THIS important event focused on the relaunching of two tune books and a cassette set of the 127 pieces of music composed by ex-Barnagrove (Cootehill) fiddler Ed Reavey, who lived all his life in the US, bringing to life an area often overshadowed in music.
The McGovern family opened with pipes, fiddle, accordion, flute and banjo, the Ceili House dancers put on a terrific display of local set figures and battering steps and Seamus Fay formidably added to the Reavy legacy by lilting some of his reels and hornpipes.
Antoinn Mac Gabhann on fiddle with Fintan McManus, on guitar provided the serious backbone of the "big man's" tunes such as Lad O'Beirne's and Munster Grass hornpipes, Love at the Endings, Maudabawn Chapel and Never Was Piping So Gay reels. Martin O'Donoghue on accordion took on Reavy's greater complexities with harpist Dearbhail Finnegan; flute player Tommy Guihan tolled the bell with Josie McDermott's Lament For A Fiddler; songwriter Briege Murphy struck the same chord with Clohinnia Winds.
Mick Moloney, who knew Reavey in Philadelphia, and local historian Aodhghan O'Farrell gave a crisp colouring of the composer's life and music, acknowledging his unbroken 46 years of exile with Peter Jones's poignant ballad Kilkelly.
Joe Burke and Anne Conroy saw out this six hour, TV led, stop start epic, but the last bow was taken brilliantly by Ed Reavey junior and his wife, Mary, with The Clap Dance figures learnt in Philadelphia from a Donegal teacher, steps from an 80 year old Kerry woman back in the 1950s, all done to a very Cavan, jive swing.
