‘We can’t take it for granted, we have to continue to give these opportunities to young people’ – Nodlaig Ni Bhrollaigh

Nodlaig Ni Bhrollaigh’s association with Feis Dhoire Cholmcille began when she was around 12 or 13-years-old.

Now most closely associated with her harp school Scoil Ruaidhrí Dall, recently critically albums and live performances, Nodlaig’s musical beginnings are cemented in the classical tradition. However, for her lifelong involvement in and deep love of music, both in the classical and Irish traditional genres, she fully credits her parents, Anne and the late Francie Brolly.

She said: “My parents were big folk singers and very rooted in the traditional music scene, but they had a great appreciation for classical music as well and I think that my father in particular would have seen the advantage of being able to read music and learning classical music in a formal way.

“At that time, Derry city, despite the Troubles, had so much happening in the classical music scene. To learn it necessitated a trip into Derry and you had to allow plenty of time because there was such a military presence in the city at that time.

“I started learning piano in Derry when I was four and then progressed onto the flute. I took a real notion that I would love to play the flute and started learning with Patsy McShane in Bridge Street. My daddy used to bring me in there every Saturday morning and sit in the car reading the Irish News until my lesson was finished.

“I was very lucky with Patsy McShane because not only was he a wonderful teacher he was such a kind man and a true gentleman. He really nurtured my talent and saw that I had musicality, but he was also able to reign me in. We’d be playing Bach or something and I’d be giving it heart and soul and he’d say, ‘lay off a bit there daughter’. He saw that I was quite expressive. Patsy recommended that I go into the orchestra which was another great aspect of being involved in the classical music scene at that time.

“The two big major competitions at that time would have been the Derry Feis and the Londonderry Feis. You would have had near enough the same competitors in both. For me, exposure to other musicians, other styles and other instruments just opened my mind because it complemented everything I was doing not only as an individual performer but within the orchestra as well. It gave you a focus but also a benchmark to improve.

Nodlaig’s son Dualta Ó hEaráin, winner of the classical piano competition under 14 at Derry Feis in 2024.

“What I can remember at that time too was that the standard was very high, and it was really, really competitive. Around that time, you would have had Ruth McGinley and Cathal Breslin and Gerard McChrystal and the opportunity to hear them in different competitions as well.

"We all came through that together and had wonderful teachers, and we got the chance to compete and develop our performance. We opened our minds to other styles and interpretations which is so important to any musician’s career development. As it happened, we met each again other down the road later”.

Taking it to the next level

As time passed however, any burgeoning adolescent thoughts of taking music to the next level was effectively taking out of Nodlaig’s hands.

She continued: “Patsy McShane then said to me when I was about 16 and I’d won at Derry Feis that year that a good teacher knows when they’ve taken a good student as far as they can and when the student starts to outperform the master it’s time to move on. I was really broken hearted to leave him because I’d been with him for about eight or nine years. We’d covered a lot of ground between the feieseanna and the orchestra, so he gently persuaded me to take the next step.

“I went then to the Ulster College of Music to continue my studies in the flute and then got a distinction in my Grade 8 and won the overall award for wind instruments and in the same year (1996) Cathal Breslin took the overall award in piano. So, as I said we met each other down the road again.

"I was then lead flautist in the National Youth Orchestra in Dublin and Ruth McGinley was a guest performer in the National Concert Hall along with the orchestra. We were just blown away by her talent. I remember just feeling so proud that here was a girl from Derry that I would have known from the feis days and here she was. Everyone in the orchestra was just mesmerized by her. That was an amazing experience.

“So, we’ve all met again at different stages of our careers and now I’ve been working with Gerard McChrystal and we were both taught by Patsy McShane. Gerard recorded on my album ‘Cuimhní Rúnda’ (Hidden Memories) and has agreed to play on my next album ‘Mullach na Spéire’ (The Canopy of Heaven) and Ruth McGinley is going to perform on it as well. So, this really highlights on the type of talent that was nurtured in Derry at that time.

Keeping the music going

“I suppose you could say that the likes of my mother and father and the people who were involved in the feis they appreciated that keeping the music going was more important than ever in the context of the conflict. It was so important that young people wouldn’t miss out and would get that opportunity. Strangely, now I feel the same because of the way the world is.

Nodlaig Ni Brollaigh, winner of classical flute competition under 16 years at Feis Dhoire Cholmcille in 1992.

“With technology it is even more important that Derry Feis is supported and people are encouraged to play music, develop their performance skills and open their minds to that whole creative experience by participating in the feis, because it will open so many doors for them as they move through their life – not only in a musical sense, but it terms of that connection with other people and to many other possibilities.

“There’s a lack of real human connection and I think that music is one of the real forms of connection. Music brings people together and allows them to gather in a very special way and the live performance and engaging with an audience in real time is much more valuable a human experience than any of the digital experiences we can have.

"Artificial intelligence is going to take over a lot, but even as someone who enjoys listening to music, there’s nothing that can beat going to listen to a performer play live and hear how they approach the music and that tangible connection that you have. You walk away feeling something really special and you just cannot get that from the digital experience.

“As a community, it is important that we remember that the reason Derry Feis was founded was to give young people an outlet and to support their musical development and enhance community life.

"We are seeing the breakdown of communities in this digital age so we must support Derry Feis because that’s what brings us together and reminds us really of what it is to be human, to be a community and to share a very real experience. Our communities are so important, and I know people in Derry feel that way, but we can’t take it for granted, we have to make sure that we continue to give these opportunities to young people – to perform, to create and to learn”.

As a teacher, Nodlaig’s involvement with Feis Dhoire Cholmcille these days is to bring her young musicians and vocalists to compete every year without fail in the traditional music section.

“We’ve had harpers and singers compete for around the last 15 years. It’s a brilliant opportunity for our young traditional musicians to get that experience and build their confidence and style before they go to compete at the fleadh. So, it really is an important date in the calendar for us as traditional musicians.

Scoil Ruaidhrí Dall harpers from Dungiven competing in the traditional harp competition last year.

"The adjudicators are fantastic, so you get that constructive feedback which even for me as a teacher I find very valuable. I would always go in and listen to the competitions take the feedback and then use it to improve for next year and for other competitions.

"Our harpers have done really well, and it’s been brilliant for them and for building their confidence. We are really proud of our association with the feis and it’s something that we will definitely be continuing,” Nodlaig said.

Full circle

As well as having her students compete at Derry Feis, personal involvement at the institution has come full circle for Nodlaig with her own children now participating competitively.

“My children are involved in both the traditional and classical sides of the feis. At the minute I have the piano trophy under 14 that my son won last year. Interestingly, when I looked at the trophy on there is Aideen Hughes name. She’s a music teacher in the city now and she was the first to win that prize and also taught my son the cello. Aideen then wanted to play the harp, so I gave her a bit of advice on that. So, you have all these great connections which continue throughout your musical journey which is fantastic.

“I think in the North West we’re very passionate about classical and traditional music and what’s lovely about Derry Feis is that you have both there and everyone gets the chance to compete in one or the other or in both. The fact that the adjudicators are coming from Dublin and adjudicating their and other parts of Ireland you are getting a good sense of where you’re at in terms of the national standard.

“The feis has really enhanced the cultural fabric of the city and has brought so much to the community. It’s so well recognised not just in the North West but across Ulster in terms of a really good standard across the board and it’s that kind of recognition that students bring with them if they do well at Derry Feis.

"It means something when they go to Belfast or Dublin as many young musicians will when they start to progress like we did. It really stands for something, and I think that’s probably the best testament to the success of the feis over so many years. The feis has been the mechanism by which musicians have been able to go out and further their careers”.

Feis Dhoire Cholmcille takes place this year from April 22 – 25. Details of competitions and how to enter can be found at https://www.derryfeis.com