Elizabeth Crotty, better known as Mrs. Crotty (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Markham; 6 December 1885 – 27 December 1960), was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

player. Crotty began gaining traction in the 1950s in the wake of the

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (; meaning "Society of the musicians of Ireland") is the primary Irish organisation dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and the language of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 and has pr ...

. She participated in this movement of musicians from an early stage. When a local branch was founded in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

, Crotty was elected president. She kept this position until her death in 1960. Crotty did not make any commercial recordings. The

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

had made a few recordings for their programs and they used one for their commemoration LP of 50 years RTÉ in 1976. Crotty was the namesake of the ''"Eigse Mrs Crotty" Traditional Music School and Festival'', a yearly music festival in July in Kilrush. This festival was held from 1996 to 2009. The festival later amalgamated to form the "Crotty Galvin Traditional Weekend".

Personal life

Crotty was born Elizabeth Markham near Cooraclare,

. In 1914 she married Michael ("Miko") Crotty and moved to Kilrush. Miko had been in the United States for a couple of years and used the money earned over there to buy a public house on the Market Square in Kilrush, now known as "Crotty’s Pub". Crotty was the mother of two children, a son named Paddy and a daughter named Peggy. Elizabeth Crotty died on 27 December 1960 from

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of obstru ...

. She is buried in (old) Shanakyle cemetery.

Recordings

* ''Keepers of Tradition Concertina players of County Clare'' * 'Concertina Music from West Clare' (1999, RTÉ)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crotty, Elizabeth 1885 births 1960 deaths Irish musicians Musicians from County Clare Concertina players People from Kilrush Place of death missing

Personal life

Recordings

See also

References