What, do you think, made Joe Heaney stand apart from other sean nós singers?
The fact that there's been two books written about him, that there's been a documentary about him, several albums, and now I've made a feature film about him, there's obviously something that sets him apart from others of his contemporaries. I think it was that he was an artist. He was the most artist of the 20th century in the Irish language. He carried that home scene into the wider world. Sean nós is still very, very strong. The Corn Uí Riada is a huge competition for sean nós and Micheal O'Confhaola has won it twice. A 19-year-old called Conchubhar Ó Luasa won it recently and there's some great sean nós singers coming up in their early 20's and early 30's. And they are as good singers as Joe Heaney was. The tradition is very much alive, but I think that Joe Heaney had a huge influence. Those young singers coming up are not singing because of Joe Heaney, but Joe Heaney has definitely made it into something that is more appreciated in the wider world. He showed the way that somebody could make a living out of it. That scene in the film where the young Joe Heaney comes home to see his father sitting outside recording his singing is very important. It showed him that what they had there in Carna was seen as being valuable. Not in monetary terms, but that it's seen as being significant enough for somebody from outside to come into their village to record their songs. It's a line in the sand for the young Joe Heaney. He literally sees that there's a world out there that has an appreciation for what he has. That he can give what he has, his ability as a singer, to as wide an audience as possible. He did sing in the Sydney Opera House to over a thousand people unaccompanied on stage. Just him and a microphone. There's very few singers who could do that. Unaccompanied, without any musicians behind you. Even opera singers have the instruments. He would do road tours of America. Playing to audiences of hundreds and it's just be him. He didn't tell jokes like a comedian, but he had to have a certain charisma. He never sang the same songs twice. He'd tell stories between the songs so his personality was important. He was careful too that if he sang a song in Irish then the one after it would be in English. It wouldn't have been an hour and a half of Irish language songs. Even for the Irish language song he would tell people the story of the song. It was interesting in the context of how to hold an audience, particularly in America. He wouldn't have been hugely popular in the Irish community in America. He would have been a reminder of the past and of the Irish language. The Americans were a lot more comfortable with the Irish connection. He found more a connection with audiences outside of Ireland. Even in America it was with those that had an interest in folk music. That old traditional Irish music are essentially poems that are sung so they are closer to folk music.
CinÉireann / December 2017 37