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CD-R dubs of reel-to-reel recordings made by Cairbre McCann in NYC, 1957. Letters from Cairbre McCann to Elaina Solon containing background information and comments on the recordings.

Collection of audio recordings, personal papers, manuscripts, ephemera, music transcriptions and notation, news cuttings and photographs, relating to the life and work of the collector Hugh Shields. The sound recordings were made chiefly across Ulster in the period 1966–81.

Collection comprises: audiovisual recordings (audio cassette, VHS, Video8) of the Inishowen International Folk Song and Ballad Seminar (IIFSBS) 1990-2004; Inishowen singers and Inishowen Traditional Singers' Circle (ITSC) sessions recorded in public and private venues, 1980-2003, with occasional music and dance included; occasional recordings of other Irish singing festivals and singing sessions; radio programmes prepared by Jimmy McBride for local Inishowen radio, and song and music related broadcasts on Irish radio (1978?-1997). Other materials include images of singers and events, IIFSBS brochures, and manuscript indices prepared by Jimmy McBride.

Collection of domestic recordings on reel-to-reel and cassette tapes featuring Catherine Foley and her father, Patrick Foley, performing tunes and dances on a variety of instruments.

These fonds were largely created by Breandán Breathnach while he was chairman of the uilleann piping society, Na Píobairí Uilleann, from its establishment in 1968, right through the 1970s and into the early 1980s. The majority of the material dates from the decade 1968-1978. The first series contains letters from Francis O'Neill (O'Neill, Francis, 1848-1936) to William Halpin and letters from various individuals to Seán Reid (Reid, Seán, 1907-1978), mostly dating from the 1930s. It is most likely that the Seán Reid and Francis O'Neill letters were purchased by, or donated to, Breandán Breathnach in 1973 by Seán Reid after a request by Breathnach to deposit the originals in his newly established 'National Archives'. Breathnach wrote 'I am making so bold as to suggest you should donate these & other papers you might have to the National Archives new established in this Department or perhaps you would not mind offering them for sale' (M/187/3/3/2, 30 Oct 1973). These fonds also contain papers relating to Seán Ó Riada (Ó Riada, Seán, 1931-1971) from Len Clifford who seemed to be acting as an agent for ÓRiada during the early 1970s. It is not known how Breathnach came to be in possession of these papers, it is most likely that they were given to him as part of his national music archive project. The last series in this collection relates to the organisation Na Píobairí Uilleann. It includes correspondence and papers of a financial and administrative nature, as well as, documents relating to the organisation's various activities i.e. exhibitions, concerts, and pipe making.

Collection comprises reel-to-reel tapes featuring off-air dubs of RTÉ radio programmes, dubs of commerical material, edited dubs of material recorded by John Brennan in the US, and other domestic and field recordings of traditional Irish musicians.

Sound recordings

This collection focuses primarily on music and song from the Irish Traveller community recorded around County Dublin between 1965 and 1971. Materials in this collection include reel-to-reel tapes, 1 commercial LP, and notes about recordings in two jotter notebooks and loose-leaf paper.

Collection comprises reel-to-reel tape recordings made by Ronnie Wathen of musical and song performances around Ireland. Collection includes field recordings featuring performers such as Séamus Ennis, Seán Corcoran, and Seán Potts, and dubs of commercial material and radio broadcasts.

This collection was created by Derek Bell during his lifetime. The majority of the papers and audio visual collection date from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. There are some papers relating to Bell's early music education in London's Royal College of Music and Trinity College Dublin but the vast majority of materials date from his professional music career. The papers cover Bell's time with the City of Belfast Orchestra and the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra. His international career as a solo musician, recording artist, composer and his long career with the Irish music group The Chieftains are very well documented in this collection. Derek Bell's interest in Irish music, ethnic music from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and South America and classical harp music are also evident in the collection. His interest in the relationship between music, mysticism and meditation is reflected both in his papers and his audio visual collection. The first series contains personal papers which include: music papers relating to education, teaching and musical instruments; financial documents; religious papers relating to the guru Gideon Fontalba and the spiritual organisation the Self Realization Fellowship; papers relating to family history; and papers gathered by his widow Stefanie Bell after his death in 2002. Correspondence with family, friends, music publishers, music librarians, musicians and business related correspondence can be found in the second series of this collection. The third series contains papers collected by Bell during his time as a working musician both as a solo and orchestral artist and with The Chieftains. Included in this series are invitations from individuals and organisations to Bell to perform as well as rehearsal schedules, performance related ephemera, reviews, articles, promotional material, tour schedules and awards and certificates. The final two series in this collection contain photographs of Bell and The Chieftains and audio visual material. This material includes Bell's solo recordings as well as The Chieftains many albums. Also included in the audio collection are ethnic music recordings from around the world.