Trad musician Dessie O’Halloran is full of praise for Galway’s music scene
Traditional Irish music has always been an important part of our culture and it’s not going anywhere any time soon. Jessica Thompson catches up with popular Galway trad musician Dessie O’Halloran to discuss Galway’s music scene and the importance of traditional Irish music in Ireland’s culture today.
Dessie O’Halloran is a name that is recognisable to many both in Galway and all over the world, especially since he shot to fame with Sharon Shannon and ‘Say You Love Me’ in 2001.
A native of Inishbofin, Dessie is currently living in Galway where he enjoys a life of traditional Irish music in some of his favourite spots in the city. These include Tí Chóilí on Mainguard Street, Taaffe’s Bar on Shop Street and the Crane Bar on Sea Road.
“There’s a good few pubs that always have great music in them every night of the week. The best music in Galway would be in them three pubs,” he says of his favourite places in the city.
Dessie himself has always loved traditional music, and after decades of playing it, he still enjoys listening to it; “I listen to traditional music quite a bit. Joe Burke would be a great favourite of mine. He’s an accordion player from near Loughrea. He’s a great accordion player.”
Born in 1940, Dessie has seen many changes to music over the decades; from swing to rockabilly to the R&B tracks of today, what people consider popular in the music scene has changed immensely.
But the spirit of traditional Irish music lives on, according to Dessie. With so many young people continuing to play the likes of the fiddle or the bodhrán, the trad scene will not die – especially with pubs across county Galway and beyond holding sessions every night of the week. Many of these sessions invite trad fans to bring their own instrument along and join in the fun.
“I think it’s great,” Dessie says of the continuing tradition of sessions in Galway’s pubs. “You see a lot of foreigners playing traditional Irish music now too; Japanese people and people from Denmark and Norway, which is nice.”
Galway is well-known for its highly talented buskers on Shop Street, some of whom can regularly charm tourists with their ability to perform some of Ireland’s most popular songs to an increasingly high standard.
“There’s one fella, Robin I think is his name. He’s from Holland. I think he’s a great musician,” says Dessie, marvelling at the talents of regular Shop Street busker Robin Hey. The Dutch singer can regularly be seen playing his banjo and singing popular Irish tunes opposite Eason’s on Shop Street. He received international attention when a photo of him determined to continue busking in the snow appeared on the front page of the Irish Independent at the end of January.
It is this sort of passion and determination to continue playing traditional Irish music no matter what that keeps the culture alive, and Dessie has played his part in that, touring all over the world with his fiddle.
In the 1950s, he left his home in Inishbofin and moved to the United Kingdom, where he had a large number of fans who enjoyed his regular singing at the All-Britain championships. On his travels, he also enjoyed listening to and performing with numerous other trad musicians who had moved to the UK.
“I played a lot of music in London and London pubs and they were all good musicians from Ireland at that time in London, back in the 60s. And I got to know the music pretty well,” says Dessie, reflecting on his younger years.
“It was quite nice. I used to play in the Irish pubs. They were always good fun. I’m back from London for 25 years or more now,” he says. When he returned to Inishbofin in the 80s, he enjoyed some success with the Inishbofin’s own Céilí band, and played numerous sessions on the island. Now in Galway, he can regularly be found in his favourite pubs, and has been known to play a gig or two in some of Galway’s other popular venues, such as the Róisín Dubh.
With a reasonably large following at home and abroad, it was in his 50s that Dessie started to perform more and more, getting closer and closer to his big break every time his bow touched the fiddle. “And then Sharon Shannon got in touch with me,” he said, and things took off for him even more.
It was the County Clare trad star who launched Dessie’s career to new levels of fame with her 2001 album Diamond Mountain Sessions. Sharon Shannon collaborated with numerous musicians for the album but it was a distinctive rendition of the Hylo Brown bluegrass song ‘Say You Love Me’ that brought even more attention to the talents of Dessie O’Halloran.
“It was great to work with Sharon, to be honest with you. We toured the world with that one,” says Dessie, reminiscing on the success he experienced with that trademark voice that is recognisable at home and abroad as his. He travelled to Europe and America performing with Sharon and enjoyed every bit of the adventure.
“Sharon is nice; very easy-going. I enjoyed working with her. I must be 12 years with Sharon now,” he says. Sharon Shannon also features on Dessie’s album The Pound Road. Released in 2001 and produced by Dónal Lunny, the album includes inputs from some of Ireland’s best known trad musicians, including Trevor Hutchinson of Lúnasa, former De Dannan member Eleanor Shanley, Cathy Jordan from Dervish, guitarist Jim Murray and Sharon Shannon’s sister Mary.
Now in his 70s, things are somewhat quieter for Dessie. The trad star celebrated his 70th birthday in the Meyrick Hotel in 2010 and the celebrations were attended by a large number of musicians including his pal Sharon Shannon, Joe Burke, Anne Conroy Burke, Frankie Gavin, Matte Kean, Mick Crehan, Rosie Stewart, Mary Staunton, Dick Hogan and Tommy McCarthy to name a few.
Also in attendance were jockeys Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and David Casey, and a number of politicians such as former Marine Minister Frank Fahey and former Mayor of Galway Cllr Pádraig Conneely.
But despite his age, Dessie is still playing his music. He has no major plans for 2015, and will take it as it comes. But as he reflects on his career up to now, he can’t help but feel glad with all that he achieved.
“I was always into music. My mother used to play when we were young at home and I had two brothers who played the accordion. I probably wouldn’t change a thing if I could go back and do it again.”
