Beart Bunting
(TG4/BBC)
‘BeartBunting’ (‘Bunting’s Gift’) is a television documentary commissioned jointly by the BBC and TG4 and produced by Dearcán Media. It was developed from my historical research in Irish music. It focusses on musicological, sociological and political research inspired by Manuscript 4.6 of the Edward Bunting Collection, arguably the most important collection ever made of music in Ireland, which was completed around 1815. Examining the evidence from this collection of musical examples gathered from many corners of Ireland, it was clear that the silos into which various sub-genres of Irish music have been placed in academic discourse was not historically accurate. The manuscript contains Gaelic song airs, lyrics and harp tunes, as well as functional military music (retreats/advances etc.) and country dance tunes from the period. The synergy between the common repertoire of British military bands in Ireland at the time, and that of the piper, fiddler and Gaelic language singer, is striking and proves that the British military, increasingly made of up Irish volunteers at the beginning of the nineteenth century, was a key participant in the spread of country dance music from one part of Ireland to another.
I was involved in this project as a musical advisor, researcher, interviewee and performer, bringing my extensive knowledge of the Bunting manuscript to help contextualise the project.
In the context of the north of Ireland today, the historical British military music tradition is celebrated by those from the Loyalist communities, particularly during the marching season of the summer months, while the Gaelic language song tradition and remnants of the country dance tradition, transformed into what we now term ‘Irish traditional music’ are seen as the cultural property of Irish nationalists. The programme sought a pathway to bring expert musicians from disparate communities or practice for a communal performance of some of the music from Bunting’s MS6.4. I was awarded the UL President’s Gold Medal for Research (AHSS Consolidator) for my work on this project.
