Turas go Corcaigh – Cúlra in Éirinn 2008

In late October a group of twenty people from across Britain spent a week in County Cork; the group was made up of members of Cúlra, the educational and cultural programme of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Britain, an initiative that is in its eighteenth year. Seeking to expose second and third generation Irish people to aspects of a heritage otherwise obscured, the Cúlra Programme has mounted visits to many different parts of Ireland, meeting academics, storytellers, local historians, politicians, business people, writers, musicians and singers, etc. etc. in their own regional and local contexts.

The Irish word ‘cúlra’ means ‘background’ and the philosophical under-pinning of the Cúlra Programme is based upon the belief that traditional music emerges from the experience of the Irish people down through history and is expressive of that history. Technique has its place, style its significance and the sounds are aesthetically impressive. But without a social, historical and environmental backdrop against which they can be interpreted they remain isolated and abstracted – just a set of appealing sounds alongside many others but fragmented and without roots. It is not surprising then that the coloniser sought to suppress traditional music, song and dance in Ireland as well as the native tongue. These were and are emblems of identity, living symbols of a unique and distinctive people that carry within them the historic memory of that people, its struggles and achievements, its defeats and its victories, its spiritual legacy and its artistic sophistication.

Cork affords a cultural topography, various, fascinating and rich, its people retaining a deep and lasting awareness of their own special place and significance in Ireland’s story. The ‘Rebel County’ gave Cúlra a generous and hospitable welcome. Sessions of high calibre hosted by Brú na Sí, Dan Sheahan’s and Farran Well were ingredients giving special flavour to the week. The tour conducted by Seán Kelleher of the major sites of ambush in the West Cork region carried out by Tom Barry’s Flying Column during the war of independence and the civil war that followed it, was a revelatory experience now sown deep into understanding and memory. The Tudor and Cromwellian history of Youghal brought the significance of this the second port of these islands, which it was at that time, into sharp relief. The importance of Cobh in the story of Ireland is shot through with stories of tragedy and triumph – the American Wake and the town’s role in the development of trans-Atlantic seafaring, not least the twin disasters of the Titanic and Lusitania are part of its legend

The trip to Cork was the latest in a series of encounters with the Irish heritage in its own backyard as it were. The Cúlra Programme has been marked by visits to every county and province in Ireland to date. Contributors over the years have provided input of the very highest quality. Eminent musicians, poets and essayists have played their part. Specialists in history, spirituality, theatre, film & television, politics, the press and many more have all been willing to offer insights and perspectives that have stimulated interest and sponsored what might almost be called recognition of the essential Ireland. This country, Britain, has had a role to play also in providing aspects of the Irish experience shared by the many migrants who came here to settle across the sad years of emigration. Their cultural stamp has made its impress on the awareness of generations as they worked and raised their families, built their churches and retained their cultural traditions and customs - their story has been part of the Cúlra experience also.

Seosamh Ó Síoráin – Director of Cúlra