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Shaped by generations of anonymous folk performers, who performed in kitchens, pubs, and celebrations throughout their country, Irish traditional music remains a complex and illusive art. You can enter this unique musical community of true Irish roots performers who've kept the light on for centuries-old tunes, but only after a long and discerning apprenticeship and a sustained relationship with this living tradition.
Performers Gearoid O'hAllmhurain (from County Clare, Ireland) and Patrick Ourceau (from Paris) enjoy unique and coveted positions within the extended family of Irish music makers on both sides of the North Atlantic.
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On February 3, the main floor of the historic Newtown Meeting House building held one of its largest crowds ever, as the pews of the former church building filled with traditional Irish music fans of all ages.
Concertina and uilleann piper Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin (pronounced "O'Halverawn") and fiddler Patrick Ourceau, a celebrated traditional Irish music duo, presented a concert that lasted, with an extended intermission, nearly three hours Saturday night.
Ó hAllmhuráin and Ourceau used humor mingled with history to present a concert of music that would have had an audience dancing had they not felt uncomfortable doing so in a former house of worship. The music maker in Ireland, said Dr Ó hAllmhuráin, is as important as the poet, the corporate executive, the politician, the preacher, or the airline pilot in Ireland, because the music maker not only entertains his or her audience but also educates. The contemporary Irish musician serves as a tradition bearer, folk composer, professional entertainer, and is a cultural, economic, social, and educational resource.
The concert was flawless, but before the concert began, the entertainment was already in swing. Patrick Ourceau spent a few hours Saturday afternoon at Fairfield Public Library offering a fiddle workshop which allowed him to work closely with the students. Dr Ó hAllmhuráin, one of the world's leading folklorists of Irish music, also presented a lecture at Newtown Meeting House last weekend.
The appeal of the music performed at the meeting house last weekend was unavoidable. The tunes were primarily lively, and foot-tapping was all but mandatory at the show - it couldn't be helped, really. From the first tune, some of the biggest fans sitting in the front rows of the room started tapping their feet in rhythm. Some hit their canes on the floor, others clapped their hands.
As the show continued, the tapping slowly made its way to the back of the room, and by the end of the evening a few brave souls let their guard down completely and let out a few whoops and yee-haws.
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