The audience at the Sunday night session of the Festival got a rare treat – a wonderful performance by a group of musicians who traveled all the way from County Cavan in north central Ireland. The group was comprised of Martin Donohoe, Aoife Murray and Seamus Fay from County Cavan and Rob Murphy and Seamus Creagh County Cork in south western Ireland. This was the first trip to Newfoundland for the Cavan contingent but many will remember Rob Murphy and Seamus Creagh, who lived here for nineteen and five years respectively.

Rob Murphy’s time in Newfoundland was primarily spent as a medical doctor who ended up taking care of most of the traditional musicians in the St. John’s area. It was Rob’s influence as a flute player that got many sessions going around town and encouraged numerous individuals to “play for the sake of playing”. Gerry Strong, Michelle Brophy and John Bishop list Rob as their primary influence for playing the wooden flute.

Seamus’ time in Newfoundland was much shorter –he came as part of an Irish contingent to this Festival in the 80s, intending to stay for a few weeks. He ended up staying for five years and met and married his current wife during that time. Seamus’ gentle nature comes through clearly in his fiddle playing, which is legendary throughout Ireland and Newfoundland; his sweet touch and solid rhythm make him a joy to hear and play alongside.

The Cavan contingent was made-up of Aiofe Murray, Seamus Fay and Martin Donohoe. Aoife is a lovely and revered young singer in the sean-nos tradition of unaccompanied singing who is currently studying music education at the University in Limerick. Seamus Fay is a retired school bus driver and farmer, who is considered one of Ireland’s finest performers of the Irish mouth music form known as lilting. A true gentleman, Seamus talked about how he learned the art of lilting from his Granny on weekend visits while sitting around a turf fire. Martin Donohoe is a wild and exciting player of the button accordion. His unique style and outgoing personality have made him well known throughout Ireland not only as a musician but also as a tireless promoter of traditional music, specifically the music of Co. Cavan.

This was a very memorable first visit for the group, one which we expect will blossom in time. Plans are already afoot for a reciprocal visit of Newfoundland musicians to a Cavan festival in the spring. Many thanks to the generous support of Ireland Newfoundland Partnership for funding the expensive flights for all five musicians from Ireland.

The tunes provided in this issue of the Broadside are of Irish origin, common to the Cavan region. They are reels composed by the well-known Cavan fiddle player Ed Reevy – The Hunter’s House and Leddy from Cavan. The versions given here are just the bare bones of the tunes – that is, they are not based on any particular person’s version or ornamentation. Hope you enjoy!

Hunter's House

Leddy from Cavan

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