Commercial and non-commercial CDs. Includes recordings of The Chieftains albums and concerts; solo recordings of Derek Bell; recordings of his compositions including The violet flame symphony and ‘Come on, Northern Ireland’; recordings of radio interviews with Derek Bell; recordings of radio programmes about Derek Bell; and a small number of other musicians’ CDs including Raga Omar Khannam, Secret Garden and Béla Fleck.
Commercial and non-commercial VHS tapes. Copies of TV interviews with Derek Bell and The Chieftains including the Late Late Show (4 Mar 1988), (16 Dec 1988) and (20 Jan 1995), Ulster Television Kelly (14 Jan 1991) & (10 Jan 1997), ‘Chieftains TV: American music show, Nashville, [Tennessee, United States of America] (6 June 1992) 2. Jay Leno Show 3. This morning ’, CBS News (20 Aug 1997) and BBC Newsline (n.d.); concert recordings including ‘Cue the music: Chieftains in concert, Glastonbury, England’ [1982?], ‘The Chieftains USA Tour’ (March-July 1995), ‘Irish evening’, Baden Baden [Germany] (6 April 1995) and ‘A Capitol fourth 1995’, featuring Ricky Skaggs and The Chieftains (4 Jul 1995); copies of BBC recordings of Alan Tongue documentaries Derek Bell’s concert party (1977) and One man band (1988); other VHS tape recordings include ‘Music as experience’ Derek Bell and Donald Walters, Ananda Center (29 Feb 1996), Liam Ó Conchubhair singing Songs of the North of Ireland with Derek Bell (16 Dec 1996), ‘Derek Bell memorial service’, UTV Live (1 Nov 2002), ‘Great music experience’ (n.d.), BBC Golden voices (n.d.), ‘Musical traditions Northern song’ producer Ian Kirk-Smith, BBC, Belfast (n.d.), Liam Ó Conchubhair (30 May 2001); and two commercial Chieftains recordings Live over Ireland : waters from the well (1999) and The long black veil (1995).
Includes Irish times article about harpist Madame Maria Korchinska (5 Oct 1968); article about avant-garde harp music by Derek Bell ‘A field day for bluffers’ (June 1975); various newspaper clippings relating to harps and harpists; various articles about the Irish harp; concert programme for harpist Sidonie Goossens 100th birthday concert in Wigmore Hall, London (20 Oct 1999); booklet about the concert harp in Bulgarian signed by the author Maria Tutuvilova (August 2000); photocopy of handwritten list of 19th century harp music; photocopy of handwritten letter from harp teacher Alfred Holý to his pupil Artiss [de Volt] (6 July ?); folk and orchestral harp catalogues; photographs of Alfred Holý; and various photographs of harps.
Includes original receipts relating to the purchase of music and musical instrument; includes letter from Paddy Moloney to Derek Bell referring to the payment of expenses incurred during a recent recording session, Moloney says that ‘this cheque does not include any work for the scoring you may do’ (20 March 1997); also includes ‘Chieftains tour expense report Scandanavia [Scandinavia] 1997’.
Original and photocopied letters and articles. Includes letter from Priscilla ?, Amrita Foundation, Dallas, Texas, United States of America thanking Bell for his kind donation (27 May 1998); ‘notes on Kriya Yoga technique’; various letters and articles relating to the guru and founder of the Los Angeles based Self Realization Fellowship, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda (born James Donald Walters), much of the correspondence relates to a criminal trial. These letters are marked confidential.
Original handwritten and photocopied set lists containing tune and song titles, the key of the piece, the approximate time the piece will take to play, the number of ‘verses’ to be performed and some contain song words. In most cases it is not clear which performance the set list relates to. Includes the set list for the film score Tristan and Isolde [1980].
Letters from various friends and relatives to Seán Reid who at this time is the ‘Assistant Road Surveyor’ in Ennis, Co. Clare. Letters are mostly addressed to John Reid, ‘Carmel’, Victoria Rd, Ennis, Co Clare. Letters are from, among others, ‘Jas. Leahy’, Mícheál de Búrca, E. J. McGrath, D[enis] Dunphy, ‘F? Dowling’, Tommie [Potts] (Potts, Tommie, 1912–1988), 6 Watkins Buildings, Ardee St, Dublin, John Potts, Mick Malone and Liam Ó Ceallaigh. Many letters contain references to musicians, feiseanna, céilí, music lessons, including a letter from ‘D Dunphy’ (6 May 1937) which encloses a programme for ‘Feis Thír-Eóghain 22nd-23rd May, 1937 in St Patrick’s Hall and Foresters’ Hall, Omagh.’ A letter from ‘Tommie [Potts]’ (22 July 1937) makes reference to a recent feis win by Reid ‘all of us were delighted to hear of your fiddling success’ and in a letter from John Potts (11 August 1937) he lists a number of his current uilleann pipe students including ‘Fr Jones’, ‘Bro Gildas’, ‘Mr Andrews’ and Mr Kearney’.
Draft & original correspondence between Len Clifford and two employees of RTÉ, Janet Wynne and Tom McGrath; and two copies of the ‘Report of Chairman of Jury Selecting Songs for the Contest.’ The correspondence relates to the National Song Contest, 1972 and Len Clifford’s role as chairman of the jury. Clifford is paid £40 for the job which ‘usually takes between three and four days.’ He writes to Tom McGrath on the 8 January 1972 enclosing the report of ‘the Panel.’ He says that the task was a ‘gruelling’ one but he very much enjoyed working with the other members of the jury, Frank Dermody, Louis Stewart, Tony Wilson and musician, Noel Kelehan. The report details the ‘Terms of reference’, ‘Procedure Adopted’ and ‘Result.’ The following English and Irish songs were chosen by the jury: ‘Certain Sunday’, Don’t need your Sympathy’, ‘It would take a Miracle’, ‘Tar Liom’, ‘Posadh nó Buaileadh Nos’ and ‘Óró Áine.’ The jury was unanimous in all its choices.
One complete set of handwritten minutes for a meeting held in Ely Place on 24 Oct 1970. ‘A general meeting, Breandán Breathnach presided, about 35 present. The first thing was a minutes silence in respect of the memory of Leo Rowsome’ (Rowsome, Leo, 1903-1970); it also includes an undated fragment of minutes; a letter from Paddy Moloney to Breandán Breathnach offering apologies that he won’t be able to attend meeting on 21 Oct 1972; an original master-copy of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s headed notepaper; a copy of an announcement of the establishment of Na Píobairí Uilleann; and a copy of the society’s rules.
