Weekend Of Celebrations And Connections At Cnoc Na Gaoithe

0:00This weekend, Knocheneguiha and Tolla will be celebrating the rich musical heritage of East Claire, with a special series of events marking the 80th anniversary of the Tolla Kali band and 75 years of cultist Kyl Tori Aaron, the B. Archive recordings, live music, storytelling and tributes to some of the great musicians who've shaped the Tolla tradition. To find out more about what sounds like a very special weekend in store and join now by Breeda McNamara, chairperson of Knocheneguiha. Breeda, very good morning to you. Good morning, Aaron. Thanks for your much for giving me the opportunity. Only two delighted two because it sounds like a really significant weekend. Tell us a bit more about what is planned and what makes this weekend particularly special. So the first thing that makes a special is that it's always clear. You know, the whole weekend is celebrating the musical heritage of East Claire and it's opening with the 80th anniversary of the Tolla Kali band who were founded in Tolla in 1946. And they have, of course, put all on the map all over the world. They've had a really busy year this year, you know, celebrating their 80th anniversary.

1:03They've been on cruises and they've recently won the Graven Cure and they're flying high. So we just want to bring them back to their roots as both this weekend and say it's all distracted here 80 years ago. And it's amazing that the band has arrived, you know, through all the decades of different, you know, changes of both in music and in immigration and all the things that have happened in that length of time and they're still playing the same great music that they were playing in 1946. So we're going to celebrate that on Friday night as our opening event. And it is remarkable to think about, you know, a story that began in Monogues, Byron Tolla back in 1946 and what has unfolded since then, international tours, TV broadcasts, making recordings, winning two senior All-Arland Kali band titles. How important were they in putting Tolla and East Claire on the musical map? All 100% were hugely important. And like they were really pioneers, they were the first to do so many things, you know, like they were the first to get broadcast, they were the first to go to America to perform.

2:04And they, I mean, basically going to the words, you know, if you say it from Tolla, they say the Tolla Kali band. I mean, the sayings in Japan, they say it's in China, they say it's in America, they are, they are, watch, have made the Tolla, you know, the words Tolla, no one around the world. And I suppose the funny thing about the myth that the most unassuming bunch of information you're in entire life and I don't think that they have any of this of, you know, notions about themselves and what they've done, but they have had a huge effect on, you know, they've toured the UK, I suppose, in North America and they have brought our music all over the world. And, you know, you've got to Japan, they're all being Kali bands now and, uh, definitely the Tolla have had a huge, huge contribution made to that, for sure. And trying to cover 80 years in one weekend is, I would imagine, is going to be quite tough Brady of it. It's almost difficult to know what to leave out. I've touched on, you know, a lot of, what you're hoping to, to cover. Are there any particular stories or pieces of archival material

3:09that you're especially looking forward to sharing with those ahead along? Yeah, well, I suppose the first word was for doing is for Mary McNamara, who's a concertina pair from Tolla Mary's, where I've known, Mary is a cell, which is hosting the service, and it's a, looking back in time and so Mary's going to be in conversation with the band members and we're, you remember, hoping that it says, milk is going to commotion those conversations of things that maybe haven't come out before. It's very hard not to have a recording and I think there hasn't been out there before because practically everything they have done is out there, but there's lots of stories and tales of their trips to America and their tours in the UK and I suppose all the different and not a funny story coming out. We were actually pushing together some work last night and we were saying that a lot of stories you couldn't even, couldn't even be telling about the phone that happened and a lot of their trips and we're looking back a lot of the members, you know, the former band members because the family members are the original band. We have, we have family members, I would say, of more than half of the original bands coming to the

4:09event tomorrow night, which is fantastic. You know, those people are still there and still want to be involved in what happens, you know, eight years ago. So we'll be talking to those people and to past members of the band and to the present band. And then when that's going to record a question on day, the season, the archers and the convent archers and we have an information board just uplining the history and just having Max here because there's nothing in toilet to Mac, you know, that's actually all hands there and it's by time really that that was put rice. Yeah, nice to have something permanent there given the immense contribution they've made to the locality. Yeah, and a lot of people come to toilet, you know, tourists and visitors, and they would just say, you know, they're trying to get a band from here and whatever, but there's never a landmarch where you can say, yeah, you can pop up there now and you see the information board with all their history and so I think that's a good thing going forward that that's is being done now. And of course, after all that reminiscing, the toilet-cali band themselves will actually be playing for a Kaylee as well, which a nice way to for them to, you know, hear about all their past,

5:12the remains past, but also show how they're very much in the present and current as well. Yeah, and we're expressing a huge crowd that I mean this morning I got a text from somebody saying, can you give me your air code? They're coming from Leetrum and they want the air code to run in Connoct degree. So we actually have had a North-Latin contact from people who want to show their appreciation, you know, and so we're absolutely delighted that that's going to happen. We're expecting a great night on Friday, nice way. I know there'll be a lovely tribute on the Sunday afternoon as well to the late Matti, Ronald and past away last year, which will be a nice way to mark his playing and contribution to the toilet tradition. Yeah, and that's actually played with the toilet Cali band for 17 years. When he was only 17 years old, he played with the band for the first time and he played for 17 years and he was an absolutely fantastic musician. He worked locally as a, as a mechanic like all his life, you know, and then he went off playing with the bands in the night time and there was loads of great stories and Paul Echel actually from Trichand had a lovely recording done with Matti in 2016 and then she brought

6:15captured after Matti passed away and it's fabulous. So we have extracts from that. John Hennel is actually hosting that event and we have a lot of Matti's musical friends are coming to that and we have lovely recordings that have never been heard before. There's a recording of people's private houses and recorded in Smith Hotel in Fiekel as well as a recording that were actually, you know, professionally made. So we are expecting that to be a really nice event where a lot of people that didn't really get a chance to, I suppose, pay tribute to Matti are going to get their opportunities to it now and it's rice and grace that's happening in Tola in his own hometown. So yeah, we're going to probably read it all day afternoon there and Sunday at two o'clock. Okay and in between those then is the celebration of 75 years of Colt's Kill Torrier and so my god it's a jam packed weekend. And there's these, you know, and I suppose everybody in Tola and Locals, you would think that Colt's in Tola was found in 1957 which in our visually search we discovered that the very first course that sprang ever in Ireland was in Tola in 1951 and it was at our pay in Germany, again, Germany was honestly the center of

7:16action in not all in Tola but in East Claire. I mean, the first Colt's branch was set up there in 1951 by Pedro Hayes and Petticani and members of the Tola Cayley band and then as a wind time to actually called it the St. McCullough's Club and that became so big that it was the foundation stone for the Claire County Board of Colt's and then the original St. McCullough's Club disbanded into different Colt's branches around the county and then they all affiliated to County Board. So Colt's started in Tola in 1951 and then the Tola Corp's branch actually was formed in 1957 but the amazing thing about all of this is that the contributions that people like Pedro Hayes, Petticani and Sean Reed made that to affiliate with the Piper's Club in 1951 were just saying that's nice. How did Pedro Hayes know about the Piper's Club in 1951 because there was no social media, there was very little on our tea year and this an media about Colt's are the Piper's Club and any of those things and still they made their way to all these places when

8:17there was very little communication you know channels and so the contribution to the rights of Petticani, Petticani, Petticani, Sean Reed those people have made to the Colt's and to music and to tradition is unbelievable and it has lasted all the way up you know to now. So we're looking back to that 1951 becoming all the way up with the development of Colt's in Claire and particularly in East Claire, right off to the present day to where we now have a call to centre in Tola since 2022. Well, tell you what it sounds like it's going to be an unforgettable weekend that is for sure. I would say I hope you enjoy Breeda but it says there's no doubt you and everyone else is going to enjoy it. So look, thanks very much for joining us and taking us through that Breeda McNamara there, the chairperson of Connucleguia Cultural Centre in Tola on their incredible weekend of celebrations and connections at that hour ahead.