Local Notes: Delia Murphy exhibition comes to Claremorris
The legendary Mayo-born ballad singer Delia Murphy-Kiernan.
‘If I Were A Blackbird’, an exhibition on the lives of Claremorris native, Delia Murphy and her husband, Thomas J Kieran, will open in Claremorris Town Hall Theatre, on Friday next at 7pm, and run for four weeks, and is supported by Claremorris Historical Society.
The exhibition, which is on loan from the National Library of Ireland, celebrates the lives of Delia Murphy, the renowned singer of such traditional songs as ‘The Spinning Wheel’, ‘The Moonshiner’, and ‘Thank You Ma’am Says Dan’, and her husband, the late Dr TJ Kiernan. Kiernan was Ireland’s first ambassador to Australia and a former Director of Broadcasting at Radio Éireann.
Delia Murphy was born in Ardroe, Claremorris, in 1902, and later lived at Mount Jennings House, near Hollymount. She was educated at the local primary school, then at the Dominican Convent, Eccles St, Dublin, where she was taught singing by Mother Clement Burke along with her contemporary, Margaret Burke Sheridan. Some close relatives remain in the Claremorris area.
She credited her introduction to traditional Irish ballads from her primary school days to the ballads she learned from Tom Maughan, a local boy, who taught her to sing ‘If I Were a Blackbird’. While studying for a commerce degree at UCG, she sang at student concerts and later at private parties and minor concerts. In 1924, she married TJ Kiernan, a civil servant. Shortly afterwards, Kiernan was appointed secretary to the Irish High Commission in London, and during their time there their four children were born: Blon, Naula, Colm, and Orla.
In 1935 the family returned to Dublin where Kiernan took up the post of Director of Broadcasting at Radio Éireann, which he held until 1939. During these years, Delia's singing career reached its heights, when she recorded almost 100 songs with HMV. Until the mid-1950s, she was the most important exponent of Irish ballad singing to reach an audience on an international scale. Delia became a household name among people starved for Irish music. She wrote many of the songs herself. Among other songs she made famous were ‘I'm a Rambler, I'm a Gambler’, and ‘Three Lovely Lassies from Bannion’.
Delia accompanied her husband on all his postings. In 1941, Kiernan was appointed Irish Minister to the Vatican. The family was there when the Germans took over and later when the Allies arrived. The Irish quarters, situated at San Martino della Battaglia, was converted by Delia into a refuge for clergy, seminarians, and women religious. She kept open house, holding wartime ‘musical’ evenings every Thursday night. Unknown to her husband she was involved, with others, in smuggling escaped prisoners-of-war and other Allied personnel into Vatican City, often using the Irish delegation's car to drive escapees through checkpoints.
The British War Office recommended after the war that she be decorated; the honour was reluctantly turned down. In 1946, the Holy See made her a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre.
In 1946, the Kiernans were posted to Canberra, Australia and later to West Germany, Canada and Washington, DC, USA. Delia did not spend a lot of time in Washington and lived on the family farm in Canada. It was while they were in Washington that Delia recorded her last record, The Queen of Connemara, the only LP she made.
When her husband died in 1967, Delia remained in Ottawa, and it was there that she gave her last concert. In November 1969, she sold the farm and returned to Dublin, to live in Chapelizod.
In January 1971, Delia made a surprise appearance on the ‘Late, Late Show’ on RTÉ. She died a few weeks later in Dublin.
In 1981, a memorial in her honour was erected by neighbours, relatives, and friends at Annefield Crossroads, near Mount Jennings House.
The exhibition uses photographs, drawings, books, and records to tell the story of the lives of the Kiernans, who during their years in Canberra sought to encourage a sense of pride in the Irish-Australian community; they emphasised the Irish role in the development of Australia and, equally, the role of Irish-Australians in the Irish quest for independence.
The exhibition is one of a series of exhibitions of various themes, planned by Claremorris Town Hall Theatre. Admission is free and the display can be viewed during the venue’s opening hours.
Claremorris Golf Club is celebrating 25 years since it opened its 18-hole golf course at Castlemacgarrett.
The club is gearing up for the 25th-anniversary celebrations and a 100-year celebration of golf at Castlemacgarrett.
It promises to be a day of fun on Saturday next, October 21, as there will be light refreshments and music in the clubhouse, with celebrations kicking off at 7.30pm.
There will be nine-hole three-ball scrambles on both Friday and Saturday.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Congratulations to the Tuam-Oughterard Colts (TOC) senior team who defeated Sligo RFC in the Bank of Ireland Ladies Invitational Cup final in Ballyhaunis.
The Invitational Cup is a 10-a-side competition organised by Connacht Rugby. TOC won the competition last year too.
It was another great performance from the girls as they beat Sligo 78-12.
Five Claremorris girls played against Sligo with Niamh Corless, Rhona O’Dea, Abigail Gibbons, Gráinne Hahessy, and Doireann Byrne all featuring. Corless captained the side on the day.
Tuam-Oughterard Colts (v Sligo RFC): Hannah Clarke, Katie Creaven, Rhona O’Dea, Emma Burns, Rachel Forkan, Karly Tierney, Beibhinn Gleeson, Áebha Lydon, Gráinne Hahessy, Niamh Corless (captain). Subs: Doireann Byrne, Dominika Lukasik, Keanah Irons, Charlotte O’Grady, Nia Lydon, Holly Daly, Gráinne O’Rourke, Karen Burns, Abigail Gibbons, Aoife O’Callaghan.
In ‘Fáinne Óir’ (The Gold Ring) composer Kathy Fahey, tells the love story of Saoirse and Diarmuid, through a celebration of Contemporary/Irish music and dance.
This spectacular Broadway show tells the story of an Irish family living in Mayo during the Famine years of 1845-1848. It is a story of its time and of all time. It’s an Irish story of tragic loss, enduring love and the triumph of humanity.
Choreographed by the multi-award-winning, Ciara Sexton, the two-hour show, with live band playing Kathy’s original score, brings the story to life on the stage of Claremorris Town Hall Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 9, 10 and 11, with doors at 7pm and show commencing at 8pm. See the Town Hall Theatre website for more details.
Don't be disappointed and get your tickets for Boogie Man Disco in the Western Hotel in Claremorris on Friday, October 27, for 2nd and 3rd years.
Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite, which are €15 plus booking fee.
The disco is organised by Hollymount Community Development.
Come along on Friday next to see the progress on the Aurivo Farm Profitability Programme focus farm of Trench Dairies, Claremorris, starting at 11am. All are welcome.
Topics to be discussed: farm performance over duration of programme, changes to slurry and parlour washings regulations, soil fertility on Focus Farms, and Progressive Genetics.
