Sister act

It could be all about numbers with the Geoghegans: five musical sisters, 17 all-Ireland gold medals, scores of silvers and bronzes, dozens of instruments: one family. But mere numbers can"t truly add up to what these girls represent in the world of music. Lisa, Aileen, Breege, Aoife and Niamh, ranging in age from 23 to 12, are a new generation carrying forward venerable traditions with talent and enthusiasm. Of course family ties in Irish music are not unusual and five sisters playing together may not be unique. But these sisters definitely have a rare combination of talents and characters that makes them worthy of attention. Lisa is the oldest of the five and was "spokesister" when it came to answering Anglo-Celt Plus questions, such as the obvious one: What"s it like playing traditional sessions with your sisters? 'It"s great to have them,' said Lisa. 'It"s different to classical music. Trad is great, you"re meeting other musicians and you have each other too. With classical you only have one or two outlets a year and you"re up on a stage on your own - there are only a few other musicians doing the same thing.' As those comments indicate, Lisa"s background is in classical music, which isn"t as social as the traditional scene, where there"s craic, fleadheanna and travelling across the country, but she still plays classical (mainly at events such as weddings) and teaches. She is also studying on-line for a primary school H Dip and has found that dedicating herself to it is not as challenging as it might have been, thanks to the discipline of music training. 'Especially classical,' Lisa agreed. 'You have to work your way up through the grades and give at least an hour an day to practise.' Does that discipline transfer to trad? 'Yes... in getting the music documented. It"s important for us to be able to read music. I know it"s been an oral tradition but sight reading and technique are important too.' Lisa points out that traditional is more relaxed and while it is about playing properly, it doesn"t focus on technique as much as classical: 'When you see it written down, it gives you a better idea of how to use it across different instruments and styles,' she adds. The formalities of musical technique aside, how do five sisters manage to get on and collaborate so well? Lisa says that up till the last year or two they had some clashes of personalities, but now 'we"re more accepting of each other'. 'It"s good for Niamh to be able to see that, and the four of us older ones get on well together. Now she"s starting to play with us more, gigs and sessions, she"s picking up tunes by ear and that sort of thing, which she never would have done before.' The girls have their individual strengths according to Lisa: Aileen and Aoife are multi-instrumentalist and quick to pick up a tune; and Niamh is heading the same way. ('She"s learned quite a few instruments very quickly.') Breege is mastering a difficult instrument (uilleann pipes; she"s an all-Ireland champion): 'None of the rest of us could get a note out of them,' and my own forte is classical, Lisa concludes. The girls" father is Bernard, who says there is some history of music in his family and in that of his wife Mary (nee Duffy), whose nephews and nieces in Downpatrick are also accomplished musicians. 'They would"ve played a lot of music in my family home over the years too,' said Bernard, explaining how it all begin. The older girls started their musical careers at eight and six, on fiddle and button accordion with the late Vincent Tighe in Munterconnaught. A few years later Breege and Aoife took up the same instruments, said Bernard, acknowledging the 'wonderful influence that Vincie had on their music'. Vincie sadly passed away last month. He was well known in Comhaltas and was the main reason the Geoghegans joined the Munterconnaught Branch of CCÉ. Niamh learned concertina from her cousin Kate Marquis (who was also a pupil of Vince"s) and is now the 2008 all-Ireland champion at U12. When did Bernard discover his girls had musical talent? 'You don"t discover something like that. It"s a thing that I keep saying to everybody... all children can learn music if they get a chance - you don"t lift a fiddle and play it the first day. 'We gave them a chance to learn music, and with their cousins being a bit older, they would"ve looked up to them too.' 'I suppose it would"ve started with just playing some sessions in my parents" house, but we sent them to lessons when they were six, seven or eight, around that age. 'They never had too much difficulty learning... again it"s like anything else, sometimes you"d have to tell them to do it and sometimes you wouldn"t have to tell them.' Bernard explained that family holidays took in Irish festivals and they always had a week at all-Ireland fleadh time. The girls also went to summer schools in Drumshambo each year and 'it would become a little bit like a holiday; they"d see other children of their age who were doing the same thing. It became a bit of fun, they" weren"t the odd ones out any more.' As their skills developed the sisters learned new instruments, from harp and classical piano, to whistle, flute, mouth organ, melodeon, banjo, mandolin and drums. They have learned from men such as Padraig McGovern, and joined Breffni Ceili Band under Philip Clarke. Now Lisa and Aileen are passing on the skills, taking charge of underage bands, and have already won a number of Ulster titles. Of course the sisters have much more going on in their lives than music: Lisa (23) is teaching at St. Claire"s NS and is in final year at college; Aileen (20) is in third year of business and accounting at Maynooth; Breege (18) is in first year of business and law at Maynooth; Aoife (16) is doing her Leaving Cert at Loreto this year; and Niamh (12) is a first year at Loreto. So, Bernard and Lisa, what have the highlights to date been? 'The all-Ireland fleadh,' said Bernard. 'They meet up with their cousins and play together.' Lisa agreed: 'Tullamore was one of the best,' she said, adding that playing with her sisters is also a big attraction, especially as they don"t all live together now and getting together is a bit of an occasion. If you want to see and hear the girls, go to the Shamrock in Killeshandra on a third Saturday.