Mrs. Elizabeth Crotty must have been dancing with delight in the afterlife. The legendary concertina player would be astounded that one man playing that iconic instrument could fill a large hall and be so rapturously received. It was a memorable concert in Dublin’s most eclectic venue with excellent sound quality and a deeply appreciative audience. The opening performer, singer-songwriter Niamh Regan from Galway, set the stage beautifully.
Begley began by strapping on wrist supports for each hand. His playing of the larger bass concertina requires strong and forceful actions. The instrument is extremely versatile, with built-in plaintive tones for slow airs and laments and powerful, percussive sounds (enhanced by rods attached to one of the concertinas) for marches, polkas, and slides. He brought a collection of instruments: bass, baritone, anglo, piccolo, and a baby concertina. And took the time to educate us about the origins of the instrument with short demonstrations on the “Jew’s Harp” and the harmonica, precursors of the concertina.
The range of ethereal tonalities and deep sighs he draws from the “breathing” box is extraordinary. I hear echoes of Doug Weiselman’s bass clarinet on Martin Hayes’ The Blue Room Album or, from an earlier era, Steve Cooney’s didgeridoo playing on the album, Meitheal, with Begley’s late uncle Séamus. The late Tony Mac Mahon is another clearly audible influence, and Begley played a set he put together for Tony’s 80th birthday concert.
Begley is a beguiling and brilliant figure among younger traditional players. From a famous West Kerry musical family, he has blazed a unique path playing solo and in various fruitful combinations with musicians such as Caoimhín O Raghallaigh, Martin Hayes, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Liam O Connor, Lankum and Lisa O Neill. Ye Vagabonds are frequent partners, and Brían Mac Gloinn from the duo was a guest at this concert, singing and playing mandolin. Begley first came up on my radar in a Myles O’Reilly film where he sits beside the Shannon playing the bass concertina. The sound was loud and loamy, like uilleann pipes from another dimension.
During his wry and funny interstitial comments, Begley noted that Kerry people don’t come to Dublin to take part: they come to take over. Which he did, as storyteller Eamon Kelly used to say, with a group of West Kerry set dancers, two cousins on accordions and concertinas, and Stephanie Keane, a loose-limbed traditional dancer from Limerick. His mother was in the audience too but with his vigorous, virtuoso playing gave her no opportunity to use any of the cryptic put-downs he ascribed to her on the night.
The concert was the musical highlight of my Spring visit to Ireland. I went with my son, Bryan, who heard plenty of Irish music growing up in our family, but Begley upended his perceptions of traditional music. He was deeply impressed. “I was blown away by his interaction with the crowd and the enormous energy it took to captivate the audience with the squeezing of a small musical box. A powerful performance of incredible music by one of Ireland’s future greats.”
Additional Resources on Cormac Begley and other concertina players
Myles O’Reilly’s film, Backwards to go Forwards, was the one that introduced me to Cormac Begley and other cutting-edge Irish artists. There’s more of him on YouTube
Siobhan Long’s Irish Times interview and album review of Begley’s second album, B, is profound and penetrating:
A (very) partial list of concertina players and recordings:
There are a number of women concertina players who continue the Mrs. Crotty line. Mary McNamara is a concertina master from the Clare tradition. Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Edel Fox are two well-known musicians who feature in The Irish Concertina Ensemble alongside Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, Pádraig Rynne, and Tim Collins.
Noel Hill was the trailblazer who drew from a rich Clare traditional background but expanded it exponentially. He is a noted concertina teacher who gives classes in the United States.
His melancholic playing on I Could Read the Sky was a highlight of that film’s musical score composed by Iarla O’Lionaird.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Could_Read_the_Sky
Jack Talty is Noel’s nephew, and he is a composer and producer.
He plays music on piano and concertina and is co-founder of Ensemble Eriu, an innovative group rearranging some traditional ideas.
https://www.improvisedmusic.ie/listen-discover/artists/ensemble-eriu
Niall Vallely has been one of my favorite concertina players for years. He composes a lot of his own music, and his playing has a “blues harp” and jazz feel to it. His three albums are Buille and Buille 2 and, the most recent, BuilleBeo.
http://www.niallvallely.com/Home.html
A more recent, lively concertina recording comes from Phádraig Mac Aodhgáin/Paddy Egan.
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I so appreciate you Blogs, Tom. Your passion for the music is contagious. THANK YOUâ¦. (And, are you two back?) Jeff
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