fromSaxony to Dublin died too.

Helen Ledwidge lives in Kilpedder,County Wicklow, and presently worksas a Genealogist. Her recently pub-lished local history book ‘Kilpedder aHistory of its People’ includes an ex-tended arti-cle aboutWilly Hof-mann’s life.Helen wouldlike to thankAíne Hof-mann fortheir lovelychats aboutWilly’s life.If you wouldlike to pur-chase a copyof her bookplease sendyour details toledwidgehelen@gmail.com.

Willy Hofmann (Photo: By kind permis-sion of Áine Hofmann)

Printed by Trade Union Labour in Ireland.

INTERVAL QUIZ1. What is the title of Christy

Moore’s autobiography?

2. What nationality is Alan Burib-ayev, Principal Conductor of theRTÉ NSO?

3. True or false? Elvis Presley per-formed in Ireland.

4. Which character did Liza Minnelliplay in the 1972 musical film,Cabaret?

5. Who composed the well-knownDance of the Hours from the opera,La Gioconda?

6. From where does popular vocal-ist, Imelda May, hail?

7. Name the presenter of Jazz Alleyon RTÉ Lyric fm?

8. When did the RTÉ female orches-tral players secure equal pay withtheir male colleagues?

9. What is the new name of Dublin’sGrand Canal Theatre?

10. Who wrote the lyrics of the song,Raglan Road?

Answers below

Answers

1. One Voice. 2. Kazakh. 3. False. 4.

Sally Bowles. 5. Ponchielli. 6.The

Liberties, Dublin. 7. Donal Helme.

8. 1966. 9. Bord Gáis Energy The-

atre. 10. Patrick Kavanagh.

Liberty Hall, Dublin 1. Tel: 01-8586404 Fax: 01-6865567 E-mail: musicians@siptu.ie

Website: www.mui.ie

PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANSFull-time and Part-time Rock, pop, jazz, traditional and classical

MUI SUPPORTING THE ARTIST

SOUNDINGOFF!

The best instrument is the bag-pipes. They sound exactly thesame when you have finishedlearning than as when you start.

Thomas Beecham

Sound Post | Autumn 2012

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