James Byrne (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Byrne was a Donegal
sheep herder, farmer and fiddle
playing icon. He has been called one of Ireland's leading fiddle players.
in south west County Donegal
, Ireland
. He was taught the fiddle by his father, John Byrne Sr., and also learned in sessions in his neighbours' homes.
His style is the old Donegal style. One of the techniques of this is an aggressive bowing and of stressing on the upward movement of the bow which differs from the mainstream of traditional Irish musicians and has similarities to a Scottish highland style.
By 1980, many of the older local musicians had died, and Donegal music was being played only in isolated pubs. Ironically, it was a time when Irish traditional music was becoming increasingly popular throughout Ireland, Britain and America due to groups such as Planxty
and the Bothy Band
. A young fiddler from Derry, Dermot McLaughlin, heard about Byrne's prowess on the instrument and tried to revive the tradition. Soon, Claddagh Records
, the Dublin label, recorded The Brass Fiddle: Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal, featuring Byrne. He followed this with a solo album, The Road to Glenlough (a lake near his home in Mín na Croise), in 1990. A young band from Donegal, Altan, started playing many of his tunes and became popular internationally.
He has taught and inspired musicians all over the world and was instrumental in keeping the rich fiddle tradition of Glencolmcille alive. Today, his family and the many young local musicians he taught continue the vibrant tradition.
On many occasions he took part in Ceol sa Ghleann, an arts project hosted in Glencolmcille which includes the annual Féile Ealaíon Traidsiúnta Ghleann Cholm Cille. This is a week-long annual music festival held around Easter time. they also run annual Donegal Fiddle school 'Scoil Samhraidh James Byrne' every July in his memory. http://www.ceolsaghleann.com/
He was interviewed by BBC Northern Ireland
on an educational programme about the connection between Donegal and Scottish fiddle music. He was also interviewed by Michael Robinson for Fiddler Magazine on The Donegal Fiddle tradition.
In recent years, Byrne began his own summer fiddle school, and performed regularly with his partner, Connie Drost, and their daughters Merle, Aisling and Séana, all excellent fiddlers.
James Byrne died on 8 November 2008 near his home in Mín na Croise. His funeral was attended by a host of renowned Irish musicians including All-Ireland singing champion, Rita Gallagher, Dermot Byrne of Altan, the legendary fiddler, Tommy Peoples
and Joe Burke.
The Road To Glenlough
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
sheep herder, farmer and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
playing icon. He has been called one of Ireland's leading fiddle players.
Biography
Byrne was born in 1946 in Mín na Croise (Meenacross), GlencolmcilleGlencolmcille
Gleann Cholm Cille is a coastal town in the southwest Gaeltacht of County Donegal, Ireland...
in south west County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was taught the fiddle by his father, John Byrne Sr., and also learned in sessions in his neighbours' homes.
His style is the old Donegal style. One of the techniques of this is an aggressive bowing and of stressing on the upward movement of the bow which differs from the mainstream of traditional Irish musicians and has similarities to a Scottish highland style.
By 1980, many of the older local musicians had died, and Donegal music was being played only in isolated pubs. Ironically, it was a time when Irish traditional music was becoming increasingly popular throughout Ireland, Britain and America due to groups such as Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
and the Bothy Band
Bothy band
A bothy band is a musical group which comes from the farming culture of nineteenth century Scotland. At that time agriculture was relatively labour-intensive. As a result large farms often had a small community associated with them, the farm toun. This was made up of married couples who lived in...
. A young fiddler from Derry, Dermot McLaughlin, heard about Byrne's prowess on the instrument and tried to revive the tradition. Soon, Claddagh Records
Claddagh Records
Claddagh Records is a record label which was founded in 1959 by Garech Browne and Ivor Browne. It specialises in Irish traditional music and spoken word. Gareth had been taking lessons at the time from the master piper Leo Rowsome whose artistry was very well known. Leo, who had made many...
, the Dublin label, recorded The Brass Fiddle: Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal, featuring Byrne. He followed this with a solo album, The Road to Glenlough (a lake near his home in Mín na Croise), in 1990. A young band from Donegal, Altan, started playing many of his tunes and became popular internationally.
He has taught and inspired musicians all over the world and was instrumental in keeping the rich fiddle tradition of Glencolmcille alive. Today, his family and the many young local musicians he taught continue the vibrant tradition.
On many occasions he took part in Ceol sa Ghleann, an arts project hosted in Glencolmcille which includes the annual Féile Ealaíon Traidsiúnta Ghleann Cholm Cille. This is a week-long annual music festival held around Easter time. they also run annual Donegal Fiddle school 'Scoil Samhraidh James Byrne' every July in his memory. http://www.ceolsaghleann.com/
He was interviewed by BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
on an educational programme about the connection between Donegal and Scottish fiddle music. He was also interviewed by Michael Robinson for Fiddler Magazine on The Donegal Fiddle tradition.
In recent years, Byrne began his own summer fiddle school, and performed regularly with his partner, Connie Drost, and their daughters Merle, Aisling and Séana, all excellent fiddlers.
James Byrne died on 8 November 2008 near his home in Mín na Croise. His funeral was attended by a host of renowned Irish musicians including All-Ireland singing champion, Rita Gallagher, Dermot Byrne of Altan, the legendary fiddler, Tommy Peoples
Tommy Peoples
Tommy Peoples is an Irish fiddler.He was born near St. Johnston, a village in the Laggan district in the east of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. He has been a member of well known traditional Irish music groups, including 1691 and The Bothy Band as well as performing...
and Joe Burke.
Discography
- The Brass Fiddle: Traditional Fiddle Music From Donegal Featured: Various fiddlers, including James Byrne, Vincent Campbell, Con Cassidy and Francie Byrne.
- The Road to Glenlough
The Road To Glenlough