Sir, - I have been dedicated to traditional music for 35 years and am a former all-Ireland champion on the accordion. Traditional music in itself is not an "extreme", as described by John Waters (Opinion, September 2nd). It is an integral and very important part of Irish life and has been for centuries.
If Mr Waters and these modernists only fully realised the great psychological and emotional significance of playing traditional music, they would not even dream of advocating its modernisation or change. I can assure Mr Waters that there is much more joy than pain at the heart of Irish music. His views are typical of those on the periphery of Irish music who are always ready to analyse it but are so preoccupied with their own pompous ideas that they are unable to recognise the real value of traditional music to the performer.
My constant inspiration in playing the music does not come from its "modernisation" or "innovation". For me, these concepts are alien to traditional music. It comes from learning more tunes regularly - and there are plenty to learn. There are upwards of 20,000 tunes in traditional music from the 32 counties and many can be learned in different keys and put in endless arrangements.
That is my renaissance in Irish music for the past 35 years. Any musician worth his/her salt would identify with that position. That is how it is handed down through generations - not through the infusion of other cultures into Irish music. Traditional music is robust in itself and does not need modernisation or change.
The "modernisation agenda" - as I see it - is not being embraced or initiated by conventional traditional musicians. It is being imposed on them by a very small minority of people whose egos are much bigger than the music. Underlying the modernisation/ change in Irish music, however, is a definite inferiority complex. If these people were satisfied and confident about the music, they would not be trying to change it. - Yours, etc.,
Cooleen, Dingle, Co Kerry.