Artist Bio:
Many Irish folk bands have become international stars, but without the crusading efforts of musician, composer, arranger and cultural figurehead Seán Ó Ríada (1933–'71) Gaelic-based traditional styles would probably still be languishing in obscurity and the Chieftains, Ireland's proudest export, would never have existed.
It's difficult to comprehend that barely 50 years ago, many Irish people looked down upon their ancient linguistic and musical heritage, considering it to be the provenance of country bumpkins existing on the fringes of modern society. Despite the Conradh na Gaeilge (or Gaelic League, formed in 1893) having long since secured legal status for the Irish tongue, this was how matters stood when John Reidy was born in Cork City. When he was six years old and living in Adare, County Limerick, Irish was finally and once again recognized as the official national language, but this did little to encourage life-long English-speakers to take it up. By the early '50s, when Reidy graduated from University College, Cork, with a music degree, Irish song had degenerated into church-sanctioned family-style céilí dances, and "come-all-ye" barroom sing-alongs.
In 1953, Reidy became an assistant music director at Radio Éireann but the largely clerical position bored him. Just two years later, he left his job, wife and baby son to travel in continental Europe. He settled for a time in Paris, France, where he eked out a living by playing jazz piano and translating naughty books, and hung out with other bohemians. After a couple of years, his wife, Ruth, brought him back home where he became music director of the famous Abbey Theater from 1957–'62. Galvanized by explorations into the national cultural birthright, he changed over to the Irish form of his name, Seán Ó Ríada, and insisted that his growing family do the same and speak only Gaelic at home. Around this time, he also started to draw upon his classical training to compose traditionally-based orchestral scores for stage and cinema. Mise Éire (I Am Ireland, a documentary about the 1916 Rising), in particular, struck a nerve and led to his being invited to present a series of radio programs called Our Musical Heritage.
Finding himself in the odd position of moving forward by looking backward, Ó Ríada continued to immerse himself in the music of rural Irish-speaking enclaves (gaeltachts) in the north, west and south, emerging to found an instrumental ensemble called Ceoltóirí Chualann. Garbed in neat suits, their repertoire was devoted exclusively to these long-ignored styles, performed on traditional instruments in unfussy, clean arrangements. The bandleader marked time on the bodhrán, a nearly extinct frame drum. Ó Ríada, who had been fomenting considerable interest in the works of 18th century harper and bard Turlough O'Carolan, also wanted to include Ireland's symbolic clarsach (a wire-strung harp plucked by the player's fingernails) in the lineup. But as there were none to be found, he substituted a harpsichord, which he felt had a similarly jangling, metallic sound. Before the ensemble was disbanded in the late '60s it released a half-dozen seminal recordings and produced the core membership of the Chieftains, who in turn broke ground for succeeding generations of folk bands like Planxty, the Bothy Band, Danu, Altan, Lunasa and Flook.
But Ó Ríada retired to the Irish-speaking village of Cúil Aodha, where he founded and conducted an all-male Gaelic church choir called Cor Cú Aodha, lectured about Irish music at his alma mater, dabbled in politics and composed at a feverish pace until his death from sclerosis of the liver at the age of 40. To give some idea the stature he had achieved by then, the legendary piper, Willie Clancy played at his funeral and the obsequies were observed throughout his homeland. He was buried in St Gobnait's church, Ballyvourney, County Cork Although the bulk of his output is rarely revived, the exquisite air "Mná na h-Éireann," as interpreted by the Chieftains, was later used in Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon and was recorded by Sinead O'Connor, Alan Stivell and Kate Bush, among many others. Ó Ríada's musician son, Peadar, still maintains the family flame but his truest legacy is the universal proliferation of Ireland's once-scorned musical treasures and millions of devoted conservators, exponents and fans. —Christina Roden
