Dundalk IT researchers present insights on local trad scene

Three music researchers Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) were to the fore at the recent Society for Musicology in Ireland and International Council for Traditional Music joint postgraduate conference held in Maynooth University. 

DkIT Irish Research Council (IRC) scholar Leandro Pessina reflected on fieldwork at music festivals in Drogheda, highlighting the potential of the town to continue to develop as a cultural destination but also the need for those involved in the festival to increase their connections to maximize their impact.

The second DkIT Scholar, Darren Culliney who is being funded by the Technological University Transformation Fund (TUTF), spoke about the videos created by branches of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann celebrating musical activities in Ulster, focusing in particular on the button accordion.

The Institute was also represented by postgraduate scholarship holder Colleen Savage, who presented research on Armagh singer Gráinne Clarke and her efforts through the 1970s promoting Irish language and song in South Armagh.

The three researchers are members of the Creative Arts Research Centre which is based in DkIT. This Centre has a number of projects concentrated on Irish traditional music, cultural heritage and festivals with a particular focus on Louth and surrounding counties.

The research seeks to engage with the local community to enhance, enrich and celebrate the cultural life of the region.

All three researchers are supervised by centre co-director Dr Daithí Kearney, with co-supervision from external partners including Dr Ioannis Tsioulakis at Queens University Belfast, Dr Verena Commins at Galway University, and Dr Gearóid Trimble of Foras na Gaeilge, who is also a board member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.