Hornpipe Magazine Features abstracts Vol. 6

One of the most prolific writers of Irish dance history is John Patrick Cullinane. His history books and archives are often referenced, as he is the authority on the topic.

The Cullinane Archive Collection, a private collection, is believed to be the only Irish dance material archive in the world. The acquisition consists of some 4,000 items all computer catalogued. Cullinane collects, photocopies, catalogues and stores the 4,000 objects and admits the costly business is a labor of love.

The cherished collection includes sixty plus tape recordings with the great dance teachers, many of whom are deceased (including Aine Tuohy of Limerick, Cormac O'Keeffe of Cork, Essie Comnnolly of Dublin, etc). The photograph collection consists of some 800 or so photos dating from 1890, many of which were featured in his book on the history of Irish Dancing Costumes. Rare items in the archives include: an early minute book of the Irish Dancing Commission, original documentation of the Commission's TCRG and ADCRG qualifications set up, minutes of the very first Commission meeting seventy years ago, Tailteann Games certificates from 1924, 1928, and 1932, the original All-Ireland Oireachtas hand-cut medal, programs for feiseannas as the 1908 London Feis, and several thousand other items.

Genealogy: Search for Irish ancestors offers surprises, revelations and lots of satisfaction

A successful search to find your Irish ancestral roots starts at home. Your beginning and your conclusion will be best helped if you have an outline of the information you can get about your family working back from your immediate relations. If you have access to a computer, keeping up with records and discoveries is made easier. There is available software for genealogical research.

For many of Irish ancestry, the available information from immediate family members may be comprehensive. For others it will be hard work gleaning rudimentary information because so many multi-generational Irish families have migrated, normally from the east, to every other region of the nation.

The excitement of being in the presence of famous players manifests itself in ticket sales, press releases and music nirvana. Then there is that personal connection between the musician and the listener as heard on a CD in the confines of a headset on a bright or especially moody day. When the music feels perfect, the mind fabricates a tacit connection that remains long after the music stops. Intoxicating melodies dictate sensations of love and fancy. And so it is when the likes of Kevin Burke and Ged Foley work fiddle and guitar magic on any stage, as recently enjoyed outdoors at the annual Austin Celtic Festival in Austin, Texas.

Seeing legends Kevin Burke and Ged Foley in person wipes the slate clean of preconceived notions. The ticket holder is wrapped in a whole new experience. The duo's personal kitchen session style needs only a few chairs and a microphone. The smaller the venue the better the show.

During the gift-giving season, we have reviews of Christmas CD's, present ideas and lots more for your reading pleasure.

HORNPIPE tries to ensure that its readers have comprehensive information about the intricacies of all sorts of Irish and Irish-American cultural activities.

Chief among our interests in Irish dance and its competitive events that draw thousands of dancers in several nations annually. In recent years the competition has become so large internationally that competitors, and their families, need to know all they can about the code of conduct for teachers and adjudicators as well as the parameters of An Comision's oversight of these matters.

We hope that by publishing this code, dancers and their families will have a clearer idea of and appreciation for what it takes to be a teacher and/or adjudicator adhering to the traditions that have evolved from the history of Irish dance.

Manus Duggan Mine Disaster
Heroic Irish miner died for his co-workers and sparked a strike for safety laws

While the new Americans from Ireland tried to set up stable and prosperous lives in the east, thousands of others went west in search of gold or silver. Many wound up on the business end of a pick in Butte, Montana's rich copper deposits. The affect of this was to make Butte a city dominated by the Irish and also to be the cradle of the unionized drive to make mining safer.

Many lost their lives in mine accidents. The worst loss was 184 men, mostly Irish, who died in the Speculator Mine fire of 1917. Another 25 escaped certain death because one young Irishman was willing to give his life to save theirs.

On the night of June 8th, 1917, twenty-five-year-old Manus Duggan said goodbye to his wife and three children and left Butte's "Dublin Gulch" to join hundreds of other miners on the night shift at the Speculator Mine in Granite Mountain.

The mine worked two shifts and more than two thousand men mining copper for World War I. Dugan could not know that engineers had earlier been lowering a large insulated cable to run ventilation fans on lower levels. An assistant foremen accidentally touched the cable with his carbide light and it caught fire.

The Molly Maguires
Organized labor in US owes much of its progress to these fearless secret societies

Separating the history of the organized labor movement in the United States from that of the history of Irish immigration is not possible. And while much of the preface to the unionization of US industry in the late 19th and 20th century is written in the blood and tears of immigrants back to the Revolutionary War, organizing a labor force to bring industrial giants to their knees could only have been brought about by a group as bloodied and unbowed as the Irish of the eastern states 150 years ago.

The Molly Maguires offer the most prominent tale of how the Irish built the American labor movement on their backs and is also a chilling story of greed, murder, corruption and the sort of abuses of power that invariably incur the wrath of honest Americans. The Mollie Maguires were a secret society of Irish immigrants and coal miners in 1876 Shcuylkill County, Pennsylvania, who used violence against mine owners and officials who oppressed their attempts to improve working conditions in the mines.

At the behest of mine owners, the Pinkerton Detective Agency hired James McParland to infiltrate the Mollies, resulting in the arrest of 20 leaders, who were tried, convicted, and executed. McParland's testimony at the trials, and Allen Pinkerton's book on The Molly Maguires and the Detectives have shaped historical interpretations to the present day, painting the Irish as evil terrorists and the Pinkertons as responsible enforcers of law and order. The Mollies themselves left no evidence or writings, and remain mysterious. Not until J. Walter Coleman's 1936 book The Molly Maguire Riots did historical interpretation become more balanced.

There are a myriad of ways to establish or foster this cultural connection. This article offers some suggestions but is by no means a comprehensive look at all the available avenues of interest.

The vastness of Irish and Irish American contributions to the arts is immeasurable yet an interested individual who chooses an author, actor, director or artist of the Irish to study will find rewards abounding and connects to other Irish, Irish American, and American artists.

Famed Irish authors such as Oscar Wilde found adventure and peril while touring the wild west of the 19th century and were influenced by those travels in later writing. American poet Ezra Pound was a great friend and supporter of James Joyce who in turn influenced works by his fellow exiles such as T. S. Elliot.

The empty dance hall at the feis competition was sparsely illuminated. The silence broken by an occasional volunteer making last minute adjustments to the make-shift number stand that hails throngs of dancers to position. A stately looking man with silver hair, jacket and tie walked across the dance floor with a brisk cadence toward the musicians' area. Moments later, a one-handed light melody from the keyboard turned my eye again to the curious man. He stopped, picked up his accordion and adjusted the straps. He treated his instrument as if it were a child, and for one to walk by without acknowledgement would weem discourteous. Gordon Shaffer was that accordion player.

The theories of the origin of the black Irish type are as numerous as there are nations to which the Irish have journeyed, or been sent, in the past 1200 years.

Of all these theories, the most popular, and most maligned by pseudo-experts, is that a significant number of the Spanish sailors and soldiers of the final Armada assault on England survived the sinking of their fleet and made it ashore in the west of Ireland where, being Catholics, they were hidden from English officials and married into the community of Irish, believed to be largely red, or fair haired, people.

Critics of this theory claim that there would not have been enough Spaniards coming ashore from that epic sea battle to make a genetic imprint on an ethnic group such as the Celts of western Ireland. On the other end of the tale, is a similar story that runs through Spanish society that the numerous red-haired, green-eyed people in that population can trace their roots back to the many times, starting with the ninth century Flight of the Earls, Irish leaders and their families were welcomed in Spain because of their shared Catholic religion and mutual hatred of the English. In fact, the Chief of the Name for a branch of the O'Donnell clan is a Spanish monsignor named Leopoldo. The priest can trace his lineage back to an Irish rebel who fled the British and rose to be the prime minister of Spain at the time Columbus sailed for the New World.

A dark, slender figure sat on the barstool at the Tipperary Inn fielding questions from youngsters. The children came from all over the Metroplex area with some parents driving three hours to attend this rare workshop by one of the most celebrated Irish dancers of modern times.

Colin Dunne - unshaven, dressed in a t-shirt and baseball hat - would hardly be noticed drinking a pint at the bar. His quiet, unassuming nature suits a librarian and his slight, sinewy stature is that of a roughneck.

The mere mention of Colin's name to anyone associated with Irish culture and familiar with the dance world would know a celebrity is in the room. Colin Dunne is a nine-time World Champion Irish dancer winning his first World competition at the tender age of nine years. He has won eleven Great Britain, nine All-Ireland and eight All-England titles that continued until the age of twenty-two.

Piercing together Irish dance history is a delicate procedure. The process constantly evolves with each new interview and researched document. More times than not, there is either conflicting evidence or none at all to confirm what actually took place. Yet there are rare moments when opportunity presents itself and we glimpse into the past. Such a moment was recently granted when HORNPIPE interviewed Rita O'Shea-Chaplin.

Remember the 1950's scene? The world was healing from the destruction of World War II and Republican President 'Ike' Eisenhower secured two terms in office. Senator Joseph McCarthy stacked his dramatic cases against communist insurgents in America, as the nuclear disarmament and dismal cold war between communists and capitalists mounted. The polio epidemic, followed by a vaccine for its immunity, ended the disease for thousands. Television captured audiences with This Is Your Life, Liberace, Singin' in the Rain, and I Love Lucy projected a hopeful future, while rock and roll swung into age. Transistor radios and commercial airlines were just on the horizon.

1954 is when seventeen-year-old Rita O'Shea began her teaching career in Galway, Ireland, with the support and encouragement of her mother. Rita's first teacher, Lily Simpson Daly gave her the opportunity to take over the very school where she learned to dance. Today, Ms. Daly is a sitting member of An Coimisiún.

Volume 6, Issue 3

Figure Dancing - for Fun and for Feis

Figure dancing in the first instance is always a social experience. This is an important point for teachers to consider when teaching figure dancing. Without the development of team spirit you can never by properly prepared for competition. There are some dancers who will not move beyond the social dimension. They simply enjoy the social interaction and do not like team competition. The development of the social and competitive aspects of figure dancing is therefore two separate states of preparation for dancers.

It is natural for children, teenagers, and indeed adults to become part of a group or gropus throughout their lives. Many of these are social experiences and have nothing to do with competition. Groups very often do things together. They plan, organise, learn and in some cases perform. This can be in the world of music, drama, dance, and photography or in such activities as flower arranging or art. There are many more activities that could be added to the list. These groups have a number of things in comon:

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Volume 6, Issue 3

Peter Smith elected President of An Coimisiún

In his life, Peter J. Smith has been a "Mount Rushmore-like figure" in the world of Irish Dancing, serving as an early colonialist for An Coimisiún in North America, helping to perpetuate it and influence it, from the early beginnings of the "IDTNA-7" to the thriving organization of 600 that it is today. In fact, Peter has risen through the ranks of An Coimisiún to the most prestigious position in the world. Peter has been elected President of An Ciomisiún, but now the first North American President.

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Volume 6, Issue 3

July in Northern Ireland is always 1690

July, for most of Europe and the US is a month of vacations or the continental holiday. For the north of Ireland it is the "marching" season, that time when centuries old hatreds are brought to the riot barricades and rekindled in violence and eternal enmity. And the rest of the world looks on and wonders, "What the hell is the matter with those people?"

The actual basis for "The Troubles, violence from which has plagued Northern Ireland, and especially Belfast and Londonderry, for most of the past 35 years was a battle July 12th battle 314 years ago that was the final blow, hammering largely Roman Catholic Ireland down on the anvil of England's Protestant monarchy.

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Volume 6, Issue 3

Ancient Game of Hurling Gaining Foot-hold with US Athletes

The oldest and fastest field game in the world, Hurling is a sport that was created by the ancient Celts. Historians have proved that this unique sport was a regular past-time in Ireland for thousands of years. The first recorded reference to Hurling dates back to 1272 BC in the Irish county of Mayo.

Through the ages, the sport has blended into Irish folklore and many mythological heroes were depicted as master hurlers. The most famous of them was Cu Culainn. As a young lad named Setanta, he overcame a vicious hound by hitting his sliotar through the mouth of the hound with his hurling stick. As his reward, he earned the name Cu Chulainn, "The Hound of Cooley".

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Over the past two years, the issue of dress design copyright has been more and more talked about, with Internet message boards often humming about who copied what, and what should or can be done about it. Would that it were as simple as shutting off someone's video camera, but copyright law is not static; it changes and evolves as new cases set new precedents, and often dressmakers and clients alike are left wondering what's legal and what's not.

Enjoying down time at Philadelphia Nationals:
Cultural attractions, special interest attractions, historical sites, religious sites

The fact is that some of the best things to do and see are free - or close to it.

For families traveling to the nationals, that's great news. Check out the low-cost or no-cost attractions, including historic Independence Hall, the flavorful Italian Market, the hi-tech production line of Herr's Potato Chip Factory and Fairmount Park's rustic trails. All attractions are free and located in Center City Philadelphia unless otherwise noted. Some of the attractions may request a suggested donation from visitors.

The five Sullivan Brothers joined the Navy after the infamous Pearl Harbor attach that hurled the United States into WWII. They were granted a disastrous request to 'stick together.' All were lost with the sinking of the USS Juneau at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

By the time World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, Middle America was bread-basket and grocer to an entire nation. Many Americans thought that Hitler was an altogether awful individual but that all that fuss across the Atlantic was not our business. Besides, hadn't we settled things over there in the War To End All Wars in WWI?

With 60 plus years of hindsight, we now know that had Americans maintained their distance from the needs of free Europe we might have wound up fighting the Nazis on our own soil. Still, it took Pearl Harbor to convince Americans that we were in the greatest peril in our history.

With the explosive growth of feiseanna across the length and breadth of North America, Irish dancing here is experiencing the business results of a revolution started a decade ago by "Riverdance."

The popularity of Irish dance on this continent is best evidenced by the growth of so many schools operated by the most respected and able dancers of the past 30 years. Often a school and a feis are inextricably linked with many a feis sponsored by a school as a for-profit or non-profit event which aids dancers in their move toward championship ranks while fueling public interest in the art further.

With idea in mind that the evolution of a feis under US business practices may present some new considerations to school owners, teachers, parents and the public, HORNPIPE offers some insights gleaned from the feis business experiences of some veteran producers in the US.

When we look back at any period of time we learn. That is the value of history and it includes our own history as a person. We can recall things that we could have done better. We can remember the plans that were made and not implemented. We can list the promises made and not kept. We can even remember some of the Hew Year resolutions that were made with clear determination. Don't worry you are in good company. Every person will have had similar experiences. The most important question to ask ourselves however, is can we be different in the future?

About the time the Irish were defending their shores against the Vikings, Polynesians were riding half logs across the Pacific coral to invent surfing. Centuries later, that sport arrived half way around the world to let the Irish and visitors ride the waves on the Ireland's coasts.

In 1962 Kevin Bray read about surfing in the Readers Digest and had tried to ride a skim board. His second board was marine plywood and he became Ireland's first kneeboarder. Kevin finally ordered a balsa kit board off to the States with a side trip to Hawaii and legendary Sunset Beach where he was pounded by 12-foot waves. In California Kevin tried his first fiberglass board and he surfed Rincon and Huntington Beach. He returned home convinced that Ireland could be a spot for surfing.

Tomás Ó Faircheallaigh died in January, 2004 at a nursing home in his native Dundalk at age 99. He was one of the great gentlemen of Irish dancing. For many years he was a familiar figure to all as he slowly strode around the halls during both the All Ireland and World Championships, greeting his friends from the world over. He was a beloved and featured reader of the stories during the dance drama events, an exercise in which he took great pleasure.