Research and Academic Writing

Critical Reviewing

  • 2024, On Sandie Purcell's 2023 book New Songs from Old Stories, for Soundpost, magazine of the Musicians' Union of Ireland.
  • 2021, on Richard Parfitt's Musical Culture and the Spirit of Irish Nationalism, 1848–1972 [Routledge, 2020], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, London, Vol. 12, No. 1.
  • 2019, on Desi Wilkinson's Call to the Dance: An Experience of the Socio-Cultural Wrold of Traditional Breton Music and Dance [Pendragon, 2016], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, London, pp. 115-117, Vol. 11, No. 4.
  • 2018, on Reg Hall’s “It was mighty!” The Early Days of Irish Music in London, and his “It was great altogether!” The Continuing Vision of Irish Music in London, for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Vol. 11, No. 3, London, pp. 173-4.
  • 2018, on Reg Hall's A Few Tunes of Good Music: A History Of Irish Music And Dance In London, 1800-1980 & Beyond. [Topic flip-book & ebook, London, 2016], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, London, Vol. 11, No. 3.
  • 2018, on Howard Marshall's Out of Darkness: The Blind Piper of Inagh [Cottier Press 2016], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, London, pp. 155-157, Vol 11, No.3.
  • 2018, on Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin's Flowing Tides: History and Memory in an Irish Soundscape [Oxford, New York, 2016], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, London, pp. 131-132.
  • 2017, pp. 85-87, on Tom Munnelly's and Hugh Shields' Early Ballads in Ireland [CD] for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Vol. 11, No. 2, London.
  • 2017, pp. 71-75, on Mark Fitzgerald's and John O'Flynn's Music and Identity in Ireland and Beyond [Asgate, 2014], for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Vol. 11, No. 2, London.
  • 2017, on Terry Moylan's The Indignant Muse - Poetry and Songs of the Irish Revolution 1887 - 1926 [Lilliput, Dublin, 2016] for Saothar 42, Journal of the Irish Labour History Society, pp. 131-133.
  • 2017, on Jimmy Crowley's Songs from the Beautiful City: the Cork Urban Ballads, for Dublin Review of Books web-mag.
  • 2016, pp. 88-90, on Martin Dowling's Traditional Music and Irish Society: Historical Perspectives; for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Vol. 11, No. 1, London.
  • 2016, on Sara C. Lanier's edition of Annals of the Irish Harpers, by Charlotte Milligan Fox [Ardrigh, 2014], for Dublin Review of Books webmag.
  • 2016, on Helen O'Shea's The Making of Irish Traditional Music [Cork, 2016], for Dublin Review of Books web-mag.
  • 2015, pp. 652-653, on Susan Motherway's The Globalization of Irish Traditional Song Performance; for Folk Music Journal, Journal of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Vol. 10, No. 5, London.
  • 2013, on Paul Muldoon's The Word On The Street [Faber and Faber], for DRB.
  • 2011, pp. 238-240, on Sean Williams' Focus: Irish Traditional Music; for Irish Studies Review 19/2.
  • 2006, on Joe O'Connor's Star of the Sea, for JMI.

Research

  • 2023-09: Major research on the history of the Irish bodhrán drum. T.b.p. Cork University Press, 2024-10
  • 2011 08: Research and writing of The Leitrim Thrush - Ben Lennon of Kiltyclogher (ethnography of a Leitrim fiddle player), with photographer Nutan Jacques Pirapez.
  • 2010–08: Full time research on information-based, 500k-word encyclopaedia and support website project ‘Companion to Irish Traditional Music’
  • 2008-09: Assessing the history of the Irish Bodhrán Drum – work undertaken at The Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin, the National Library of Ireland, Trinity College Manuscripts Dept., National Museum of Ireland, Castlebar, and the Royal Irish Academy
  • 2008: Cataloguing the Irish American, Tin Pan Alley song sheets at the Princess Grace Irish Library, Monaco
  • 2006: Richard Henebry – Irish Ethnomusicologist of the early 20th century’ – research at Phonogrammarchiv, Berlin.
  • 2006: Strand 1 award to fund The Shapes of Melody – Music and Movement (completion 2008 11). Researcher,  Oisín Mac Diarmada (BA Hons)
  • 2004 03: Completion of PhD Flute research project – title Flute Routes to 21st Century Ireland
  • 2003 03: Observation of Fasnacht flute ritual in Basel, Switzerland
  • 2003-01: Observation of turn-of-year Community flute ritual in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
  • 2002 02: Assessment of fife and drum museum at Ivorytown, Connecticut, USA.
  • 2002 03: Interviews with flute players in Co. Sligo and Mayo.
  • 2001 08: Researching fife and drum social practice at Westbrook, Connecticut, USA
  • 2001 08: assessing of Dayton Miller Flute Archive at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC., USA.
  • 2001 10: Research and compilation of teaching-learning CD representing all educationally-required elements of Traditional Irish music.
  • 2000: Cultural Commissar of Popular Political Ideology - The Entry Of The Flute to Irish Traditional Music – initiation of PhD research project on flute in political and recreational life.
  • 1995-2002: Compilation of database of performance venues and occasions, and professional service facilities, related to Traditional music in Ireland (for Arts Council of Northern Ireland).
  • 1995: Field trip to Bulgaria to assess Traditional music educational facilities (for Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, Co. Kerry and Co. Cork Vocational Education Committee).
  • 1992: Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia: comparative observations on Scottish Traditional Music In Exile - Its Practice Today.
  • 1991: Bulgaria: investigation of Folk Music teaching structures in first, second and third level education (An Comhairle Ealaíon - Arts Council of Ireland part sponsorship).