Tag Archives: Chris Droney

INTERNATIONAL tributes have been paid following the passing of the acclaimed Bellharbour concerntina player, Chris Droney, who passed away on September 9, at the age of 95. Broadcaster, teacher and musician Kieran Hanrahan, who spoke at Chris’s funeral on Saturday last, said, “He was a chieftain in Clare. Some called him a druid and leader.” The Ennis man credited Chris Droney with inspiring a blossoming of traditional music in the county town and across Clare. “When Chris would come to Ennis for the Fleadhs, he was really what I would call a mega figure,” Mr Hanrahan said. “He was a national figure in the ‘60s and ‘70s and yet he was still so accessible. He always had a word of encouragement, especially for the youth of Ennis in those days. He took a delight in young people playing music. He was always so lovely and so decent. As a person, he was unassuming and an absolutely gorgeous character.” In one …

THIS year’s Fleadh Nua has struck a right note with plans to move online while also raising vital funds for charity. Like many other events around the county, this year’s Fleadh Nua in Ennis has been cancelled as a result of Covid-19. However in a bid not to disappoint the thousands of regular Fleadh goers from around the country and overseas, organisers of are putting together an online programme of traditional music, song and dance and seeking to raise much needed funds for Trocaire in the process. “When people heard that this year’s Fleadh wouldn’t be going ahead we received many messages from those who attend the event every year saying how sad they were not to be able to come to Ennis for Fleadh Nua 2020, especially since this year’s event had been scheduled for the June Bank Holiday weekend,” said Frank Whelan, Cathaoirleach of Fleadh Nua. To ensure fans of the festival will not miss out on the …

ONE of the most interesting tunes you’ll hear on the radio this year is Ballyvaughan musician, Daithí Ó Drónaí’s Mary Keane’s Introduction. The track features Daithí’s grandmother, who is in her 90s, talking about having “several boyfriends” in her youth, resisting efforts to be set up with a Carron farmer and how she met her future husband in Kilfenora. Her words and laughter, combined with her grandson’s dance music, make for a sound that is absolutely unique and the track won Daithí a nomination for the Choice Music Prize Song Of The Year award. If you haven’t heard it yet, it’s well worth looking up on YouTube or Spotify. Speaking about it last week, Daithí said he wanted to push the limits of dance music a little, and do something with a strong theme. “That track was a weird one. I was writing a new EP and I had just finished a very strong pop album. I was getting a …

THE Miles of Memories charity walk, which will take place in the Burren next month, was officially launched by musician Chris Droney this week. The walk will take place on the Caher Way on Sunday, October 12 at 1pm and is an important fundraiser for Cuimhneamh an Chláir, the Clare oral history and folklore group. The organisation has amassed a significant archive since it was established in 2009, with over 540 of Clare’s most elderly citizens recorded. The walk will include talks on the heritage of the Burren, using interviews from the archive, as well as speakers on the day, covering topics like botany, geology, local history and archaeology. Walk co-ordinator Linda Quinn explained, “The walk will take place on Sunday, October 12 with registration from 12pm at the Fanore Beach car park. The walk will follow the scenic Caher Way, with stunning views across the Burren and Atlantic Ocean. We are inviting people to come and join us for …

CLARE concertina-player, Chris Droney is to be honoured with the TG4 Lifetime Achievement Award at TG4 Gradam Ceoil 2014, which takes place a the University Concert Hall on Saturday, April 12. This year’s Gradam recipients range over a wide spectrum of talents. As well as the venerable North Clare concertina-player Chris Droney, they include the Limerick-born doyen of Irish musicology in North America, Mick Moloney; one of Connemara’s most versatile sean-nós singers; a member of the latest generation in a Sliabh Luachra musical dynasty; and a trio of musicians whose musical collaboration has brought to life again a unique musical manuscript trove from Munster that had lain dormant for 130 years. Chris Droney has been selected for this year’s TG4 Lifetime Achievement Award. Born in 1924, Chris is a noted concertina stylist from Belharbour, who has followed in the footsteps of his father, James, and grandfather, Michael (1829-1927), who also played concertina. Chris learned to play by ear and parental …

LEGENDARY concertina player, Chris Droney from Bellharbour has been honoured as the recipient of this year’s TG4 Gradam Saoil (Hall of Fame). Chris was born in 1924. His father, James and grandfather Michael (1829-1927) also played concertina and Chris learnt by ear and parental example from the age of eight. He began his musical career by learning two tunes The Wearing of the Green and Clare’s Dragoons. His first public appearance was at the age of 14 in Johnson’s dance hall in Kinvara for which he was paid half a crown. He went on to play in several bands and from 1956 he won ten All-Ireland medals – nine solo and one for a duet with fiddler Gus Tierney. His son, Francis and daughter, Ann have also won All-Ireland titles on concertina. Many of his grandchildren are continuing the family tradition on concertina and some, most notably Daithí, are playing fiddle. In 2004 his contribution to music was honoured by …