Meet the Musician
Miss Mulqueen teaches us music. We all bring our instruments and learn different types of tunes. People who don't bring instruments got percussion. To make music class more interesting local people were invited in to play for us and talk to us about their music. Last year we had three guest musicians:-
'Meet the Musician' is a project organised jointly by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireannn an Chláir and Clare Education Centre. It involves schools inviting a local musician/singer into class and listening to the artist perform and talk about his/her music. The sessions are taped by Lara Browne who hails from Crusheen and is now directing the project from her base in the Education Centre. There is a written element to the project also and it is hoped to have everything ready for display at the Fleadh Nua in Ennis in May '99.
In our school the project was undertaken by Fourth Class and the visiting musician was banjo-player and singer Enda Mulkere. We had a fantastic session of music, song and chat with Enda. Enda is a member of a renowned musical family. His father, Jack, was a music teacher and founder member of the Aughrim Slopes Ceili Band, his mother Angela was an All-Ireland champion ballad singer.
He brought his scrap-book to the school and in that we found many interesting newspaper cuttings and photographs including one of himself, Frankie Gavin and Paul Brock meeting one of the famous Flanagan brothers from the US at Shannon Airport. He also had a receipt from RTE for £9, plus £2 travelling expenses, for an appearance on Bring Down The Lamp in the seventies!