Featured Celtic Collections at the ATM
The following are a few of our notable collections available at the Archives of Traditional Music of or relating to Celtic music, particularly in Ireland. For more information on these collections, click the featured links or contact the ATM Librarian with specific queries on collections or research access.
The Henry Glassie Northern Ireland Collection
ATM holdings of Henry Glassie's Northern Ireland collection contain Glassie's field recordings and copies of his notes collected in 1972 and 1977 from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. Glassie's recordings include interviews with and performances by the residents of County Fermanagh, documenting the lives, lifeways, music, and stories of this rural community in northern Ireland. The recordings are part of the research that became several books, most notably, Passing the Time in Ballymenone: Culture and History of an Ulster Community (1982).
The Mike Casey Traditional Irish Flute Collection
ATM holdings of Mike Casey's traditional Irish flute music include recordings and accompanying materials collected and primarily created by Casey in the Eastern section of County Galway, Ireland. Spanning 1987 to 1990, Casey conducted fieldwork researching traditional flute music from the East Galway region of Ireland. The recordings of this collection include interviews and performances spanning 76 audiocassettes (about 110 hours of content!) as well as recording transcripts and an index.
Joe Heaney Recordings
The Archives of Traditional Music holds several recordings of notable Irish singer Joe Heaney. Heaney was a master of the Irish style of sean-nós or "old-style" of singing. His career flourished in the 1950s in London's folk music scene performing in pubs before moving across the sea to settle in New York City in the 1960s. He became an important figure in the Irish community of New York, and over the next 15 years, he traveled across North America performing at festivals and even performed and taught for several years at Wesleyan University. Besides his commercial recordings, the ATM also holds several field recordings of performances and interviews with Joe Heaney, including interviews conducted by past ATM Director Frank Gillis. This recording in particular contains a 90-minute cassette recording interviewing Heaney as he tells stories and discusses Irish songs and lore.
Commercial Recordings
The ATM houses hundreds of commercial recordings of Celtic music, spanning roughly from 1910--2016 and including notable artists such as The Chieftains, The Abbey Tavern Singers, Ewan MacColl, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, and even recordings of Scottish singer and comedian Sir Harry Lauder, to name a few. Some of these commercial recordings are in uncataloged collections, but to learn more about particular recordings or artists you can explore our holdings on IUCAT or contact the ATM Librarian with specific queries.