This series contains photographs taken throughout Bell’s career in music. The images are of Bell performing solo, with orchestras, with other performers as well as with The Chieftains. There are a small number of photographs of other musicians and singers. Also included in this series are a number of drawings given to Bell by children and fans.
Letters, typescripts, newspaper clippings, draft programme notes and ephemera relating to various solo recordings, compositions, commissions and publications produced by Derek Bell over his lifetime. The majority of the material dates from the late 1980s and the 1990s. Material relating to The Chieftains’ recordings can be found in the subseries The Chieftains (DBE-239678/4/2).
Includes personal and business related correspondence. The majority of correspondence pertains to music in some way with many references to Derek Bell’s performances, concerts, musical appointments, recordings, radio and television appearances, tours, awards as well as his work with The Chieftains. Some letters are personal in nature, for example those from his parents, sister, Deirdre Bell, and wife, Stefanie Bell and various nieces and nephews. The letters are organised by date, undated letter are placed at the end of each file.
Audiovisual recordings of singing sessions and recordings of individual singers made in public and private venues in Ireland but predominantly in Inishowen, Co. Donegal.
This series is divided into two subseries ‘Solo and orchestral performance’ and ‘The Chieftains’. This reflects the two diverse aspects of Bell’s career in music. The series contains material relating to the organisation of rehearsals, performances, tours and recordings. Also includes performance related ephemera such as programmes, posters and flyers as well as memorabilia and awards. There are many newspaper and magazine articles about Derek Bell and The Chieftains in this series.
Series comprises commercial and non-commercial audio material on vinyl, reel-to-reel tape, tape cassettes, DAT tapes. This audio material reflects Derek Bell’s music interests, his solo music career as well as his career with The Chieftains. Many of his published albums are in this series, along with pre-publication and demo copies of the same albums. There are recordings of interviews with Bell both on radio and television and video footage of various television appearances. There are also audio recordings of a number of Bell’s solo performances as well as performances with The Chieftains. Two documentaries made by Alan Tongue about Derek Bell in 1977 and 1988 are also in this series. Bell’s interest in mysticism and ethnic music is reflected throughout his audio collection.
Audiovisual recordings of the Inishowen International Folk Song and Ballad Seminar (IIFSBS), events organised by the Inishowen Traditional Singers' Circle (ITSC), and other singing and music festivals and events in Ireland attended by Jimmy McBride, 1980-2004.
Series comprises audio recordings on digital audio tape and reel-to-reel tape. The DATs were recorded by Jimmy O'Brien Moran at concerts in 2005 and 2006, including an event commemorating Séamus Ennis at the Séamus Ennis Centre, in Naul, Co. Dublin, and a concert at Castalia Hall in Kilkenny. The reel-to-reel tape in this series was made for Jimmy O'Brien Moran by Breandán Breathnach and includes a learning resource for students of Irish and dubs from cylinder recordings.
