Ellen (Nell) Galvin (1887 - 5 September 1961) was a

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

and

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 from

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 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. She was originally from Ballydineen, Knockalough, near

Kilmihil Kilmihil () is a village in the Barony of Clonderlaw, west County Clare, Ireland. It is also a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaelt ...

. Nell Galvin learned to play when she was young. She was taught by Garret Barry, a blind

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

player from

Inagh Inagh ( ; ) is a village and civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated 14 km west of Ennis on the Inagh River. It contains the villages of Inagh and Cloonanaha. Location The parish is part of the barony of Inchiquin. The ''Par ...

. Because Galvin could not decide what was her favourite instrument, he taught her to play on both the fiddle and the concertina. In 1901, she entered the

Thomond Feis The Thomond Feis was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1913 and 1956 for four of the inter-county teams in the province of Munster in Ireland. It was named for the ancient k ...

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

and won the fiddle competition. In 1905 Galvin took part again, this time playing the concertina and the fiddle. She won both competitions. She later won a competition in

Kilkee Kilkee () is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town is popular as a seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is pr ...

, where she was judged by

Seamus Clandillon Seamus Clandillon (6 June 1878 – 21 April 1944) was an Irish musician, civil servant, and first director of radio broadcasting at 2RN. Early life and education Seamus Clandillon was born near Gort, County Galway on 6 June 1878. His father was ...

, who would become director of

Radio Éireann Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

. In 1937, Nell Galvin was granted an audition for Radio Éireann in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. This made it possible to broadcast traditional music over 2RN a number of times. Galvin used the effect of droning strings, dissonance and intricate ornamentation in her playing style. In the mid-1950s, some recordings were made of her music. These recordings are now part of 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 ...

-collection at the

ITMA ''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other cha ...

. The importance of Nell Galvin's music is mainly found in history and continuity. She forms a link between the pre-Famine musicians and mentors on one side and the modern day musicians on the other side of the timescale. Galvin played with many Clare traditional musicians, including Mrs. Crotty (concertina),

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists * John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man *John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

(fiddle), Sean Reid, Dr. Bill Loughnane and Willie Clancy (uilleann pipes). Later she played with her son Stephen as guests with the

Kilfenora Céilí Band The Kilfenora Céilí Band () is one of the oldest céilí bands in Ireland. It was founded in 1909 in Kilfenora, a village in County Clare. History The first group of céilí musicians played in the old schoolhouse in Kilfenora in 1909. A new C ...

. They played an unnamed reel, that promptly was baptized " Mrs Galvin's" by the Band. Nell Galvin is the namesake of the ''Nell Galvin Traditional Music Weekend'' in Moyasta. This festival later amagalmated to form the "Crotty Galvin Traditional Weekend".

Personal life

Nell Galvin, born as Ellen McCarthy, married Moyasta-man Patrick Galvin. They had two girls and three boys. p. 15

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galvin, Nell 1887 births 1961 deaths Musicians from County Clare Concertina players Irish fiddlers 20th-century violinists

Personal life

See also

References