Mícheál Ó Domhnaill

LiveTrad:Streaming Traditional Irish Music to the World(Interview)

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

LiveTrad.com is a new, interactive website streaming Traditional Irish Music webcasts online.

LiveTrad is a media miracle in traditional Irish music. For the first time, people from all around the globe, those in the Irish diaspora have the chance to see  live performances as they happen in real time! My friend Jimmy (who is a huge Celtic music promoter and musician) showed me a clip and he said that it’s live streaming. I was amazed. I added LiveTrad to my facebook account and soon I got updates of what’s happening or about to happen.

The challenges are the same as for anyone starting something, especially where new technology is involved.

It is great to witness something huge that is talking place and which continues to grow. With LiveTrad, we discover new artists and festivals from around Ireland. Something so wonderful as this has to have amazing people behind it. Who are these guys?I found out soon.  I got hold of Mike(Micheál Ó Domhnaill) who answered my questions.

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Mike(Micheál Ó Domhnaill) at Livetrad stand AOIFE conference

Mike(Micheál Ó Domhnaill) at Livetrad stand AOIFE conference

Live Trad is the only live streaming site I know right now dedicated to traditional Irish music. What’s the need behind to put this up? 

Yes, LiveTrad.com is the only web streaming service for traditional Irish music. We established the website because we have a background in both broadcasting and computing, and we had the contacts necessary to build the website into the platform that it is rapidly becoming.

What is the state of traditional Irish music in Ireland right now, based on your opinion and observation? 

Traditional Irish music has probably never been in a better place in terms of people playing music. There are more young people learning to a high quality, and there are probably more bands out there than ever before. That’s great for websites like LiveTrad.com, because we have a wide-spread of musicians to webcast, and the musicians also love the worldwide exposure they get through LiveTrad.com, not to mention the access to video archive we provide.

Who are the people involved in Live Trad? (I mean who am I talking to right now?) And the functions of each one. 

LiveTrad.com has a core crew of 4 people who look after the operation. The two producers names are Mike and Neil (I’m Mike), and we look after the day-to-day running of the operation, from booking acts and venues, through to planning the gigs, and pre and post production elements.

Nice to meet you Mike! What are the big things that you look forward to before this year ends? 

The next LiveTrad.com webcast takes place on September 16th at 10pm Irish time and features a concert we recorded last night with Cherish the Ladies. Have a look at this link for a sample clip: 

Also, we are doing a live web broadcast from the island of Inishbofin in Galway on Sep 30th at the same time. Further dates are to be announced for October until December.

Neil Davitt at AOIFE conference. Finishing line in sight!

Neil Davitt at AOIFE conference. Finishing line in sight!

What were the challenges in putting up LiveTrad and what inspires the four of you to continue expanding this wonderful thing you started? 

The challenges are the same as for anyone starting something, especially where new technology is involved. Live web streaming is still relatively new, especially in Ireland, but we’re really happy with the reaction we’ve received so far about LiveTrad.com, and this gives us great hopes for the future.

What’s your best advice to people who are doing the same thing you do in general? 

If you’ve got a dream, go for it.

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill 1952-2006

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

The late Mícheál Ó Domhnaill for me, will always be associated with Nightnoise.  Although he was credited to bands he formed in the 70’s up to the 90’s, my discovery came when I heard Nightnoise on a compilation album in the late 90s. Nightnoise has this distinctive acoustic-chamber-jazzy and traditional kind of feel. He played the guitar/piano and backed by his sister Tríona Ní Domhnaill — vocals, flute, and clavinet. Other band members were Johnny Cunningham — violin (joined 1990),Brian Dunning — flute ,John Fitzpatrick — violin (joined 1997) , Billy Oskay — violin and of course he himself ,Mícheál Ó Domhnaill — guitar and piano.

I didn’t know he died due to a fall on his home on July 7 2006 and it was a shocked because I was listening to Nightnoise on a 3 am. There is this sad thing about being written in history- with a date attached to it. He was only 53 and he could have done more. The would have been wonderful music, not with his band but maybe as solo projects or collaborations with other musicians.
When I hear Snow on a High Ground, the band’s music on a compilation that got me to them, there is that bitter-sweet sense of presence. That song has been with me since the 90s and the crisp and powerful piano sound coupled with Triona’s backing vocals is surely an evocative piece of Celtic music.

Luka Bloom mentioned on his tour that there is a similarity between Jamaicans and Irish . I wouldn’t be surprise. I hear the same passion, the same longing for the God when I listen to Reggae and then Celtic music. We could not also deny that Irish music is a family affair. Most of the band members are related by blood and as they say, being Irish and playing music is synonymous.

I know I will never anticipate a new recording from the late great , Mícheál Ó Domhnaill but I will treasure his recorded works and will be haunting for most of his stuff in Skara Brae,The Bothy Band and Relativity .

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Someone asked me how is it that I love Irish music coming from the Philippines. I told him it is simple. It’s like liking Jamaican music even you are not from Jamaica(even going as far as knowing Jamaican phrases). It is the same thing with Irish music because after all, the music itself is universal. There’s this one interview with Moya Brennan and she was asked about the popularity of Irish music . And she answered about the Christian missionaries sent out who actually spread not only the gospel but the culture as well.  And therefore you could say that the Irish conquered the world! Wise words from a great woman there. After all, they didn’t call her Enya’s older sister(literally) for nothing.