Ó Súilleabháin, Mícheál, 1950-2018
Dates
- Existence: 1950 - 2018
Biographical Note
Musician, composer, and academic Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was born in 1950 in Clonmel in County Tipperary. He performed and composed Irish traditional music on piano and harpsichord and his musical activities also included arranging and producing. He earned his Ph.D. from Queen's University Belfast, writing his dissertation on the music of Tommy Potts. From 1975 to 1993 he was a member of the music faculty at University College Cork. He expanded UCC's traditional Irish music offerings and in 1990 spent a semester at Boston College as a visiting professor of ethnomusicology. In 1994 he was recruited by the University of Limerick to establish the Irish World Music Centre, later renamed the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. He developed and led the academy until 2016 and received many honors and awards. He died in 2018.
Source:
Festival program, Boston College "My Love is in America" Irish fiddle festival records, IM.M003.1990, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Vallely, Fintan, ed. The Companion to Irish Traditional Music. Third edition, Revised and Enlarged. Cork: Cork University Press, 2024.
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
- Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zw3kxr
Found in 7 Collections and/or Records:
Boston College "My Love Is in America" Irish fiddle festival records
Collection is open for research.
Recordings have been digitally copied; all original media was retained, but may not be played due to format. Use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Concert, 1990 March 25
Performances by invited fiddle players Kevin Burke, Liz Carroll, Seamus Connolly, Brian Conway, Johnny Cronin, Paddy Cronin, Tony De Marco, Martin Hayes, Eileen Ivers, James Kelly, Andy McGann, Johnny McGreevy, Brendan Mulvihill, Paddy Reynolds, Dale Russ, Martin Wynne, with Mel Mercier on bodhran and bones. Held in Boston College's Gasson Hall.
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Follow-up interview, 1990 April 19
This interview by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin of festival participant Paddy Cronin was conducted separately from the others, nearly a month after the festival, in the Boston College Audio-Visual Studio. Labeling of original media indicates that it was considered part of the festival.
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Interviews, 1990 March 26
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin interviewing festival musicians Johnny McGreevy, Andy McGann, and Johnny Cronin, with a musical interlude by Dale Russ. They interviews include both conversation and performance. They were recorded in the Irish Room of the John J. Burns Library the day after the festival.
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin lecture, "New Directions in Irish Fiddle Style", 1990 March 25
An illustrated talk by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin on the music of Tommy Potts (1912-1988).
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Music Promenade, 1990 March 25
The Promenade included the festival fiddle players and the Set Dancers of the Boston branch of Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann.
2:30 p.m. Fiddle session with invited fiddle players
3:30 p.m. Set Dancing with Larry Reynolds and Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann
4:30 p.m. Open session
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Performer meeting and sessions, 1990 March 24
Audio and video of the festival, including the public events on March 25, as well as the preceding performer meeting and sessions on March 24 and interviews recorded with select performers on March 26 and April 19. The performer meeting, liturgy, and lecture were recorded in audio, while the musical promenade, concert, and interviews with musicians were captured in both audio and video.
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.