Cork man launches book about the band that changed course of Irish music

FULLY illustrated with band photos, record covers, 400 musical arrangements and original handwritten scores, Ceoltóirí Chualann: The Band That Changed The Course Of Irish Music is a stunning tome.

Written by Cork musician Peadar Ó Riada, it charts the birth and rise of the legendary traditional Irish music ensemble, Ceoltóirí Chualann.

Founded by his father and Cúil Aodha’s most famous son, the iconic Seán Ó Riada, the book gives a fly-on-the-wall insight into the complex workings behind the scenes, as this trailblazing collective of Ireland’s finest musicians redefined the landscape for Irish music and, more broadly, for Irish culture, around the world.

Drawn extensively from the records of Éamon de Buitléar, Michael Tubridy, and the author’s family archives, the narrative is enriched by personal anecdotes and insights, particularly from Seán Ó Sé, who played a vital role in shaping the .

Peadar says the book is an homage not only to his father’s “genius” but to the “lads in the band for whom there is a great bond of love and affection”.

The fact that, as a young boy, Peadar sat in on all the rehearsals, breathing in the vibrant communion of energy, artistry, music, and later ed their ranks as a player himself, gives the a rare intimacy and authenticity.

The book offers an unprecedented look into the ensemble’s creative process through details of record dates, rehearsals, and performances/concerts, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the ensemble’s artistic journey, from studio recordings to live performances, emphasising the rigorous practice and dedication behind their memorable concerts and recordings.

At the heart of it all is Seán Ó Riada, a remarkable visionary whose commitment to preserving the traditions of “The Great Gaelic Nation” set him far apart from his peers.

“My father had a wonderful gift of languages”, says Peader. This included a penchant for Greek and Latin, and Seán had the same effortless gift when it came to reading and writing music.

Deputy Director of Music on RTÉ Radio 1, and Musical Director for the Abbey Theatre, his openness to pushing the boundaries for traditional Irish music by assembling a collection of the finest musicians in the land who were up to task (including the brilliant Paddy Moloney and Martin Fay, who later went on to form the world-renowned Chieftains), meant experimentation was possible.

This innovative process appeared to be a seamless, organic one.

Seán melded his love of traditional Irish tunes with his more formal classical training, which he completed at UCC under the late Aloys Fleischmann.

He wrote elaborate arrangements for the band, weaving complex orchestrations and contrapuntal melodies into traditional tunes which had been ed down, intact, through the generations.

My father was very clear-minded when it came to writing music. 

"He never did any advance rough notes, never preparatory sketch work. He wrote what he heard in his head”, explains Peadar. “Even his seminal work, Mise Éire, was written this way.”

“He was a genius.”

Seán Ó Riada had an innate understanding and appreciation for the blend of instruments, and devised a unique system within the band for modifying the colour and shape of each musical piece, every time it was played.

The book gives us intimate insights into these ever-evolving creative and symbiotic moments within the band, which are utterly fascinating.

This mélange of musical styles became their unique voice as a collective and was carefully and meticulously recorded in their Reacaireacht and Fleadh Cheoil an Radio programmes on RTÉ Radio 1 from 1962 to 1969.

Through his collaboration with Gael Linn, Seán Ó Riada began recording LPs. At a time when traditional music was marginalised, recording an album of Irish music was hardly considered a commercially sound decision. However, Gael Linn was an “innovative and bold” organisation, and took the risk.

The first LP was Poc ar Buile, sung by Seán O Sé. The success of the song surprised many.

“It became ubiquitous in all schools and community gatherings around the country,” insists Peadar, “and O Sé was nicknamed the Pucker, a name that has followed him around the world for the past seven decades.”

“There was a small cadre of creative and cultural people who made up the artistic pool of Ireland at that time,” explains Peadar, and his father Sean was at the epicentre.

It was no surprise that he attracted the attention of the late, great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, and there is a very funny anecdote in the book about his visit to the Ó Riada home.

My father was like the man at the front of the barricade, carrying the flag, aiming to feed the future with just enough of the past, says Peadar.

However, while there are hundreds of musical arrangements in this book alone, and a wealth of live recordings too, Peadar insists his father didn’t necessarily set out to create a massive repository of music for successive generations of musicians.

“My father kept everything,” explains Peadar, not out of “a sense of archival responsibility but because he couldn’t throw anything away.”

“He operated a heap-system”, he adds, “when heaps got too big, he would put them on the floor and start again.”

At a time when traditional Irish music was being marginalised, it is clear from the book that Seán and the band had a clear sense of responsibility and duty to the preservation of our innate culture.

They created a vast wealth of recordings and an abundance of meticulous notes and music, transcribed for posterity.

There are more than 400 arrangements in this book alone, making it a prized possession for musicians and enthusiasts alike.

In the words of Martin Hayes, fiddler, this book “is the extraordinary story of a musical vision that changed the trajectory of traditional Irish music. A seminal work that belongs on every music lover’s shelf.”

Ceoltóirí Chualann: The Band That Changed The Course Of Irish Music, by Peadar Ó Riada, is available in all good book stores now.

Peadar Ó Riada is a composer, musician, choir director and broadcaster.