Proinsias Ó Maonaigh () or Francie Mooney (28 April 1922 – 28 March 2006) was a
fiddler
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. 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 syno ...
from
Gweedore
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo and Bloody For ...
(Gaoth Dobhair),
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. He is known for his distinguished fiddle playing and his unique and vast contribution to Irish music and culture. He is the father of
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...
(fiddle player, lead vocalist and cofounder of
Irish folk music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a Music genre, genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Irela ...
band
Altan) and grandfather of fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh.
Early life
Born in
Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo ...
in 1922 as the youngest of eight children, he was a son of a famous musician from the area Róise Mhór who would have played with An Píobaire Mór ("The Great Piper")
Tarlach Mac Suibhne. It was an Irish speaking household and traditional music was nurtured within the home and they were taught many Irish songs.
Life and career
In 1954, he married
a Gaoth Dobhair woman, Kitty Ní Ghallchóir, and they have three children: Gearóid Ó Maonaigh,
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...
and Áine Ní Mhaonaigh (or Anna Mooney). Francie is also the grandfather of fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh.
He taught at Luinneach primary school in Gaoth Dobhair from 1967 until his retirement in 1996. He also taught many locals how to play the fiddle up to the age of 82.
Francie was also a keen
Gaelic football
Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
er and contributed greatly to the local and county
GAA
Gaa may refer to:
* Gaa language, a language of Nigeria
* gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana
GAA may stand for:
Compounds
* Glacial (water-free), acetic acid
* Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...
.
He is credited for such works as "Francie Mooney's German", "Francie Mooney's Mazourka" and "Francie Mooney's Highland".
His most famous song was written about his hometown
Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo ...
, called "
Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair". It has been performed by bands and singers such as
Altan,
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age.
Initially popular for playing ...
,
Brian Kennedy and
Clannad
Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...
. Altan's version of the song appears on their 1997 album ''
Runaway Sunday''. Scottish folk group
Battlefield Band
Battlefield Band was a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band. Their last known live per ...
popularised the song as "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore" (which they recorded and released in 1976 on their debut album ''
Farewell to Nova Scotia'').
He also wrote pantomimes for the local theater, and translated many songs from English into Irish.
In 2003, he was honoured by the
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
when he was the president of the
Letterkenny
Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...
event.
Proinsías Ó Maonaigh died on 28 March 2006, after a brief illness. His funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
, and acts such as
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill in the parish of Sandwick, Orkney, Sandwick, on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. It consiste ...
, Altan,
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age.
Initially popular for playing ...
and
Clannad
Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...
paid tribute to him at the requiem mass in
Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo ...
.
On 22 November 2007, a concert honouring him was held at the opening of the new theatre in
Dunlewey
''Dún Lúiche'', known in English as Dunlewey or Dunlewy, is a small ''Gaeltacht'' village in the Gweedore district in the north-west of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The village sits in the Poisoned Glen, at the ...
. The tribute was conducted entirely in Irish, and included both instrumentals and songs he had composed or translated, plus some of his own favorites. There were several instrumental sets, a comic performance, and some dancing. The chorus consisted of over 20 members (many of them family) and almost a dozen musicians.
His legacy
Francie was instrumental in the success of local musicians such as
Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...
,
Clannad
Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...
and
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill in the parish of Sandwick, Orkney, Sandwick, on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. It consiste ...
.
Francie's daughter, lead singer and fiddle player
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...
is the lead and founding member of internationally recognised
Irish folk music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a Music genre, genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Irela ...
group
Altan. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's début solo album, ''
Imeall'' (2009) features a piece of music which she composed in memory of her father entitled "An Fidleoir" (The Fiddler).
Francie's son and guitar player Gearóid Ó Maonaigh is also well known locally for his musical talents, as well as his love of Irish traditional music.
Gearóid and other family members, such as Anna Mooney (or Anna Ní Mhaonaigh or Áine Ní Mhaonaigh), are also heavily involved in organizing musical events locally such as the world-famous
Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy.
Francie's grandson and fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh is the recipient of the 2003
TG4
TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...
Musician of the Year Award. In the mid 2000s, Ciarán Ó Maonaigh formed the duo Caitlín & Ciarán with concertina player, traditional dancer and spouse Caitlín Nic Gabhann. The duo released their debut (eponymous) studio album entitled ''Caitlín & Ciarán'' on 14 April 2015.
In late 2013 / early 2014,
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...
, her siblings Anna Ní Mhaonaigh (whistle) and Gearóid Ó Maonaigh (guitar), and her nephew Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (fiddle & bouzouki) formed the
Irish folk music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a Music genre, genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Irela ...
band
Na Mooneys on the occasion of the very last
Frankie Kennedy Winter School
Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy ("Frankie Kennedy Winter School") was a traditional music winter school held annually in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland starting December 1994 in memory of Belfast flautist Frankie Kennedy (from Irish folk musi ...
which occurred in
Gweedore
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo and Bloody For ...
,
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
, Ireland where they performed their first ever show. Na Mooneys released their debut (eponymous) studio album ''
Na Mooneys'' on 6 October 2016.
In the late 2010s, fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh formed the trio CCC with concertina player, traditional dancer and spouse Caitlín Nic Gabhann, and fiddle & bouzouki player and lead singer Cathal Ó Curráin. CCC released their debut studio album entitled ''
The High Seas
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' on 19 May 2018. Actually, the trio CCC rather goes by the name of its debut album i.e. The High Seas.
Caitlín & Ciarán bandcamp website > Album "The High Seas"
/ref>
Notes
References
External links
Cairdeas na bhFidléirí
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omaonaigh, Proinsias
1922 births
2006 deaths
Irish male fiddlers
Musicians from Gweedore
20th-century Irish fiddlers
20th-century Irish male musicians
21st-century Irish male musicians