Memories along the Shannon:
By Noel Reid

My name is Noel Reid born a long time ago in the town of Athlone in Ireland. I am the present Chairman of "The New Basin Canal" branch of Comhaltas in New Orleans so named in memory of the thousands or Irish immigrants who died digging the New Basin Canal. A Celtic cross has been erected on the site of the old canal, which has since been filled in and a memorial service is held there every year.

The Shannon the longest river in Ireland and England flows down through the lowlands of Ireland from it's origin near Sligo to it's mouth at Limerick where it flows into the Atlantic. It has 3 sizeable lakes Lough Allen near where Ritchie Stafford was raised, Lough Ree where I was raised and Lough Derg where Kevin Muggivan was raised, all Irish born musicians living in New Orleans.

The Shannon flows through my home town of Athlone which was also the home of the world famous tenor Count John McCormack who was very popular back in the 30 and 40. We can also boast to have been the home of the only radio station in Ireland, that I am sure has changed by now. That was our Sunday dinner entertainment on the radio. It was there in it's clear Shannon waters that I learned to swim each day after school through the long summers evenings ( light till 11pm). We were lucky being in a town on the river because we had electricity from a Hydro Electric scheme on the Shannon. All of my cousins who lived in the country about 9 miles out were still using oil lamps. We were the only Reid's whose father worked in town the rest were farmers. I started school with the Marist Brothers at age 4 and went through till I was 14 since that was the school leaving age back then. We had many of the Priests and brothers come to socialize at our house for card games and I am sure something a little stronger than tea. This was a good and simple life.

It was an all boys school so we did not get a chance to mix with girls at all. I had a hard time relating to girls after that but I am still working on it. The school was right beside the church and every time there was a mass, whether it was a holy day or a funeral we would go to the church to sing. In those days the masses were in Latin and so were the hymns. We used an organ which was hand pumped by one of the boys. You could tell when the boy was not paying attention because you would hear the music die out.
I used to like funerals just to see the 4 big black horses with big black tassels on there heads pulling a glass sided hearse. It always seemed strange to see 6 of the male relatives choose to carry the coffin on their shoulders walking behind the hearse a tidy distance since the graveyard was about 3 miles out of town. I suppose it was a sign of respect for the dead.

I had not been to many wakes but I do remember when I was very young going to a wake for a priest who had died. The coffin was open in one room and after we paid our respects we went to the other room for tea and cakes, something a little stronger for the adults. They say that clay pipes or duidins as they were called were an integral part of any wake. A gross of clay pipes, a gallon of whiskey, a half gallon of porter, claret, snuff, tobacco, tea, jam, 4 pound loaves and candles were the essential funeral expenses. The tobacco filled clay pipes were laid out on a tray for the mourners. After the wake, the pipes were traditionally broken. My biggest regret at 14 when I went to work was that I could not go down to the river and swim. The river divides Leinster from Connaught which are 2 of the 4 provinces of Ireland. The others being Ulster and Munster. There were many battles fought at the bridge of Athlone.
There is also a dance named "The Bridge of Athlone" and many poems and songs.

The British had a big military presence in Athlone at the Custume Barracks on the banks of the river.
As the Irish language among many other things were not allowed to be taught in schools, there was an organization called the Gaelic League which helped to keep the language alive by teaching in the fields and hedgerows.

After the partition of the country in 1921 a civil war followed between those who would settle for a divided country and those who would not. There were Irishmen fighting Irishmen.

It was soon after that Michael Davitt initiated the Land League which bought back the land from the British landowners and gave it back to the Irish people.

The Gaelic League continued to sponsor dancing, singing, language and music. It became very important to the families to continue with the Irish Culture. It was at our local Gaelic League Hall on the banks of the Shannon with my parents in the late 1930s that I first listened to the music and learned Irish dancing.

About the same time the 2nd world war started, all imports ceased and rationing was imposed.
After school I would help in my fathers shop and well remember the ration books for Tea, Sugar, Butter and Clothing. Coal imports were stopped and not restarted until 1948.

I remember going to the bog after school or at the weekends to save the turf. That is to cut it spread it out to dry and later if the weather was good we would Foot it ( stack it about 1ft high in a way that the breeze would pass through it) then Stuck it (pile about 3ft high) and eventually clamp it ready to bring home for the winter heating. This was the only form of heating that most people had and with the Irish weather you were lucky to get it dry. Before the war started coal was delivered by barge up the Shannon and would unload at the key side near my home. It was not strange in the times of rationing to see boys diving with baskets to retrieve coal (which had fallen off the barges) from the Shannon bed.

Even through these hard times I remember going across the road to the family of a Cobbler with 12 children many of whom danced and played music. It was there sitting around an open turf fire (the only form of heating) that I got my love for the singing, music and dancing even though I would often hide on the stairs in case I was asked to sing.

While the music was being played the lady of the house would pull out some embers on to the heart and on a three legged griddle would bake soda bread. Since there were no computers, no televisions and very few phones in the houses dancing and music was our entertainment. Don't forget computers as we know them were not invented, TV had just been invented and was not available. There were very few cars ( I had not been in a car until I was about 14) the jet engine had not been invented and flying on a propeller aircraft just was not done. Talking movies were a new thing and I still remember watching some silent movies.

At 9.30 without fail the father of the house would kneel down and start to say the rosary. If you were in the room at the time you had to stay. Some of the boys in the family new the routine and were conveniently absent at that time. It was only after the rosary that we would all have tea and homemade soda bread. These are some of my fondest childhood memories, the smell of the old turf fire, the freshly baked bread and the music. Who could ask for anything more.

In 1949, representatives of the Thomas Street (Dublin) Uilleann pipers club went to Mullingar to meet with some local musicians from Co Westmeath. Two ideas were discussed at this meeting:
The first was the founding of an organization to promote Irish traditional music while the second was the organizing of an annual festival of Irish traditional music, song and dance.

It was decided that in conjunction with Feis Lar Na hEireann (a Gealic League Feis which had been held in Mullingar for many years), a Fleadh Cheoil would be organized in the town in May.

In those years before the Fleadh even though the ordinary people loved traditional music, the thousands of musicians in the country were largely unappreciated in popular social and intellectual circles. The Fleadh Cheoil gave the musicians an audience and where the traditional style was the criterion. It was not long before this became a festival that attracted musicians from all over Ireland and overseas as well.

Among the local musicians was Willie Reynolds of Walderstown on the outskirts of Athlone close to my family home. By coincidence Willie played at the Gaelic League Hall at the time I was dancing there in Athlone. Willie played many instruments but finally the Uilleann Pipes became his great passion, which he taught for many years.

As a result of that meeting in Mullingar, Willie and his fellow musicians became the founding fathers of Comhaltas which was officially formed in 1951. Willie being one of the last founding members of Comhaltas still with us today was honored this year at the 50th anniversary and a book about his early days was published. I was privileged to have had tea with him and his wife and a son who is a fine Uilleann piper at his home in the summer.

Comhaltas has now spread throughout the world and can be found anywhere there are people who appreciate Irish music