{"id":4080,"date":"2022-12-13T07:59:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T07:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/?p=4080"},"modified":"2023-01-09T21:42:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T21:42:58","slug":"vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975\/","title":{"rendered":"Vernam Hull Lecture: 8th February 1975"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vernam Hull Lecture: 8th February 1975<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>We\u2019re grateful to <a href=\"https:\/\/celtic.fas.harvard.edu\/\">the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard University<\/a> for permission to include this material in Cartlanna Sheosaimh U\u00ed&nbsp;\u00c9ana\u00ed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"dmeite\">\n\n<span id=\"neasc-nocht-ceilth\" class=\"nmeite\">view \/ hide recording details [+\/-]<\/span>\n<ul id=\"clarMeiteashonrai\" class=\"meiteashonrai\">\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Teideal <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Title)<\/span>:<\/span> Vernam Hull Lecture: 8th February 1975.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Chatal\u00f3ige Ollscoil Washington <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(University of Washington Catalogue Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Chnuasach Bh\u00e9aloideas \u00c9ireann <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(National Folklore of Ireland Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Roud <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Roud Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Laws <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Laws Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Uimhir Child <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Child Number)<\/span>:<\/span> none.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Cnuasach <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Collection)<\/span>:<\/span> Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Teanga na Cro\u00edmh\u00edre <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Core-Item Language)<\/span>:<\/span> Irish and English.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Catag\u00f3ir <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Category)<\/span>:<\/span> song and speech.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Ainm an t\u00e9 a thug <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Name of Informant)<\/span>:<\/span> Joe Heaney.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Ainm an t\u00e9 a th\u00f3g <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Name of Collector)<\/span>:<\/span> Harvard University.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">D\u00e1ta an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Date)<\/span>:<\/span> 08\/02\/1975.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Su\u00edomh an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Location)<\/span>:<\/span> Quincy Common Room, Harvard University.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Oc\u00e1id an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording Occasion)<\/span>:<\/span> The 1975 Vernam Hull Lecture.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">Daoine eile a bh\u00ed i l\u00e1thair <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Others present)<\/span>:<\/span> Ken Nilsen.<\/li>\n \t<li><span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai\">St\u00e1das ch\u00f3ipcheart an taifeadta <span class=\"lipead-meiteashonrai-bearla\">(Recording copyright status)<\/span>:<\/span> Harvard University.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a rather unusual entry to the Cartlanna; unique in some ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/tradition-club-session-18th-july-1973\/\">the Tradition Club recording of 1973<\/a>, we\u2019re listening to a voice that\u2019s a few years younger than the one predominating here in the Cartlanna.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joe\u2019s giving a performance on stage \u2014 essentially, a concert \u2014 but he\u2019s actually been invited to do so by Harvard University at a yearly event that\u2019s normally a formal academic lecture. (See the <a href=\"#a:n\u00f3ta\u00ed\">notes<\/a>, below.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Although he\u2019s in front of a (mostly?) English-speaking audience, most of the songs are in Irish. One consequence of this is the need to give more time explaining what the songs are about.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Play recordings: Vernam Hull Lecture: 8th February 1975<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction by Ken Nilsen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-01-introduction-by-ken-nilsen.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">1. Introduction by Ken Nilsen. <em>(spoken word)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=3063\">Ken<\/a> <i>(link to biography in Irish)<\/i> introduces Joe and says that he specifically asked him to sing three-quarters of the songs in Irish; something Joe wouldn\u2019t have normally with an English-speaking audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bean Ph\u00e1id\u00edn \u204a Cailleach an Airgid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-02-bean-phaidin-agus-cailleach-an-airgid.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">2. Bean Ph\u00e1id\u00edn \u204a Cailleach an Airgid.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s an apparent contradiction in Joe\u2019s discussion of <em>Cailleach an Airgid<\/em>: that a <em>cailleach<\/em> is an old woman who never bore a son or daughter but that this particular <em>cailleach<\/em> was his own great-great-grandmother. But this just stagecraft; Joe happily embellishing the facts when he knows it\u2019ll increase an audience\u2019s enjoyment. <em>Cailleach<\/em> can indeed be used literarily to mean \u2018a celibate woman\u2019 or \u2018a nun\u2019 \u2014 derived from <em>caille<\/em>, a veil \/ a nun\u2019s veil \u2014 so yes, there <em>is<\/em> an undertone of \u2018without offspring\u2019 that a good speaker of Irish would pick up on. But in common usage it simply means \u2018an old hag\u2019. Un-complementary at best, it can be said literally of any unpleasant lady of advanced years, whether she\u2019s had children or not, and can also be used figuratively in phrases. Or as an insult! See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teanglann.ie\/ga\/fgb\/cailleach\">the entry for <em>cailleach<\/em><\/a> in Focl\u00f3ir Gaeilge-B\u00e9arla for examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe does, however, mis-translate the final line: \u2018<em>Chaithfeadh s\u00ed feol D\u00e9 hAoine \u2019s D\u00e9 Sathairn<\/em>\u2019 means \u2018she\u2019d eat meat on Fridays and <em>Saturdays<\/em>\u2019. Some readers may find this line interesting for another reason however. The literal translation of \u2018she would eat\u2019 is \u2018<em>d\u2019\u00edosfadh s\u00ed<\/em>\u2019, and that\u2019s what\u2019s often sung: \u2018<em>d\u2019\u00edosfadh s\u00ed feol D\u00e9 hAoine \u2019s D\u00e9 Sathairn<\/em>\u2019, or indeed \u2018<em>d\u2019\u00edosfadh s\u00ed feol <\/em>on Fridays and Saturdays\u2019. The word \u2018<em>caith<\/em>\u2019, which Joe uses here, has a number of meanings, all related. One of these, used in relation to food, drink and tobacco, is \u2018consume\u2019. <em>L\u00f3n a chaitheamh<\/em> (to consume \u2014 that is, eat \u2014 lunch), <em>si\u00facra a chaitheamh<\/em> (to consume \u2014 that is, take \u2014 sugar) and <em>toit\u00edn\u00ed a chaitheamh<\/em> (to consume \u2014 smoke \u2014 cigarettes) are common forms. Again, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teanglann.ie\/ga\/fgb\/caith\">see the dictionary<\/a> (definition 2) for examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All that said, the specific words for \u2018eat\u2019 and \u2018drink\u2019 are in more general use. But given the expansion of the word \u2018consume\u2019 in English in recent years \u2014 consume content, consume programming, consume data, consume news and so on \u2014 maybe it\u2019s time to re-invigorate this usage of <em>caith<\/em> in Irish?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Curracha\u00ed na Tr\u00e1 B\u00e1ine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-03-currachai-na-tra-baine.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">3. Curracha\u00ed na Tr\u00e1 B\u00e1ine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A true story. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/1399035\">An Tr\u00e1 Bh\u00e1in<\/a> is a townland on the eastern side of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/1372982\/\">Garmna<\/a>, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openstreetmap.org\/#map=12\/53.2700\/-9.6288\">Ceantar na nOile\u00e1n<\/a> (<em>the islands<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why I Sing These Songs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-04-why-i-sing-these-songs.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4. Why I Sing These Songs. <em>(spoken word)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe takes a moment to explain to the audience why he sings traditional Irish songs. Essentially, because they\u2019re a valuable aspect of a cultural continuum that spans generations. They matter. He also hints at his destain for \u2018popularised\u2019 interpretations of the genre: \u201clike you put a teabag into a bad cup of water\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spurred, possibly, by mention of the erosion of Irish culture, or perhaps actually giving a second explicit reason, Joe then speaks briefly about his grandmother\u2019s experience of the tally stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Called <em>an bata sc\u00f3ir<\/em> in Irish, also the <em>signum<\/em> (N\u00ed&nbsp;Mh\u00f3r\u00e1in, 1997) and undoubtedly many other nouns and adjectives by those subjected to it, this was a length of wood that was tied to the necks of children whilst at school. It was used in Irish and Scottish schools to encourage native Irish- and Gaelic-speakers to abandon their language in favour of English. The <em>bata sc\u00f3ir<\/em> was part of a formalised system of continual humiliation and punishment, frequently corporal, designed to stigmatise the language and expedite its eradication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were variations on a theme but at its most basic, if a child was heard speaking Irish or Gaelic the <em>bata sc\u00f3ir<\/em> would be tied to their necks and a notch scored on it. Each subsequent time they spoke that language, another notch would be added. At the end of the day, the child would receive as many strokes of the cane as there were notches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One rather perverse aspect of this pedagogical technique was that you could spare yourself the caning by eavesdropping and informing on classmates who\u2019d committed the same offence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See \u00d3&nbsp;S\u00failleabh\u00e1in (1995, pp.551\u2013566) for a scholarly investigation into the practice. The <em>bata sc\u00f3ir<\/em> was used well into the twentieth century in some places; possibly as recently as the nineteen sixties. It was also deployed in Wales, where it was known as the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Welsh_Not\">cwstom<\/a><\/em>, the Welsh Not, the Welsh Mark and so on (Welsh Not, n.d.). Nor was it a purely Anglophone phenomenon. Similar techniques have been used internationally: the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Symbole\"><em>symbole<\/em><\/a> \/ <em>ar vuoc&#8217;h<\/em> in French regions (Symbole, n.d.), the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dialect_card\"><em>dialect card<\/em><\/a> \/ <em>h\u014dgen fuda<\/em> in Japan (Dialect Card, n.d.) and so on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Rocks of Bawn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-05-the-rocks-of-bawn.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">5. The Rocks of Bawn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe moves on to the tradition of singing <em>English<\/em> language songs in the Gaeltacht and sings this one, which he describes as \u201cthe daddy of all Irish folk songs sung in English\u201d, as an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eilean\u00f3ir a R\u00fan \u204a Seachr\u00e1n Chearbhaill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-06-eileanoir a-run-agus-seachran-chearbhaill.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">6. Eilean\u00f3ir a R\u00fan \u204a Seachr\u00e1n Chearbhaill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An epic. Always to be listened to in one sitting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe may have been \u2018paraphrasing\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/George-Frideric-Handel\">Handel<\/a> when he said he\u2019d have given his right arm to have composed <em>Eilean\u00f3ir a R\u00fan<\/em> but he seems to have been near enough the mark. Kuntz (n.d.; citing Flood, 1906) states that \u201cThe melody was\u2026 admired by the German composer Handel during his stay in Ireland, according to Charles O\u2019Connor of Belanagame.\u201d Other online sources suggest this admiration was, shall we say, considerable. But let\u2019s be honest: <em>any<\/em> admiration by the composer of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5xWhclVLQyI\">Zadok the Priest<\/a><\/em> is considerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/cearbhall-o-dalaigh-seachran-chearbhaill-1\/#a:notai\">the notes<\/a> under the entry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/cearbhall-o-dalaigh-seachran-chearbhaill-1\/\">Cearbhall \u00d3 D\u00e1laigh: Seachr\u00e1n Chearbhaill (1)<\/a> for detailed discussion of this piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John, the Priest and the Better Man<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-07-john-the-priest-and-the-better-man.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">7. John, the Priest and the Better Man. <em>(spoken word)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A short folk tale with a good punch line and a nice subtext. And Joe\u2019s wrong: it stands up well enough in translation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">R\u00f3is\u00edn Dubh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-08-roisin-dubh.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">8. R\u00f3is\u00edn Dubh.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe explains that \u2018R\u00f3is\u00edn Dubh\u2019 isn\u2019t a woman at all but a metaphor for Ireland. He then sings the song, using the Munster air that provided the basis for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.ie\/entertainment\/music\/it-kills-the-hipster-in-me-to-admit-it-but-my-grandad-sean-o-riada-was-cooler-than-i-will-ever-be-41161738.html\">Se\u00e1n \u00d3&nbsp;Riada<\/a>\u2019s score to the 1959 film <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mise_%C3%89ire\"><em>Mise \u00c9ire<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Skibbereen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-09-skibbereen.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">9. Skibbereen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/skibbereen.ie\/\">Skibbereen<\/a> is a village in the west of County Cork and this powerful folk song is a dialogue between a father, who had to flee Ireland with his infant son following his eviction during the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Food_exports\">Great Famine<\/a>, and the same son, now grown. (The child\u2019s mother died from the trauma of the experience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe considered it \u2018the daddy of all emigration songs\u2019 and indeed, folklorist and musician, the late <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/obituaries\/2022\/08\/06\/mick-moloney-obituary-banjo-player-and-scholar-with-a-driving-passion-for-traditional-and-folk-music\/\">Mick Moloney<\/a>, called it \u2018the granddaddy of all Irish famine songs\u2019. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/skibbereen\/\">this entry for Skibbereen<\/a> in the Cartlanna for a fuller discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Macaronic Songs \u204a One Morning in June<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-10-macaronic-songs-and-one-morning-in-june.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">10. Macaronic Songs \u204a One Morning in June.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe explains that a macaronic song is one that contains sections in different languages; Irish and English in the case of traditional Irish singing. He goes on to explain that the form arose from the rise of English among the Irish population and the need to cater for listeners who could not understand Irish lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He mentions the phenomenon of \u201cnative speaker[s] talking in Irish, they always put an English word in because they want to emphasise something\u201d. (This is something some speakers still do to-day, although sometimes it\u2019s to make sure they\u2019ll be understood. Others, it\u2019s because some English word or phrase has got in and become calcified, either in the vernacular or in their own vocabularies.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe then points out that this isn\u2019t a song where each Irish verse is followed by an English translation but one where the story being told flips between the two languages with each line. Listeners with only one of these can follow it \u2014 but you need both to understand it fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Caoineadh na P\u00e1ise \/ Caoineadh na dTr\u00ed Muire<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-11-caoineadh-na-paise.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">11. Caoineadh na P\u00e1ise \/ Caoineadh na dTr\u00ed Muire.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This item is a powerful and spiritual lament and should never be thought of simply as a \u2018song\u2019 to be \u2018performed\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes the form of a conversation between a number of people present at the crucifixion of Christ, including Jesus Himself, Peter, the Blessed Virgin and the Roman soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Known as <em>Caoineadh na P\u00e1ise<\/em> (the lament of the passion) in Joe\u2019s native Carna, in other parts of Ireland it\u2019s called <em>Caoineadh na dTr\u00ed Muire<\/em> (the lament of the three Marys). Joe tells the audience that it was transmitted generationally through his family and that he got it from his grandmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peig\u00edn is Peadar \u204a Seven Drunken Nights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-12-peigin-is-peadar-agus-seven-drunken-nights.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">12. Peig\u00edn is Peadar \u204a Seven Drunken Nights.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe says here that <em>Seven Drunken Nights<\/em> is the English version of <em>Peig\u00edn is Peadar<\/em> but this is stagecraft. They share textual similarities, certainly, but they\u2019re each their own thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See the entries for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/peigin-agus-peadar\/\">Peig\u00edn is Peadar<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/seven-drunken-nights\/\">Seven Drunken Nights<\/a> for more detailed discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a:raifteara\u00ed-\u204a-anach-cuain\">Raifteara\u00ed \u204a Anach Cuain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-13-raiftearai-agus-anach-cuain.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">13. Raifteara\u00ed \u204a Anach Cuain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The famous Irish poet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/raiftearai-antaine-o-reachtabhra-antoine-raftery-anthony-a7572\">Antoine Raifteara\u00ed<\/a> was the son of a weaver who worked for the Taaffe family in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/36667.aspx\">Cill Liad\u00e1in<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/1412922.aspx\">Coillte Mach<\/a>, County Mayo (\u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 2009). Cill Liad\u00e1in was also known by the name Baile an T\u00ed Mh\u00f3ir (\u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:1); literally, the dwelling place of the big house. There are a number of \u2018big house\u2019 place names in Ireland, referring to the homes of local landlords; in this case, the Taaffes. In Raifteara\u00ed\u2019s time, the head of that family was Frank Taaffe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (1987:1), while extant historical records leave room for some uncertainty it\u2019s most likely that Raifteara\u00ed was born on 30th March 1779.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Raifteara\u00ed was a child there was an outbreak of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/smallpox\">smallpox<\/a> in the area and the disease killed all of his eight siblings. Although he himself survived it left him blind. Again, there\u2019s some uncertainty as to exactly when this happened. \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (1987:2) suggests that he was either five or nine years old at the time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/hardiman-james-a3796\">James Hardiman<\/a> (n.d.; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:1) says he was five and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Augusta-Lady-Gregory\">Lady Gregory<\/a> (Gregory, 1974; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:36) says he was six. \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (1987:36) considers it impossible to say for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raifteara\u00ed spent the following years of his youth under the patronage of the Taaffes; storytelling, reciting poetry and playing music for guests to their home. However, he later moved away from Cill Liad\u00e1in and spent the rest of his life as an itinerant musician and poet in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/1410583.aspx\">Eachr\u00e9idh<\/a> region to the east of Galway City (Breathnach and N\u00ed&nbsp;Mhurch\u00fa, n.d. 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to folklore, Raifteara\u00ed had to flee Mayo because he\u2019d killed Frank Taaffe\u2019s best and\/or favourite horse in a riding accident. \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (2009) states that they \u201cfell out\u201d over this incident, bringing his role as Taaffe\u2019s \u201chousehold entertainer\u201d to an end. De&nbsp;h\u00cdde (1933; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:2) has a slightly different interpretation, saying Raifteara\u00ed left because he feared the <em>consequences<\/em> of the incident as opposed to any actual falling out. But \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (1987:2) suggests that, possible as these explanations are, the more likely reason was, in fact, economic necessity. Whatever about Taaffe\u2019s patronage during his youth, as a grown man he\u2019d have to make his own way in the world and as a blind one he\u2019d have to do so using such skills he possessed: poetry and music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This raises a significant point about Antoine Raifteara\u00ed. Although he\u2019s often remembered as a poet, he was as much a musician and composer. Indeed, an account of him given by James Hardiman comes very close to describing what we now call a singer-songwriter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>He was a minstrel by profession; and played the violin tolerably; and was accustomed to recite his own poems, as well as other old Irish compositions. He sang his own songs accompanied by the music of his violin. I knew him. He was an honest man.<\/p>\n<cite>Hardiman (n.d.; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:1)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As with the date of his birth, historical records are contradictory concerning the date of Raifteara\u00ed\u2019s death.  Hardiman (n.d.; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:1) states that he died on Christmas Day 1835 (near <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/1413945\">Loughrea<\/a> in County Galway) but \u00d3&nbsp;Ceallaigh (1967; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:2,36) states that it was on Christmas Eve (in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/19774\">Craughwell<\/a>; also in County Galway and not too far from Loughrea). Royal Irish Academy (n.d.; cited in \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, 1987:1,36) says it was in October of that year. According to \u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh (2009), \u201c[a]n exact date of death is not known\u201d. He is buried in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/19385\">Killeeneen<\/a> near Craughwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe\u2019s telling of Raifteara\u00ed\u2019s story differs from the above in one imortant matter: that he  had been riding Taaffe\u2019s pony (not horse) and was blinded when the pony fell and broke its leg. We can only speculate but it\u2019s possible that Joe made this adjustment to avoid mentioning smallpox for fear it might spoil the mood of the evening. This disease is, after all, an extremely unpleasant one and it still existed in the wild in 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Joe\u2019s assertion that Raifteara\u00ed could only play one tune on the fiddle smacks of stagecraft, as does the apparently throw away comment \u201calthough he was blind he could see\u201d and the reference to \u201cRaftery\u2019s Pub\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Joe\u2019s account of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/18411\">Anach Cuain<\/a> drowning tragedy \u2014 the sinking of a boat, the <em>Caisle\u00e1n Nua<\/em>, on Loch Corrib on Thursday 4 September 1828 \u2014 is, as you\u2019d expect, respectful and without embellishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From a piece published by <em>An Curadh Connachtach<\/em> (the <em>Connacht Tribune<\/em>) in 1978:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c[A]n old row boat\u201d, in a rotten and leaky condition, started from Annaghdown early on Thursday morning, September 4, a distance from Galway up Lough Corrib, of about eight miles, having, it is calculated, about thirty one persons on board, who were coming to the fair of Fairhill.<\/p>\n<cite>(An Curadh Connachtach, 1978; cited in Galway Library, n.d.)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a contemporary newspaper report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The boat and passengers proceeded without obstruction until they arrived opposite Bushypark, within two miles of the town, when she suddenly went down and all on board perished except twelve persons who were fortunately rescued from their perilous situation by another boat.<\/p>\n<cite>(Galway Advertiser, 1828; cited in An Curadh Connachtach, 1978; cited in Galway Library, n.d.)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>NB: <cite>An Curadh Connachtach<\/cite> (1978) attributes this passage to the <cite>Galway Advertiser<\/cite> but it\u2019s possible that this should in fact be the <cite>Galway <em style=\"font-style:normal;\">Weekly<\/em> Advertiser<\/cite>. Other sources attribute it to the <cite>Connaught Journal<\/cite>. Judging by the language, the previous passage probably comes from the same original article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/18670\">Bushypark<\/a> is very close to a district called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/ga\/1413602\">Newcastle<\/a> \u2014 <em>An Caisle\u00e1n Nua<\/em>; the same name as the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Since the tragedy it has never been established just what caused the boat to sink, although the most popular theory has been that one of the sheep being brought to the fair put his hoof through a plank, somebody tried to plug the hole with a coat but only succeeded in knocking out the plank.<\/p>\n<cite>(An Curadh Connachtach, 1978; cited in Galway Library, n.d.)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>See the entry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/anach-cuain\/\">Anach Cuain<\/a> for the words to this song; also for an English transcription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Casadh an tS\u00fag\u00e1in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-14-casadh-an-tsugain.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">14. Casadh an tS\u00fag\u00e1in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> Joe gives the first hint that he\u2019s winding the evening down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A man was coming home from the pub half drunk and he walked into a house. And there was an old lady in one corner and her not so old daughter in the other corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The man fancied the daughter and the mother fancied the man. She plied him with strong tea and a drop of the quare stuff but to no avail. When she saw the lie of the land she decided to get rid of him. She told him the roof was falling in and asked him to twist a rope for her (<em>s\u00fag\u00e1n a chasadh<\/em>) so that she could fasten the it the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So he started twisting the rope, going through the door and of the house as it lengthened, and as soon as he was outside the mother cut the rope and shut him out. The song is his reply to this eviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/casadh-an-tsugain-1\/\">Casadh an tS\u00fag\u00e1in (1)<\/a> for a rather different telling of this story \u2014 one with a much more plausible reason for the man to go into the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">C\u00fannla<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-15-cunnla.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">15. C\u00fannla.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe guarantees the audience that this is the last song of the night. Happily, it isn\u2019t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe tells the audience that parts of this song are lilted (<em>portaireacht<\/em> in Irish) and that lilting had been a common form because most people couldn\u2019t afford musical instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this, he returns to the subject of bad musicianship and remarks that \u201ceverybody who puts a tin whistle in his pocket is a whistle player \u2014 not so!\u201d. He freely admits that his own skill on the tin whistle is not of a pocketable standard, and that he\u2019ll stick to lilting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u00dana Bh\u00e1n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-16-una-bhan.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">16. \u00dana Bh\u00e1n.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Judging by the discussion at the start of this segment, which is slightly obscured by the applause, somebody (probably Ken Nilsen) seems to ask Joe to sing <em>\u00dana&nbsp;Bh\u00e1n<\/em> at this point. Joe comments that it\u2019s a very old song and proceeds to explain the story behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom\u00e1s&nbsp;L\u00e1idir \u00d3&nbsp;Coistealbha (\u2018Strong Tom\u00e1s\u2019) was a young man from Mayo. One day, he was at a fair and took part in a wrestling match with a big wrestler from England. At that time, wrestling custom was to make a wide circle on the ground, with the two wrestlers inside it. They wrestled by pulling at each other\u2019s belts. So the referee told them to start wrestling but the Englishman didn\u2019t move. When they went and took off the belts, the Englishman fell down dead; his back broken by the first pull from Tom\u00e1s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same fair was a young woman called \u00dana&nbsp;Bh\u00e1n Nic&nbsp;Dhiarmada and when she saw Tom\u00e1s she fell in love with him \u2014 \u201cwhatever that is!\u201d \u2014 right away. When \u00dana Bh\u00e1n went home she fell ill and went to bed. \u00dana told her father that she was pining for Tom\u00e1s&nbsp;L\u00e1idir. But the father said she couldn\u2019t marry anyone who was beneath her. Finally, when she was near death, he sent for Tom\u00e1s and as soon as he arrived \u00dana started to improve and had recovered after a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But still the father wouldn\u2019t allow the marriage and sent him away again. Tom\u00e1s replied that he\u2019d go but swore that if he got as far as to cross the Dan\u00f3g River he\u2019d never come back. Tom\u00e1s left and when he reached the riverbank he waited for an hour but no word came from the house and so he went across. And just then, they called him back. But Tom\u00e1s was bound by his word so he couldn\u2019t turn back and \u00dana died of a broken heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom\u00e1s composed this song over her grave. They say that on the third night, while he was composing it, she came up and slapped him on the cheek and told him to go home because his love wasn\u2019t worth having. So he went home and died himself five years after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe says that this version of the song is probably the oldest that exists in Conamara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The story of \u00dana&nbsp;Bh\u00e1n and Tom\u00e1s&nbsp;L\u00e1idir has a number of versions and (not unlike <em>Casadh an tS\u00fag\u00e1in<\/em>) Joe\u2019s own telling could vary. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/una-bhan\/\">this entry for \u00dana Bh\u00e1n<\/a> in the Cartlanna for a more detailed telling of the story. Watch out for the differences!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone who enjoys Joe\u2019s rendition of the song would be well advised to track down <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=1667\">M\u00e1ire \u00c1ine<\/a>\u2019s version, which was included on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/M%C3%A1ire-%C3%81ine-N%C3%AD-Dhonnchadha-Deora-Aille\/release\/4588342\">Deora Aille<\/a> album. Although very different, it\u2019s absolutely stunning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did the Rum do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/00-micil\/me\u00e1in\/vernam-hull-lecture-8th-february-1975-17-did-the-rum-do.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">17. Did the Rum do?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The big finish. Or \u201cone for the road\u201d as Joe calls it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, he recounts the story of how the poet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/mac-suibhne-micheal-a5082\">M\u00edche\u00e1l Mac&nbsp;Suibhne<\/a> was accosted by the parish priest of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clifden\">Clifden<\/a>, County Galway, who asked him why he made so many songs about \u201cwomen and men drinking and all\u201d. \u201cI don\u2019t make them\u201d, he replied. \u201cThe people I <em>talk<\/em> to make the songs. <em>I<\/em> only put the words together!\u201d In fairness, he had a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe then pivots neatly from there to the idea of putting <em>tunes<\/em> together, launches straight into a tale about three beautiful red-headed daughters and their ailing father, and lilts the delightfully absurd side-effects of medicinal rum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe often sang <em>Did the Rum do?<\/em>, incorporating <em>What Will you do When the Kettle Boils Over?<\/em>, to round off a performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"n\u00f3ta\u00ed-bun-leathanaigh\">\n<h2 id=\"a:n\u00f3ta\u00ed\">Notes<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ainm-\u00fadair\">By M\u00ed\u010be\u00e1l \u00d3&nbsp;Lo\u010blainn<\/p>\n<h3>Digitisation and presentation<\/h3>\n<p>Being made in the mid-1970s, the original recording was an analogue one; almost certainly on magnetic tape. This was subsequently digitised at Harvard (Nilsen, 2000), most likely during the 1990s, and the digital realisation archived on CD following common practice of the time. Unsurprisingly, two CDs were required to store nearly an hour and a half\u2019s worth of material. Realisations of these, <a href=\"https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322905\">sound disc 1<\/a> (sound_disc_1\u2026, n.d.) and <a href=\"https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322965\">sound disc 2<\/a> (sound_disc_2\u2026, n.d.), are available online on the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Library<\/a> website under the title <cite>Joe Heaney at Harvard 2\/8\/75 :&nbsp;[field work collection]&nbsp;: Irish songs and stories<\/cite>.<\/p>\n<p>The only difference between the recording as presented by Harvard and as presented here is one of organisation. In both cases, the material is arranged in its proper sequence but while Harvard has rigorously segmented it into individual items of spoken word and song, our approach has been to treat the songs (or group of related songs) as logical units and to keep them together with their spoken introductions. By the same reasoning, the three purely spoken word items in the recording have been segmented separately.<\/p>\n<h3>Vernam Hull and Harvard University<\/h3>\n<p><i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/\"><cite>ainm.ie<\/cite><\/a>, often called <cite>na Beathaisn\u00e9is\u00ed<\/cite>, following the original series of books on which it\u2019s based, is a collection of biographies, in Irish, of deceased people who had some connection to the Irish language. It includes a lengthy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=627\">entry on Vernam Hull<\/a> (Breathnach and N\u00ed&nbsp;Mhurch\u00fa, n.d. 2). Much of the following brief overview of Hull\u2019s life draws on this and our debt to <cite>na Beathaisn\u00e9is\u00ed<\/cite> is hereby acknowledged.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Vernam Hull was an American academic \u2014 though he was actually born in Japan, on 17th December 1895. (His father was a diplomat so it\u2019s possible that Vernam was born whilst he happened to be stationed there.) His parents were well off and he had quite a cosmopolitan upbringing, receiving part of his education in England, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bedales.org.uk\/\">Bedales School<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Having fought in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/World-War-I\">the Great War<\/a>, he applied himself to scholarship and in 1918 obtained a BA. He registered as a graduate in the <a href=\"https:\/\/english.fas.harvard.edu\/\">Department of English<\/a> at Harvard University the following year and was awarded an MA in 1921. His interest in the Celtic languages was kindled by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fred_Norris_Robinson\">Fred Norris Robinson<\/a>, who supervised his doctoral thesis, <cite>The English and Welsh sources of Drayton\u2019s Polyolbion<\/cite>. He was awarded his doctorate in 1926.<\/p>\n<p>As a John Harvard Travelling Fellow, Hull studied Old Irish at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uni-bonn.de\/en\">University of Bonn<\/a> under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/thurneysen-rudolf-a8551\">Rudolf Thurneysen<\/a> but also visited Ireland on several occasions and developed proficiency in the modern spoken language.<\/p>\n<p>Hull spent most of the 1940s at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyu.edu\/\">New York University<\/a>, where he directed at least one course in Celtic languages. He returned to Harvard in 1950 as Professor of Celtic Languages and as Chair of the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures. He retired in 1962.<\/p>\n<p>The following year the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wales.ac.uk\/cy\/Hafan.aspx\">University of Wales<\/a> awarded him the degree of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doctor_of_Letters\">D. Litt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Honorary_degree\">Honoris Causa<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.celticstudiescongress.org\/\">International Congress of Celtic Studies<\/a> (<cite>Vernam Hull Memorial Prize\/Award<\/cite>, n.d.).<\/p>\n<p>In 1969 the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University established and sponsored the Vernam Hull Lecture in his honour.<\/p>\n<p>Vernam Hull died on the 19th January 1976. He bequeathed over a million dollars to Harvard University (on the strict condition that \u201cThe term Celtic is not to be construed to include Anglo-Irish\u201d!), a sum which was used to establish the Ella Hull Fund.<\/p>\n<p>Hull also bequeathed sums to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dias.ie\/\">Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies<\/a> and to the University of Wales ($10,000). To this day, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ywerincronfadreftadaeth.cymru\/\">University of Wales Restricted Endowment Fund<\/a> uses the income derived from this to fund the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ywerinlegacyfund.wales\/award\/vernam-hull-memorial-prizeaward\">Vernam Hull Memorial Prize\/Award<\/a> (<cite>Vernam Hull Memorial Prize\/Award<\/cite>, n.d.).<\/p>\n<h3>The Vernam Hull Lecture<\/h3>\n<p>As you\u2019d expect, an annual academic lecture of this kind is usually a traditional scholarly affair. In 1972 for example, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/greene-david-william-a3606\">Professor David Greene<\/a> [had been] Visiting Professor of Linguistics at Harvard University for the fall semester [and had] delivered the Vernham Hull Lecture\u2026 in November\u2026\u201d (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1973). In 1985 the lecture was given by poet and academic <a href=\"http:\/\/osiadhail.com\/\">M\u00edche\u00e1l \u00d3&nbsp;Siadhail<\/a>. A little more recently, on the 10th October 2002 it was given by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidestone.com\/authors\/waddell-john\">Professor John Wadell<\/a> of the National University of Ireland, Galway and entitled \u2018Rathcroghan: Surveying a Ritual Landscape\u2019. And on the 9th October the following year, \u2018Text-styles and Textiles in Medieval Wales\u2019 was delivered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aber.ac.uk\/en\/cymraeg\/staff-profiles\/listing\/profile\/mah\/\">Dr Marged Haycock<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aber.ac.uk\/en\/\">University of Wales, Aberystwyth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But in 1975, in the Quincy Common Room at Harvard, a different approach was taken and Joe was invited to give, effectively, a concert in place of a lecture \u2014 albeit one that stands as a master class.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-five years later, Ken Nilsen, who introduced Joe to the audience, recalled the lecture and the recording in a conference paper he gave at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ul.ie\/\">University of Limerick<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere are a [number of] Celtic collections at Harvard\u2026 One item I personally had a hand in was the Joe Heaney appearance at Harvard in February, 1975, which served as the Vernam Hull Lecture for that year. I am very happy that I requested at the time that the performance be recorded. We have as a result a recording of about an hour and a half in length. This material has been digitized and is being made available for use in courses at Harvard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nilsen (2000).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nilsen died in 2012. But it\u2019s he we have to thank for the concert being available to hear now, anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n<h3>References<\/h3>\n<p>Breathnach, D., and N\u00ed&nbsp;Mhurch\u00fa, M. (n.d. 1) \u2018Raifteara\u00ed, Antaine\u2019, in <cite>ainm.ie<\/cite>. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=1149\">https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=1149<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>Breathnach, D., and N\u00ed&nbsp;Mhurch\u00fa, M. (n.d. 2) \u2018Hull, Vernam Edward Nunnemacher\u2019, in <cite>ainm.ie<\/cite>. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=627\">https:\/\/www.ainm.ie\/Bio.aspx?ID=627<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>Curadh Connachtach, An. (1978) \u2018River Disaster 150 Years Ago \u2014 Anach Cuain Wreck Found by Divers?\u2019. <cite>An Curadh Connachtach<\/cite>, 19780922.<\/p>\n<p>Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (1973) Annual report 1972\u201373, Dublin:Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Available: <a href=\"http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10793\/1135\">http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10793\/1135<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>de&nbsp;h\u00cdde, D. (1933). <cite>Abhr\u00e1in agus D\u00e1nta an Reachtabhraigh<\/cite>. Baile \u00c1tha Cliath.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Dialect card<\/cite>. (n.d.). wikipedia.org. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Welsh_Not\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dialect_card<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>Flood, W. H. G. (1906). <cite>A History of Irish Music<\/cite>, London:Walter Scott Publishing Co. LTD.<\/p>\n<p>Galway Advertiser. (1828). title unknown, <cite>Galway Advertiser<\/cite>, 18280906.<\/p>\n<p>Galway Library. (n.d.). galwaylibrary.ie. available: <a href=\"http:\/\/places.galwaylibrary.ie\/history\/chapter172.html\">http:\/\/places.galwaylibrary.ie\/history\/chapter172.html<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>Hardiman, J. (n.d.). RIA 23 O 42, historical manuscript, title unknown, held in Royal Irish Academy Library, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.<\/p>\n<p>Kuntz, A. (n.d.). \u2018EIB\u2011EMY\u2019 in <cite>The Fiddler\u2019s Companion<\/cite> Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/fiddlers\/EIB_EMY.htm\">https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/fiddlers\/EIB_EMY.htm<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>Gregory, A. (1974). <cite>Poets and dreamers<\/cite> (Coole Edition). Gerrards Cross:Smythe.<\/p>\n<p>Nilsen, K. (2000). \u2018Living Celtic Speech: Celtic Sound Archives in North America\u2019, in Sutcliffe, R.F.E. and \u00d3&nbsp;N\u00e9ill, G., edd, <cite>6th Annual Conference of the North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers, Limerick, Ireland<\/cite>. Conference date not available. Limerick:North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers, 89\u201394. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/es\/1385614\">https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/es\/1385614<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>N\u00ed&nbsp;Mh\u00f3r\u00e1in, B. (1997). <cite>Thiar sa Mhainistir at\u00e1 an Ghaolainn bhre\u00e1<\/cite>. An Daingean:An Sagart.<\/p>\n<p>\u00d3&nbsp;Ceallaigh, S. (1967). <cite>Fill\u00edocht na gCallan\u00e1n<\/cite>. Baile \u00c1tha Cliath:An Cl\u00f3chomhar.<\/p>\n<p>\u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, C. (1987). <cite>Raifteara\u00ed: Amhr\u00e1in agus D\u00e1nta<\/cite>. Baile \u00c1tha Cliath:An Cl\u00f3chomhar Teo.<\/p>\n<p>\u00d3&nbsp;Coigligh, C. (2009). \u2018Raifteara\u00ed, Antaine (\u00d3&nbsp;Reachtabhra, Antoine; Raftery, Anthony)\u2019 in <cite>Dictionary of Irish Biography<\/cite>. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/raiftearai-antaine-o-reachtabhra-antoine-raftery-anthony-a7572\">https:\/\/www.dib.ie\/biography\/raiftearai-antaine-o-reachtabhra-antoine-raftery-anthony-a7572<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>\u00d3&nbsp;S\u00failleabh\u00e1in, S. (1940 [1995]). \u2018Bata\u00ed Sc\u00f3ir\u2019, in Ryan, J., (ed.) <cite>F\u00e9il-Sgr\u00edbhinn E\u00f3in Mhic&nbsp;N\u00e9ill<\/cite>. Dublin:Four Courts Press, 551\u2013566.<\/p>\n<p>Royal Irish Academy. (n.d.). RIA 23 O 9, historical manuscript, title unknown, held in Royal Irish Academy Library, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.<\/p>\n<p>sound_disc_1_Joe_Heaney_at_Harvard_2-8-75. (n.d.). harvard.edu, available: <a href=\"https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322905\">https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322905<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p>sound_disc_2_Joe_Heaney_at_Harvard_2-8-75. (n.d.). harvard.edu, available: <a href=\"https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322965\">https:\/\/mps.lib.harvard.edu\/sds\/audio\/495322965<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p><cite>Symbole<\/cite>. (n.d.). wikipedia.org. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Welsh_Not\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Symbole<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p><cite>Vernam Hull Memorial Prize\/Award<\/cite>. (n.d.). ywerinlegacyfund.wales. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ywerinlegacyfund.wales\/award\/vernam-hull-memorial-prizeaward\">https:\/\/www.ywerinlegacyfund.wales\/award\/vernam-hull-memorial-prizeaward<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<p><cite>Welsh Not<\/cite>. (n.d.). wikipedia.org. Available: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Welsh_Not\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Welsh_Not<\/a> [accessed 20221130].<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12,11,13,4,6,7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amhrain","category-amhrain-i-mbearla","category-amhrain-i-ngaeilge","category-amhrain-mhacaronacha","category-culra-joe","category-portaireacht","category-scealaiocht","category-seanchas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4080"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4109,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080\/revisions\/4109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeheaney.org\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}