Books and CDs on Miltown’s famous son

This week, Miltown Malbay becomes the traditional music capital of Ireland during the annual Willie Clancy Summer School where Irish music enthusiasts come together to play music, to learn music, to dance, to teach and to listen. Clare County Library has a collection of books, CDs and cassette tapes that will be of interest to those attending the summer school. A Touchstone for the Tradition: the Willie Clancy Summer School by Tony Kearns and Barry Taylor is the story in words and in pictures of the origins of the Willie Clancy Summer School and its development over thirty years and of the contribution of the school to traditional music. The Dance Music of Willie Clancy by Pat Mitchell contains the tunes of Willie Clancy for those wishing to learn to play. The library also holds volumes 1 and 2 of The Pipering of Willie Clancy – recordings by RTE of Clancy’s pipe and whistle playing from 1958 until his death in 1973. Willie Clancy: the Minstrel from Clare also contains recordings of his piping and whistle-playing as well as his singing. The songs range from the comic and bawdy to the sentimentally patriotic.The instrumentals range from jigs and reels to the slow airs for which Willie was justly famous. The library holds two collections of recordings made at recent summer schools in Miltown. Rogha Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy – Selected Recordings from the Willie Clancy Summer School 2007 features musicians such as Martin Hayes and Noel Hill. Ceol agus Foinn Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy – Music and Songs From the Willie Clancy Summer School contains a selection of music and song recorded by RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta at the school in the years up to 2007. Artists include PJ Crotty, Micko Russell, Joe Ryan, Seán Ryan, John McEvoy and Paddy Canny. These CDs can be listened to in Miltown Public Library and are also available for borrowing from there and from other libraries throughout the County.