The Tunney family of Letterkenny has announced a fitting tribute to their late father, the legendary musician Paddy Tunney.
To celebrate the relaunch of their father’s memoir, the Tunneys will host a special concert taking a journey through songs and stories from the The Stone Fiddle: My Way to Traditional Song.
The family will perform songs, poems and extracts from the book at a unique performance in the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny on Wednesday July 10th at 8pm.
The event which is being run in association with the Regional Cultural Centre and Ceol na Coille, will feature two generations of the family who will be joined by special guests Mairead Mooney, Lillis O Laoire, Rita Gallagher, Shauna Mc Geehan (nee Mullen) and Michael Carey.
Paddy Tunney (1921–2002) was a traditional singer, poet, writer, raconteur, lilter and songwriter, often affectionately known as the ‘Man of Songs’. Originally from Fermanagh, he lived and worked most of his life in Letterkenny.
The late Paddy Tunney
Paddy was heavily involved in the cultural and sporting life of Letterkenny and was involved in the set up of the local Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann along with Hughie Mc Govern back in 1957, he was involved in the International Folk Festival and the Letterkenny Feis in the 1960s and 70s and was an active member of St Eunan’s GAA in the 1970s.
He married Julia Bradley who hailed from Manorcunningham and they had six children – Paddy, Cathal, Brigid, Michael, Maura and John.
Commenting on the event, Michael Tunney, retired Head of Enterprise in LEO Donegal, said “We are excited about the upcoming event in the Regional Cultural Centre. Our father instilled an interest in traditional singing in us through osmosis – he was always singing and telling stories. Then he wrote the Stone Fiddle and we hope that through the new edition and the performances that we are doing, that we can create further awareness of his singing, songs and legacy. And we are having some fun at the same time”.
Originally published in 1979, The Stone Fiddle: My Way to Traditional Song is a dazzling evocation of Ireland in the first half of the 20th century, particularly the Donegal-Fermanagh hill country above Lough Erne – its political undercurrents, its people, culture, folklore and superstition. It is the perfect book for fans of Irish traditional singing and those looking to expand their own singing repertoire.
Coming from a wonderfully rich singing tradition, spanning back to the decades before the Great Famine, Paddy Tunney’s song repertoire has few rivals. The Stone Fiddle features over 60 of these songs and Paddy, in his distinct and direct authorial voice, tells a tale for them all. With an uncanny knack for weaving a riveting yarn, Paddy brings these tales to life in lyrical detail and readers will feel as if they are right next to him at the hearth all along the way.
He was renowned for his rendition of ‘big songs’ such as ‘Mountain streams Where the Moorcock Crows’, ‘Craigie Hill’, ‘The Green Fields of Canada’ and ‘Moorlough Mary’.
With the original foreword by Irish author and broadcaster Benedict Kiely and a new introduction from Paddy’s son, Dr John Tunney, The Stone Fiddle will enable a new generation of traditional folk singers to discover the oral sources of such gems as: ‘As I Roved Out’, ‘The Mountain Streams Where the Moorcocks Crow’, ‘The Rollicking Boys Around Tandragee’ and even some songs that have never been recorded. This new edition also features several additions intended to enrich the reader’s experience, including photographs, maps and a full index.
Tickets costing €10 are available from www.tunneysongtraditiontrust.com and https://restringingthestonefiddle.eventbrite.ie
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