R - Comhaltas Archive

Che Coin Coke C woThe Tain Ceilf Band at Fleadh '99r:hhe Ta.in CE~iliband were againpopu lar winner at this year's AII­Ireland Ceili Band championshipin Enniscorthy, making it two in a row.The Tain Ceili Band, centered inDundalk since 1994, was the brainchildof the wel l known Roscommon fluteplayer Peig Needham, and the Longfordpiper, Padraig Donion.The town of Dundalk although wellknown for its indigenous musicians, hasover the past numer of years becomethe home of many traditional players.Some of these musicians who eitherworked, lived or played music in thePlains of Muirtheimhne came togetherand formed the Band which theynamed after the legend of Tain B6Cuailaigne. The original band membersin 1992 were Ursula Byrne, GeraldineSmyth, and Brendan Needham (Fidd le),Peig Needham and Kay Webster (flute);Padraig Donlon (uileann pipes);Michael 6 Raghallaigh (concertina);Seamus Bellew (button acc.); FidelmaBellew (piano) and Tommy Flood(drums).In 1994 on their first attempt at the AllIreland Senior Ce il i Band title the Tainwas placed 2nd. Over the next coupleof years the Dundalk band continued toknock on the door. In 1998 they madethe big break-through to take the AII­Ireland Laurels at the Fleadh in Ballina.The Band members continued to meetand play together featuring at theInterceltic Festival in Lorient, Brittanyfor two festiva ls, and playing on RTE'sCeili House. The Band reached newheights when they recorded for RTE onthe roof of the Civic Offices overlooking10Jubilation as Th e Tain Ceilf Band makeit two in a row at th e Fleadh inEnniscorth ythe Liffey in Dublin! They also won theSenior Band at Oireachtas '95.To Fulfil a DreamThe tragic death of Peig Needham inJanuary 1995 left a huge void in theTain. However the band agreed to staytogether and fulfil Peig's dream of anAll-Ireland title. Flute player CatherineMcGorman agreed to come on board .and has remained with the Tain to thisday.The music of the Tain is a mix ofregional styles with membersemanating from Louth, Roscommon,Longford, South Armagh, Westmeathand Tipperary. The tunes played by theband are drawn from a repertoire ofolder music and reflect the individualtastes of the performing musicians.Last year the Tain members made asupreme effort to secure the All -Irelandtitle. The temporary loss of fiddlerBrendan Needham was compensatedby the addition of Brenda McCann, anotable fiddle player from Fermanaghwho plays frequently with members ofthe band.One of the most notable features of theTain Ceilf band is the high ca libre of itsmusicians. It is unusual to find a bandwhere all members are well known intheir own right within traditional ci rcles.The Tain Ceili BandStanding L to R: Fidelma Bellew(Keyboards), Seam us Bellew (2 row),Tom Flood (Drums), Kay Webster(Flute), Brendan Needham (Fiddle).Sea ted L to R: Padraig Donlon (Pipes),Ceraldine Smith (Fiddle), Ursula Byrne(Fiddle), Mfchea l 6 Raghallaigh(Concertina), Brenda M cCann (Fiddle)and Cath erine M cCormam (Flute).Ursula played when we won in '98and Brendan Needham who was inUSA in '98 played with us this yea r.Standing L to R: Kay Webster, UrsulaByrne, Brendan Needham, CeraldineSmyth, Seamus Bellew and Mfcheal 6Raghallaigh. Front row L to R: BrendaM cCann, Fidelma Bellew, PadraigDonlon, Catherine M cCorman andThomas Flood.Th e band played on the RTf live 'Upfor the match' programme on th e eveof the Football Final between M eathand Cork. Th e programme waspresented by M ary Kennedy. Earliermembers of the band were recordedby Forefront Productions in M cManus'sBar, Dundalk. The final product'Ceantral' will be screened by TC4early in 2000.