Louth County Council visits Tourism Ireland in New York DkIT Composer Included in new Tunes Collection

R EPRESENTATIVES of Louth County Council, who are in New York for the St Patrick’s Day period, met with senior executives from Tourism Ireland yesterday (Wednesday, 15 March).

They were briefed on Tourism Ireland’s promotional programme in the United States for 2023, which is in full swing right now.

This year, Tourism Ireland is rolling out an extensive programme of promotions in the United States, to rebuild overseas tourism to Ireland and to drive the return of revenue from American holidaymakers to prepandemic levels.

St Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity for Ireland and Irish tourism, so Tourism Ireland in the United States is rolling out an extensive programme of trade, media and consumer activity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile around the St Patrick’s Day period.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said:

“We were delighted to meet with the representatives of Louth County Council and to have the opportunity to brief them about the extensive promotional programme we are undertaking in the United States this year. Our new Fill your heart with Ireland campaign will go live at the beginning of April. The campaign is about celebrating the different ways in which Ireland fills the hearts of our visitors and of locals – and inviting potential American holidaymakers to come and experience those for themselves.“Our St Patrick’s Day programme includes an extensive and targeted programme of trade, media and consumer activity to rebuild overseas tourism this year. Our aim is to remind American holidaymakers that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and great fun, as well as wonderful scenery and heritage.

We are taking every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile around this St Patrick’s Day period.”

DUNDALK Institute of Technology (DkIT) are extremely proud to report that Dr Adèle Commins, Head of Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music, had her work recently selected for inclusion in a new book of traditional music compositions published by Faber.

On International Women’s Day, Faber Music proudly announced a tune book like no other. ‘Folk Tunes from the Women’, which is to be released on 5 May 2023 and is a bumper book of over 150 contemporary tunes from 100 female composers from Britain and Ireland, brought together all from different areas, traditions and backgrounds.‘Folk Tunes from the Women’ has been curated by Northumbrian piper and fiddle player Kathryn Tickell. Tickell put a call out for tunes, and the composers came in their droves. From successful professional musicians with many compositions to their name, to those who may have only written one tune. All these composers answered the call to submit material for ‘Folk Tunes from the Women’. They all felt passionately that there was a real need for the book to exist, not only to make their own tunes more visible and accessible, but also to make it easier to learn and champion tunes from other women tune-writers.

Featuring a wide selection of Jigs, Hornpipes, Reels, Airs, Marches, Polkas, Waltzes, Mazurkas, the book also includes many tunes which don’t fall into a natural category.

The tunes are presented as melody lines with chord symbols, to make it the most useful book for teachers and players alike.

Musicologist Dr Adèle Commins, grew up in Louth, Adèle developed a deep love of local heritage and of traditional music under the influence of her teacher Rory Kennedy. Playing both piano and piano accordion, she began composing at a young age, with many of her tunes inspired by the people and places around her, as well as her experiences of playing in local céilí bands. Her main research interests focus on nineteenth and twentieth century English and Irish music. She also holds an ALCM and LGSMD in piano performance, is Musical Director of two local church choirs, and a director of the Oriel Traditional Orchestra. As a performer she has toured internationally and has released an album of compositions entitled A Louth Lilt (2017) along with Dr Daithí Kearney. Her recent publications include contributions to An Píobaire (2022), Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing (2021), AISHE-J (2021), How Popular Culture Travels: Cultural Exchanges Between Ireland and the USA, (2019), Éire-Ireland, the Journal of Irish Studies (2019) and the Journal of Music, Technology and Education (2019).

Adèle will perform at a variety of events this summer including an appearance at the Celtic music festival Speyfest in Scotland, where she will also facilitate workshops. Two other Louth composers are included amongst the 100 international women composers, fiddle players Zoe Conway and Róisín Ward Morrow.