Named in honor of Turlough O’Carolan (Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin) born in 1670 and died in 1738.  O’Carolan was a blind harper and composer and a singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last of the great Irish harpers and composers. 

The traditions of harp playing and composition along with poetry stretch back to the earliest periods of Gaelic culture in Ireland.  In the twilight years of the Gaelic Order in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, these served as a bridge between art and folk music, paving the way for the revival of Gaelic music which began in the late nineteenth century.

O’Carolan’s compositions followed the traditions handed down to him from previous generations and much of his work followed traditional Gaelic lines.  It was the influences borrowed from continental composers in the baroque period, in particular the Italian composers Vivaldi, Corelli and Geminiani, that gave to much of O’Carolan’s compositions their unique style.   

The Council of Irish Associations of Greater Bergen County is honored to present an annual award to an outstanding individual whose devotion to the music and dance of the Irish gives entertainment to countless people, and serves as an inspiration to future generations of musicians and dancers who will continue the traditions of the past and shape them to the future. 

Just as Turlough  O’Carolan was not isolated from the world and brought into his music influences from outside the Gaelic tradition to enrich his compositions, we look to the musicians, composers and dancers of the present day continuing  in O’Carolan’s footsteps following the ancient music of the Gaels always open to the sounds of the world around them.

 

2011 Turlough O’ Carolan Repecient

James Early

 

Born in New York City, James Early studied music for many years with Martin Mulvihill and in 1974 he became the first North American to win the All-Ireland Championship on the Piano Accordion.  During his competitive playing he is an eight time U.S. Champion and holds seven All-Ireland medals, including being part of the Garryowen Ceili Band, the U.S. Junior champions in 1973.

Jimmy taught music in New Jersey, the Bronx, Rockland County and Philadelphia for many years.  He was one of the first musicians to record music for dancing – Music for the Feis, recorded in 1978 with Felix Dolan and Tommy Mulvihill, and in l983 – More Music for the Feis, recorded with Maureen Glynn.

A Champion Irish dancer, Jimmy started dancing with Peter Smith, and then continued with his sister Patsy McLoughlin when she opened her school in 1968. He joined the school as a teacher in 1977 after passing his T.C.R.G. (Teacher, Commision Rince Gaelacha) exam in Ireland. He still actively teaches classes.  Jimmy is a member of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America serving as Assistant Regional Director for many years and since 2010 as Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region.  He is a Grade Examiner for the Irish Dance Commission.

 Jimmy attained his A.D.C.R.G. (Adjudicator Commision Rince Gaelacha) from the Irish Dancing Commission and has judged many prestigious dancing competitions throughout the world.

The Council of Irish Associations of Greater Bergen County is honored to recognize James Early not just for each of his outstanding achievements in the world of Irish music and dance, but for his lifetime involvement and devotion to music and dance and his commitment to passing on the traditions and love of the music of the Gaels to future generations.

 

2010 Turlough O’ Carolan Repecient

Michael Rafferty

Mike Rafferty is one of the great exponents of the old lyrical and
flowing flute playing style from the East Galway region of Ireland. He
was born in 1926, one of seven children, in the village of Larraga in
Ballinakill parish, in the heart of a locality filled with great flute and
fiddle players. Mike learned his music from his father, Tom “Barrel”
Rafferty, a flute player and uilleann piper.

In 1949, Mike emigrated to the United States, where he has lived since.
He has performed at concerts and festivals throughout the country
including the Smithsonian’s Bicentennial Festival in 1976. In addition
to teaching privately and at various workshops and summer schools, he
has also taught through the New Jersey State Council on the Folk Arts
Apprenticeship Program. He has been a guest on many recordings and
has recorded 3 albums with his daughter Mary: “The Dangerous Reel,”
“The Old Fireside Music,” and “The Road From Ballinakill”. He
released his solo CD “Speed 78″ in 2004 and his most recent recording,
“The New Broom”, released in 2009 with fiddler Willie Kelly.

Mike has devoted a lifetime to exploring, performing, and teaching
traditional Irish music and has inspired many of today’s leading Irish
musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 2003, he was named Irish Echo’s Traditional Musician of the Year
and in September 2010 received a National Heritage Fellowship
Award — the highest honor bestowed upon Traditional or Folk Artists
from the United States Government.

He resides in New Jersey with his wife Teresa – now married 58 years.
They have five children, Kathy, Terri, Michael, Patrick & Mary, nine
grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

For more information, visit: www.raffertymusic.com