Ed Reavy Traditional Music Festival

Cavan to host major annual trad-fest from October 15-18

Concerts, céilís and sessions galore are crammed into four days to celebrate a local legend of traditional music. Cavan Town will come alive with music as many of the country’s most talented players come to take part in the first ever Ed Reavy Traditional Music Festival.
The accomplished Maudabawn fiddle player is famed for the sheer number of fabulous tunes he penned, many of which have won places in the hearts and repertoire of traditional musicians across the globe. Counted among his most cherished tunes are 'Maudabawn Chapel’, 'The Lone Bush’, 'Hunters’ House’.
Cavan Town Comhlatas Ceoltóirí Éireann are the driving force behind the event and they hope to capitalise on the special reputation the county built on its recent trio of All-Ireland Fleadhanna.
“The All-Ireland Fleadh that was held in Cavan set the bar for every other Fleadh in the country,” insists Gerry Tierney, chairman of the Ed Reavy Festival committee. After every Fleadh people now ask, 'Was it as good as Cavan?’
“We would like to carry that on with this festival and make it as big as the Joe Mooney Summer School in Drumshanbo and the Willie Clancy Festival in Clare. The quality of players, singers and dancers coming reflect that. The atmosphere will be fantastic and there’s lots of interest for everyone, young and old.
“A lot of Comhlatas branches organise festivals to celebrate local musicians and here in Cavan we didn’t have that, so we decided that we would honour a musician who people would look up to and Ed Reavy was top of the list,” explained Gerry.
Ed’s family estimate that over the four decades that he composed music he wrote several hundred reels, jigs, hornpipes and airs, many of which sadly were lost before his son began transcribing them.
“They are the ones that survive today and continue to be played worldwide by traditional musicians,” adds Gerry.
Appropriately the festival kicks off in Ed’s home townland with local and visiting musicians playing a welcome session at Gallonray House.
Some of Ed’s original recordings will be played as part of an historical exhibition and talk titled 'The Life and Music of Ed Reavy’ and featuring Aogán ” Fearghail, Antoin MacGabhann and Mick Moloney. This takes place on Saturday, at 4.15pm in the Cavan Crystal. On Sunday, after the Ed Reavy memorial mass in Maudabawn Chapel, there will be a visit to his ancestral home in Barnagrove. Antoin MacGabhann will give a short talk on Ed in nearby Gallonray House and a session follows.

Macalla Concert
Undoubtedly one of the festival highlights will be provided by Macalla na hÉireann on Friday night. This concert brings together the cream of traditional music talent drawn from Comhlatas Ceoltóirí Éireann groups across the four provinces and beyond. A fast moving and colourful show, it features 'A Historic Depiction of 1916’, and promises to appeal to both connoisseurs and casual fans of traditional music. Cork singer Sean ” Sé will perform MC duties.
“They are playing as part of their 14 date national tour and we are lucky to have them in Cavan,” enthuses Gerry, whose son Seamus, an All-Ireland Champion flautist represents Cavan branch Comhaltas in the all-star group.

Saturday Concert
A truly impressive line-up comes together for the Saturday concert in the Cavan Crystal. Glasgow-based four-piece Top Floor Taivers combine stunning vocals with piano, fiddle, harp, and ukulele to reimagine traditional folk tunes and create their own magical music.
Sharing the bill are the highly influential Shashkeen, who are famed for possessing a “unique spirit in traditional Irish music”. Having honed their show performing for audiences worldwide, Shashkeen will dig into their 15 album strong back catalogue for songs, hornpipes, jigs and reels to get the dancefloor hopping.
In addition, the performance by the 'Ed Reavy Ensemble’ will see young talented musicians come together under the direction of Antoin MacGabhann to play a selection of tunes, which capture the style and vision of the renowned composer. Meanwhile the winners of Mullahoran CCÉ’s Battle of the Band night earlier this year will also demonstrate why they justifiably came out on top in the tough competition.

Dances
A series of céilís under the banner 'Dancing in the Drumlins’ reawakens a festival, which has been gently slumbering in recent years. The welcome céilí takes place in The Backyard at Moynehall on Friday night with the lively Rise the Dust band. On the Saturday it’s the turn of the powerful Striolán to provide the tunes, this time in the Cavan Crystal. The final festival céilí sees Shaskeen play a three hour set, again in the Cavan Crystal, on Sunday afternoon. All céilís will include a caller, so beginners are more than welcome to kick off their heels and join in.

Session Trail
A trad festival wouldn’t be complete without a session, and the Ed Reavy Festival boasts sessions a-plenty.
Sunday will see an amazing selection of musicians provide the mother of all sessions in venues spanning Cavan Town. The Session Trail starts off with a breakfast session in The Farnham Arms at 11am, and continues in the Luna Bar, the Blackhorse Inn, Blessings Bar, the Cavan Crystal and ends in the Imperial Bar that night.
In addition to the welcome session in Maudabawn’s Gallonray House on Thursday, there’s also session in the Cavan Crystal lobby on Friday evening (Cavan branch CCE) and Saturday night (Shaskeen, Grainne Brady and Antoin MacGabhann).
On Saturday afternoon the Meadowview Inn hosts a singing session led by Aoife Murray, Theresa McManus, Gerry Hennessy and Seamus Fay.

Cavan Crystal Workshops
Reflecting Ed’s compositional mastery, Gráinne Brady from Gowna will host a workshop on Sunday to help musicians tap into their creative soul. A thrilling fiddle player, Gráinne is a driving force in Glasgow’s folk scene and has an impressive wealth of tunes to her name. Organisers have also enlisted top musicians to pass on their expertise in fiddle, banjo, mandolin, whistle, flute button accordion, concertina and singing on the Saturday and Sunday.
Each of the tutors will encourage the workshop participants to then join them in a session at 5.30pm to play the tunes they’ve been working on in the course of the day. The dancers get their turn with sets and sean-nós workhops under the guidance of Mick Mulkerrin and Kathleen and Michael McGlynn.

Extra extra
The ever popular playwright and actor Seamus O’Rourke will bring two of his crowd pleasers to the stage in the first productions at Cavan’s Town Hall Theatre since it was reimagined as a creative hub. The Leitrim man performs Indigestion on the Friday evening and Padraig Potts Guide to Walking on the Sunday; both at 8.30pm.
A late addition to the programme is a Farm health and Safety event in the Backyard (see p61 for more details).
Comhrá Gaeilge for Leaving and Junior Cert students will be taken by Catherine Rudden on Saturday afternoon followed by local placename translations in Irish with GAA President Aogán ” Fearghail and Anglo-Celt columnist Peadar ” Bradaigh.

For more
Log on to www.cavantowncomhaltas.ie for more or check out 'EdReavyTradFest’ on Facebook.