2014 Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada: Tamworth & Dún Laoghaire

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada

Once again this past June (27-29 June), the 2014 Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada (Gaeltacht Thuaisceart An Oileáin Úir) was held both in Tamworth and at the Days Inn and Conference Centre in Kingston (Dún Laoghaire), Ontario. This year the weather was sunny and hot, and the competitors had to seek refuge under the tents as the Saturday temperature was well over 30°C!

There were competitions held on the Saturday on the field location of Tamworth. The categories are as follows:

Speaking: Oration, Story Telling, Poetry Recitation, Pair Dialogue

Writing: Poetry, Prose, Learning Books and Aids

Singing: Sean Nós Singing, Singing in Irish (not Sean Nós), Individual, Choir, Lúibíní

Music: Harp, Uilleann Pipes, Céilí Bands

Dancing: Sean Nós, Set Dancing

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada, Celtic Choir.

Several CCE Ottawa members actively participated at the Oireachtas, in music, speaking, Sean Nós dancing, Singing, and Set Dancing.  

CCE Set Dancers

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada, Ottawa Céilí Band

CCE member Ellen MacIsaac’s Celtic Choir, took the first place (Gold medal) on the Choir competition, the Ottawa Céilí Band took the first price in their category. In the Sing in Styles other than Sean Nós, CCE members were quite successful, Ellen MacIsaac took the 1^st place (gold medal), Síle Scott, the 2nd place (Silver medal), and Oscar Mou was tied for the 3^rd place!  Shadyn Proctor took 2nd place on Sean Nós dancing, and the CCE Ottawa Set Dancers took the first place on Set Dancing for a second year running!

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada, Sean Nos, 2nd place

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada

Check the list of Winners in all categories: http://www.oireachtas.ca/pdfs/Buaiteoiri.Bearla.2014.pdf

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada

Congratulations to everyone who competed, regardless of the result!

Traditional Irish Music - Singing

Ellen MacIsaac at Canada's 2013 Oireachtas

In traditional Irish music there are “music” that is mainly for singing and other that is exclusively for dancing. “Music” for singing, tends to be mostly the unaccompanied vocals of sean nós of the “old style.” Also there is another unaccompanied vocal singing, the lilting or “mouth music;” a similar celtic tradition in Scotland is puirt a beul (or "diddling"). Lilting often accompanies dancing, and features such as rhythm and tone dominate in lilting. The lyrics are often meaningless or nonsensical.


Sean nós: there are three main styles of Sean nós, corresponding to the three areas where Irish is still spoken as a community language, the Gaeltachtai of Munster, Connacht and Ulster. Even though Sean-nós is practiced outside these areas, only those three distinct styles can be recognised. Singers from the Gaeltacht and indeed from outside Ireland may blend them, depending on where they learned. For those familiar with the styles, will notice the differences amongst them.

The Donegal Sean nós has been heavily influenced by Scots Gaelic song, where the melody is much less ornamented (uses of grace notes, and may also contain a steady pulse throughout the song). In all styles, the singers link a text to their interpretation of the melody. All styles will have slow (non-rhythmic songs) and songs that are sung to melodies with a very strong rhythm mostly drawn from the dance music, e.g. Jigs, slip-jigs, reels etc. http://comhaltas.ie/music/treoir/detail/amhranaiocht_ar_an_sean_nos/

As Seamas Mac Mathuna has written, "Sean nós singing is at once the most loved and the most reviled, the least often heard and the least understood part of that body of music which is generally referred to as Irish Traditional Music.” http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/inart378.htm


Here you can hear Scread Ceann Sualtaim, Celtic song of The Headless Horseman.

Next time we will refer to music for dancing.

We hope you enjoy it! 

Next time we will refer to music for dance.