Although some brief information was given on the more prominent members of the Band, it was not possible to provide details of the many individuals who have contributed to its enduring success. In the ten years that followed, I became increasingly aware of the need to update this article and to provide more information on individual band members. Thus, with the help of the late P. Joe Hayes, I compiled a list of the personnel of the Tulla Band over the fifty years or so, to 1997 and this appears at the end of this article. By chance, the number of people who have formed the regular line-up over these years very nearly equals the years of its existence. We tried to be realistic about the listings and include only those musicians who had played regularly with the Band over a reasonable period of time or who had contributed significantly to some major event (a recording, etc.). P. Joe’s memory for detail of the Band’s activities was prodigious and it is he who deserves the credit for this work, while I take the responsibility for the lists and the blame for any omissions or oversights!

A Short History
In the beginning there was a little country band, brought together by Teresa Tubridy, a school teacher in Tulla, to compete in the Féile Luiminigh in 1946. Local players Paddy and Jim Donaghue, Paddy Canny, P. Joe Hayes, Bert McNulty (a Garda based in Tulla) and Aggie Whyte, a member of the musical family of Ballinakill Band fame. A last minute addition was Joe Cooley, then an unknown young box player from Peterswell and Teresa Tubridy herself provided accompaniment on the piano.

Remarkably, the pattern of two to three fiddles, one or two flutes, an accordion and perhaps a piano, when available, has remained constant down the years. The addition of a drummer in the early fifties and a more regular vocalist have been the only real changes. For a short spell, the Band gained a banjo player (surprisingly, the virtuoso fiddle player Martin Hayes), otherwise the flute/fiddle/accordion triumvirate has remained in the ascendancy.

The spread of geographical locations of the Band members has been quite remarkable, particularly considering the difficulties of transport in the early years. Curiously, in spite of the Band’s name and place of origin, only three members have actually hailed from Tulla and less than 40% from East Clare. In fact, more than 20% of the Band’s membership has come from outside of the Clare borders!

Over the years, Clare has been famed for its fiddle and flute players and, not surprisingly, the line-up of the Tulla over the years seems to have echoed the Clare tradition. Fiddles are almost exclusively a Clare domain, with a strong East Clare influence; the ‘flute section’, although invariably from Clare, has had a strong West or North Clare flavour. Although there have been many excellent Clare box players during this period, the Band has drawn heavily on non-Clare musicians. Curiously, considering the popularity of the concertina in all parts of Clare, it has rarely figured in céilidh bands and the Tulla are no exception (In Clare bands, I can only find Paddy Murphy in the Fiach Rua and Patrick Byrt in the Corcomroe).

The Céilidh Band - the heart of the tradition
Long before Seán Ó Riada fixed on the need to construct the ‘perfect’ céilidh band, traditional musicians had twigged that it was necessary to balance the different dynamic qualities of instruments. Generally, we find a string section (fiddles), woodwind (flutes) and percussion (drums and piano). The accordion has a variety of roles, but most closely resembles that of the brass section in providing a strident and vibrant counterpart to the more mellow strings and woodwind.

There are those who thought that the introduction of ‘alien’ instruments, such as piano, drums and accordion, would sound the death knell for Irish traditional dance music. Happily, reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated and it has proved to be a much hardier flowering than many had anticipated, surviving forced entry by elements of both symphonic and popular music. The efficacy of this or that instrument in Irish dance music and the validity of ensemble playing are the two questions which seem to have sounded alarm bells in the mind of the ‘experts’ and, for some, have placed the céilidh band ‘outside the pale’.

The extensive and systematic studies carried out by Mick Moloney into ensemble playing in the USA have demonstrated the vital role played by the American equivalent of the céilidh band in firstly, preserving, and later fostering the rebirth of interest in Irish traditional music in that country. In fact, Professor Moloney suggests that the 1920s period in the USA was perhaps the most dynamic period in the development of Irish music and served to “lift it by its bootstraps”.^[1] The coming together of people from all over Ireland, combined with the opportunities generated by the new electronic media, provided a boost which had reverberations on both sides of the ocean.

The effect of the 78-rpm gramophone record on traditional musicians, both in Ireland and overseas, has been extensively recorded and related;^[2] musicians and non-musicians alike were hearing new tunes, new styles, new dance measures and new instruments in new combinations. This was not a process of slow, organic change, but a revolution! The 78s provided the seeds for experiments by Irish based musicians which were to find ample opportunities to germinate in post-independence Irish and which, in some cases, flowered as céilidh bands.

Some musicologists have been critical of both the traditionality and even musicality of the céilidh band. However, the role played by the céilidh band in preserving the traditional music of the musicians from the pre-electronic age is surely now beyond dispute and has been previously documented in Dal gCais.^[3]

The reality of these changes has proved difficult for many commentators to accept. Sean Ó Riada, in his influential radio broadcasts of 1962, was fairly dismissive of all instruments other than the fiddle, pipes, flute and tin-whistle. Accordions were met with disapproval (unless played by an ‘approved’ musician), whereas, concertinas, which share all the basic elements of the accordion, were approved, being ‘lighter, not one-tenth as unwieldy.....”.^[4] One assumes, therefore, that the recent trend for smaller, even concertina sized accordions, has brought the accordion into the fold. The céilidh band was dismissed as an aberration to be shunned and Dr. Ó Riada was fearful that the céilidh band could actually cause great and lasting damage to Irish music.

Dr. Tomás Ó Canainn, musical editor of the selection from Ó Riada’s influential radio series (see note 4), [link to note 4 in notes] states in his introduction that Ó Riada had admitted, in private conversations, a tendency to “overstate the case a little” and that “he was almost as strongly opposed to the continuous accordion-like accompaniment that some pipers employed on the uilleann-pipe regulators...”.^[5] However, his views on group playing remained firm.

Tomás Ó Canainn, himself a highly respected musician (accordion, uillean pipes, céilidh band member, founder member of ‘Na Fili’, etc.), comments: “... I had very considerable reservations about Seán’s proposals for group music-making in the traditional context. It took a considerable time for many of us to come to appreciate what Seán was saying”. Dr Ó Canainn goes on to suggest the need for “reaching some level of compromise”. Some compromise, only the pipes and fiddle are dealt with in any detail in his book, “Traditional Music in Ireland”, a policy justified on the grounds that a definition of the traditional stylistic aspects of Irish music “must be sought primarily on instruments which have helped to shape the tradition”.^[6]

This suggests that Irish music must have stopped evolving at least a century ago and totally dismisses the contribution of instruments other than pipes and fiddles. By imputation, it also dismisses the work of the large number of traditional musicians who have chosen to play instruments other than those detailed. Mr Ó Canainn’s attitude to group playing is rather equivocal: “the (Irish) music can only be fully satisfying in the context of a solo performance”,^[7] however, a “qualified yes” is given to the possibility of maintaining a good traditional style in a group context; a conclusion possibly forced upon the author by both his own experience and that of the two musicians selected for detailed analysis.

It must also be said that the most satisfactory and rational study of Irish music to date, Breandán Breathnach’s “Folk Music and Dances of Ireland” is equally dismissive of group playing: “Traditional playing.....is of its very nature a personal expression and the restraint demanded in playing in a band or other ensemble kills the spirit which animates it”.^[8]

It is this last statement which highlights the common thread running through the expert analysis: that the music’s role is to facilitate ‘personal expression’ by the player. And yet, the very purpose of Irish traditional instrumental music seems to deny the rationality of this view. The essence of Irish instrumental music lies in its function in providing a rhythmic accompaniment for the dance. No matter how superb the personal expression or how brilliant the ornamentation, in its true, functional environment, if the rhythm is lost, all is lost - as they say in jazz, “if you aint got that swing, it don’t mean a thing”.

Perhaps the expert pronouncements tell us more about the aspirations of the people who made them than about the music itself. We are forced to ask why it seems so difficult for some critics to accept two simple facts: that it is the nature of humanity for people to enjoy doing things together; and that, like life itself, music cannot and does not stand still. Even the most traditional musicians are curious to explore new possibilities; Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was quite correct in dismissing the solemn and solo approach when, in his television programme River of Sound, he talked of “the fun in interacting with other musicians”.

When traditional dance and its music was as its lowest ebb in the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was not Radio Éireann or Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann who were its saviour. Rather, it was the musicians and dancers who carried on their traditions, albeit under different social conditions, and in a manner suited to the epoch. Ultimately, it was the céilidh band and céilidh dance which ensured that the tradition maintained its purpose, integrity and vitality. It is not overstating the case to say that it was the tenacity of a few musicians, often vilified by supposed experts, who ensured that Irish dance music has survived as a living force and not simply an object in a museum.

The type of music and dance which we now consider as the mainstream of the tradition is difficult to trace back much further than the middle of the nineteenth century. Even in this relatively short period, thousands of quite ordinary people have endeavoured to produce music, either for their own amusement or to provide the inspiration for dancing. Although every person tries to play to his or her best, out of those thousands, only a small percentage stands out as players of note and are remembered.

The three studies mentioned above, all of which have had considerable influence on the way people think about Irish music, appear to share common objectives: to separate the music from its function, to deny the reasonable aspirations of people to make music together and to consider that only the music of the few virtuosi is the ‘real stuff’. However, the vast majority of traditional players, even the very best, shrink from being constantly placed in the spotlight of individual virtuosity and are happiest with their fellows making music together for the enjoyment of dancers and listeners alike.

In view of the foregoing statement of personal views, readers will not be surprised to find that the contributions of all members of the Band, whether fiddlers or fluters, box players or drummers, and even the odd vocalist, are treated with equal respect!^[9]

The foundation - the fiddles
The preponderance of fiddle players in the original Tulla Céilí Band confirms that the fiddle is probably the most popular instrument in the area and that there were some pretty good players available. Aggie Whyte came from over the Galway border close to Woodford. Her father, Tommy, was a member of the famed Ballinakill Traditional Dance Players (later known as the Ballinakill Céilidh Band). Aggie’s sister Bridie also played the fiddle and a duet was recorded (by the BBC?) in 1951. The only commercial recording that I know of Aggie is an extremely rare extended play record on Breandán Breathnach’s SPOL label, where she plays with flute player Peter (Peadar) O’Loughlin from Kilmaley.

We are indebted to Harry Hughes for information on Bartley (Bert) McNulty. He was born in the townland of Curraghrish, Foxford, Co. Mayo, sometime towards the end of the last century. From a musical family, brothers Mick and Martin also played the fiddle, as does his nephew Liam, who is a postman in Galway City.

P. Joe Hayes and Paddy Canny were, of course, the foundation of the Band for years. Born within a couple of miles of each other near the Maghera Mountain, where the TV mast stands today, much of their music was acquired from Pat Canny Senior of Glendree, a noted local whistle player. Many years of playing at the local country house dances provided a solid basis for the future success of the Tulla. Paddy is, perhaps, better known than P. Joe as a solo player and, in fact, won the Coleman Cup (the All-Ireland fiddle championship) at the Feadh Cheol in Athlone in 1953. The tunes he played that day included the reel set Lord McDonalds/Ballinasloe Fair, later recorded on a 78-rpm record for Gael Linn in 1960. In the same year, Paddy featured with P. Joe on what is arguably the first long playing record of traditional music, All-Ireland Champions - Violin: Meet Paddy Canny and P. Joe Hayes. A very formal and curious title, particularly as it also strongly features flute player Peter O’Loughlin, plus piano accompaniment by Bridie Lafferty! No matter, this is a recording of great quality and considered by many to be the finest recording of traditional dance music. Paddy, who also featured in both of the Band’s All-Ireland successes and appeared on the HMV 78’s of 1956, was a stalwart of the Band until the late sixties.

Of course, to talk of P. Joe Hayes is to talk about the Tulla Céilidh Band: Ever present since the formation of the Band, and leader for more than forty years, P. Joe’s contribution will be discussed later.

When Paddy Canny finally left the Band, his place was taken by one of the few musicians to have played in both the Kilfenora and Tulla: Michael Murphy of Ennistymon. Michael appears on all three EMI LPs and also the 40th Anniversary cassette recorded in 1986, where he can be heard playing both solo and in duet with J. C. Talty.

West Clare musicians have made a considerable contribution to the Band, particularly in the early fifties, including before he left for London, Bobby Casey from Annagh. A fiddle player who emphasised the constant and close connection between East Clare and Galway was Jack Shaughnessy from Tubber. Jack joined the Band in the mid-fifties and stayed until the early sixties - the period during which the Band really established their national and international reputation - Jack played on both the early 78s and the first LP; he was in the two All-Ireland winning line-ups and many of the major overseas tours.

The Band career of Francie Donnellan from Kilkishen is unique; Francie was one of the early members, actually replacing Bert McNulty around 1947, until domestic responsibilities forced his ‘retirement’. Francie eventually rejoined the Band in 1987, since when his appearance in duets with P. Joe Hayes has been much in demand - the two fiddles evoking much of the atmosphere of the earlier Hayes/Canny recording.

In any history of East Clare, the name of one man will loom large: politician, doctor, and musician, the late Dr. Bill Loughnane was synonymous with all aspects of the life of the area. Although a member of the All-Ireland winning Bands and a player on the first LP, Dr Bill’s many other commitments precluded full active participation.

Two notable contributors to the fiddle section remain to be considered: the many and varied contributions of Seán Reid have been considered in detail in Dal gCais,^[10] so let us turn to Martin Hayes. Much of Martin’s musical career will be well known to followers of Irish music; his countless All-Ireland successes at all age levels and his later solo performances and CD releases have given him a permanent place of honour in the annals of Irish music. Martin first appeared with the Band as a schoolboy and, later, his musical search led him to make Band contributions on both fiddle and banjo! Emigration to the USA finally ended his full-time band career in the mid-eighties.

Martin’s involvement with the older musicians of East Clare has enriched his music and, although highly personal and distinctive, his playing never wanders too far away from its source. Martin has always been keen to emphasise his musical roots, not only his family musical connections (the Hayes’ and Cannys), but previously unknown local musicians, such as Joe Bane, John Naughton and Martin Rochford of Bodyke, have seen their rightful contribution to his development acknowledged.

Flutes
In most areas of Ireland, the flute parallels the fiddle as the mainstay of the tradition, but East Clare seems to be an exception: Historically, the fiddle reigns supreme with the concertina closely following. This is reflected in the makeup of the Band over the years: Up to the early fifties, flute playing was in the hands of brothers Paddy and Jim O’Donaghue from Bodyke and Jack Murphy of O’Callaghans Mills; however, since that time, not a single East Clare flute has made other than a cursory appearance, although we might classify Michael Preston as an ‘honorary’ East Clare man.

Michael was born in the heart of ‘Coleman’ country at Ballymote, Co. Sligo in 1926. His father, a noted flute player, was employed by the railway and was transferred to Cruisín in 1946 where he was quickly absorbed into the local musical scene. Michael, who also worked for the C.I.E., began to establish a reputation as a fine flute player and, in 1952, joined the Tulla. His playing is featured on the HMV 78s and the first LP; he was also a member of the two All-Ireland winning line-ups before emigrating with his family to the USA in 1962. In the USA, Michael continued his music, playing with all the American-based luminaries of the period and played a prominent role in the influential New York Céilidh Band.

It takes a lot of commitment to play regularly with an active céilidh band and many occasional or aspiring members of the Tulla were forced to abandon regular membership for domestic reasons. The problem of availability, combined with the fact that most of the band’s woodwind section hailed from fairly far afield, was no doubt behind many of the comings and goings among flute players during the fifties. West Clare notables, such as Willie Clancy (who occasionally also played the pipes with the band) and Martin Talty provided fairly regular support, however, it was Seamus Cooley from Peterswell, Co. Galway and West Clare musician Peadar O’Loughlin from Kilmaley who most often sat alongside Michael Preston.

The name of Cooley is firmly linked with the Tulla, however, it will probably surprise people to learn that it was flute playing Seamus and not his more famous accordion playing brother Joe who spent longest with the Band. A regular from the early fifties, Seamus played in the 1957 All-Ireland band and toured the USA in 1958, appearing on the first LP, after which, permanent emigration followed.

Michael Preston’s flute partner on the 1956 78s was Peadar O’Loughlin, whose period with the Band spanned much of fifties and sixties, including the 1960 All-Ireland and many TV programmes in RTE’s ‘Club Ceili’ series. Peadar was born in 1929, in the townland of Cullen, Kilmaley - a hot bed of traditional music. Both his mother and father played concertina and his father was a more than proficient flute player. Peadar’s early musical companions were all renowned practitioners and the competition must have been exceptional for Peadar, Paddy Murphy, Tom Eustace and Mickey Hanrahan to be only runners-up in the quartet competition at the 1954 All-Ireland in Cavan. All of this quartet went on to play in the Fiach Roe Céilidh Band, recalled by Peadar as a fairly loose organisation compared to the Tulla. To talk of Peadar O’Loughlin, however, is not just to talk about flute playing. In his competitive days, he won two All-Irelands and an Oireachtas on the flute followed by an Oireachtas Gold Medal on the fiddle and, just before he gave up competitive playing in 1957, he was Clare County Champion in 1957 on flute and fiddle! Add to this the fact that he is an excellent piper and you begin to get some idea of the capabilities of Peadar O’Loughlin.

In the early sixties, the flutes were augmented with the arrival of another multi-talented West Clare instrumentalist: J. C. Talty. J. C. comes from Cahherrush - a picturesque but isolated spot between Spanish Point and Quilty, his home on the very fringe of the Atlantic Ocean. Before joining the Tulla, J. C. spent several years with the well respected Laictin Naofa Céilidh Band, most of whose members hailed from the rich musical territory around Milltown Malbay and Mullagh. In its short life, the Laictin Naofa included musicians such as Martin Talty, Willie Clancy, Jim Ward, Paddy Joe MacMahon, Martin Falsey, Michael Sexton, Junior Crehan. Michael Downes and Paddy Galvin, so it is hardly surprising that they were able to hold off all challenges at the Munster Fleadh in 1959. In 1960, at Boyle, Co. Roscommon, J. C. gained the distinction of winning the All-Ireland on the pipes. He was the only flute player in the small but tight Tulla ensemble that featured on the three long playing records recorded for EMI Ireland and soldiered on unaided for many years before he was joined by J. J. Conway in the mid-eighties.

A Kilfenora man, J. J. is another of that select group who have appeared with both of Clare’s leading céilidh bands. J. J. plays on the 40th Anniversary cassette and can be heard on a solo track, as well as with the Band. A jovial and outgoing character, J. J. generally acts as compere for the Band’s live performances and, in the absence of a regular singer, can be heard lending vocal support when required!

Accordion
The addition of Joe Cooley to the first band back in 1946 seems to have set a precedent for later box players, several of whom have come from the East Galway area. It is curious how the name of Joe Cooley seems to be forever linked with the Tulla when you consider that he actually spent only a few years with the Band and didn’t feature on any recordings or tours; he did, however, feature in the broadcast made for Radio Éireann in 1948.^[11]

Joe was born into a musical family in Peterswell, Co. Galway, in 1924. In 1945, he moved to Dublin and, whilst there, founded a band called the Galway Rovers Céilidh Band, of which little appears to be known. He continued to live in Dublin, travelling up and down to Clare to appear with the Tulla, until going to London in 1949. Joe never really liked London and returned to Ireland the year after and, until 1955, worked around East Clare as a builder, continuing to play for a couple of years with the band. In 1955, Joe emigrated to the USA where he married Nancy McMahon from Killenena, East Clare. He travelled fairly extensively in the States, both playing and teaching, and, for a period in the sixties, joined his brother Seamus in a céilidh band. Joe returned to Ireland in 1972 and died in December 1973.

Considering that the only recording of his playing was issued after his death, Joe’s playing has had a remarkable impact. This is due, in part, to Tony McMahon who was greatly influenced by Joe Cooley’s playing and has inherited much of his style. It seems fitting, therefore, that Tony also spent a couple of years with the Tulla in the early sixties.

When we talk about influential accordion players, the name of Paddy O’Brien immediately springs to mind. Paddy spent around five years with the Tulla in the forties and early fifties, sometimes playing with Joe Cooley. Paddy was born in Newtown, about five miles from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, once more into a very musical family - his fiddle playing father, Dinny, was leader of the famous Bridge Céilidh Band. Paddy is quoted as saying that his ambition was to carry out on the accordion the same types of variation associated with fiddle playing. Certainly, when the 78-rpm recordings of Paddy were issued in the fifties, they seemed to have the same effect on box players as the earlier Coleman issues had on fiddlers. Paddy was also a member of that great New York Céilidh Band of the late fifties and sixties and played with them at the Fleadh Cheoil in Boyle in 1960 before returning to Ireland in 1962.

From the foregoing, it would be possible to gain the impression that East Clare accordion players have made little or no contribution to the success of the Tulla, however, that is not the case. After the departure of Cooley and O’Brien, the accordion ‘chairs’ were occupied by a succession of East Clare musicians, starting with brothers Paddy and Joe McNamara from Cruisín. The success of the Band in the mid- fifties to sixties proves that a good céilidh band does not have to be stuffed full of household names. The ‘Macs’ played on the HMV 78s and in both All-Ireland winning combinations and only domestic responsibilities prevented their involvement in the US tour of 1958 and the subsequent LP recording. Paddy soldiered on until 1965, but Joe left in 1960 to be succeeded by Mattie Ryan of Tulla. Mattie made an immense contribution to the Band, taking part in many tours and appearing on all three EMI LPs before finally handing over his chair to another Feakle man, Michael McKee in 1977. Michael has continued with the Band until the present time, doubling his playing duties with those of ‘soundman’.

The mid-fifties to mid-sixties period was probably the most ‘East Clare’ period of the Band, with most of the personnel, if not actually from East Clare, having East Clare connections.

Domestic commitments prevented the McNamara brothers from travelling to the USA and their place was taken on the 1958 US Tour, and subsequent LP, by another ‘import’ from East Galway, Martin Mulhare of Eyrecourt. From a strong musical family (his father played fiddle, flute and accordion), Martin stayed on in the USA following the tour and has gone on to be a highly regarded musician and maker of tunes, many of which have passed into the standard traditional Irish music repertoire.

The late seventies was a fertile period for young musicians in East Clare. Alongside Martin Hayes, there was also the emerging talents of two youngsters from Tulla: Andrew and Mary McNamara. Andrew joined the Band in the late seventies, continuing into the mid-eighties before leaving to further his career as both a solo player and a member of one of the top traditional groups of the period ‘Skylark’.

The Tulla Céilí Band, 1986; The line-up for their 40th Anniversary Album.
(L-R) Back Row: Sean Conway, JJ Conway, Michael Whyte, Michael McKee.
Front Row: PJ Hayes, JC Talty, Michael Flanagan, George Byrt, Michael Murphy.

For the 40th Anniversary cassette, Michael McKee was joined by Sean Conway of Ennistymon, who spanned the years 1985 to 1987, before giving way to Joe Sheehan from Ballinacally, who left to emigrate to the USA in 1990. After Connor Keane of Kilmaley held the fort for a short period, the Band was joined in 1991 by Sean Donnelly from Abbey, Co. Galway. In a sense, the circle had turned fully and, fifty years after it started life propelled by the rhythm of Joe Cooley, the ‘engine room’ of the Tulla once more belonged to East Galway! From that hot-bed of tradition music around Loughrea, Sean Donnelly had played with several bands before joining the Tulla and his excellent understanding of the music of East Clare can be heard when he steps outside the Band to join in regular trio performances with P. Joe Hayes and Francie Donnellan.

Piano, Drums and Vocals
Although the Band was started by piano player Teresa Tubridy, she quickly gave way to Seán Reid whose piano accompaniment featured in all the activities from 1948 until he switched to the fiddle ‘section’ in 1961. Since then, the ‘stool’ has largely been occupied by Georgie Byrt, a member of the musical Byrt family of Ennistymon and contributor to several Clare céilidh bands.

The inclusion of a drummer started in earnest around 1955. The Band always wanted a drummer, however, as P. Joe remarked: “Good ones were hard to find!” Various drummers had ‘sat in’ with the Band, including a third Cooley brother, Jack, and when Jack Keane from Clarecastle offered his services 1955, it was eagerly accepted. Jack had experience of céilidh drumming from his association with the Fiach Roe Ceili Band and was to stay with the Tulla throughout the fifties, playing on the 78-rpm recordings and in both All-Ireland triumphs before being replaced by Sean Keane. Martin Garrihy of Co. Galway was to follow in 1962 and provided consistent support for the Band through to the mid-seventies, appearing in the Band’s Club Ceili broadcasts and on the three LPs recorded for EMI, before handing over to Jack McDonnell of Broadford, Co. Clare in 1973.

For the last ten years, the drums have been in the capable hands of Michael Flanagan of Bartra, Lahinch, who can be heard playing on the 40th Anniversary cassette.

It is interesting to speculate on the effect that the introduction of drums into céilidh bands has had on the playing of Irish music in the last thirty, or so, years. Seán Ó Riada detested drums: “.. the modern notion of using a jazz drum-kit is entirely out of tune with Irish music. Their sound is coarse and without subtlety”.^[12] Ó Riada launched his counter-attack on the céilidh band by constructing and then promoting an ‘ideal céilidh band’, a concept that forced the recognition that some form of percussion was desirable in ensemble playing. The result, promotion to traditional status of the bodhran, an instrument with as little provenance in Irish dance music as the abhorred drum-kit and which has come to dominate much of the playing of Irish music.

The inclusion of a permanent, regular vocalist, Martin Vaughan of Milltown Malbay, around 1962, confirmed the trend for waltzes, mazurkas, varsovianas and other exotica to appear alongside Plain Sets, Caledonians, etc. in Irish dancing. By and large, most traditionally ‘trained’ Irish musicians are not adept at waltzes and the like, however, as many songs are in waltz time, they provided music for these dances and a bit of diversion for those who had come along just to listen. Martin stayed with the Band for many years and was a popular figure on tours; he also sang on the three EMI LPs. However, by the time of the 40th Anniversary cassette, the Band had ceased to feature a regular vocalist and songs on that recording are provided by Michael Whyte of Ennistymon. Although for a period in the late eighties a third member of the Hayes family, Helen, provided vocals, in more recent times the Band has reverted to its former practice and does not have a regular vocalist, with flute player J. J. Conway filling in, where necessary.

Leaders
It seems incredible that, in its fifty years, the Tulla has had only three leaders, and that two of these, Teresa Tubridy and Seán Reid, had relinquished the role by the early fifties. Astonishingly, for more than forty years, leadership of the band has been in the hands of one man: P. Joe Hayes.

P. Joe acquired much of his early music through his connection with the Canny family and has been playing for dancing for most of his life; through his teens and twenties, P. Joe and Paddy provided much of the music for the house dances in the Tulla/Feakle area.

Although P. Joe is a musician who likes playing with others, playing with the Band for the last fifty years has not diminished his individual ability and his key role in maintaining the musical traditions of East Clare cannot be underestimated. His groundbreaking recording with Paddy Canny and Peadar O’Loughlin has been recognised as not only one of the best, but also, perhaps, the most influential traditional instrumental recording since the days of the Sligo fiddle threesome, Coleman, Killoran and Morrison.

The commitment involved in running a farm and raising a family have meant that most of P. Joe’s musical energies have been channelled into the Band and it is only in the last few years that he has been able to get out and about to sessions. In recent years, his duo playing with fellow band member Francie Donnellan has been the highlight of many concerts and places at the fiddle classes conducted by P. Joe and Francie at the Willie Clancy Summer School are highly sought after.

Apart from the recordings of the Tulla Band, P. Joe also features on several other recordings; the superb cassette recorded with Martin in 1989, “Shores of Lough Graney”, is difficult to locate, but well worth the trouble as it is the perfect complement to the earlier Canny/Hayes/O’Loughlin recording. P. Joe also makes a significant contribution to the superb CD released in 1994 by concertina player Mary MacNamara. The desire of so many great musicians to play with P. Joe is a natural tribute to the quality and authenticity of his playing; equally, his ability and desire to bring the best out of even the most mediocre is a testament to both his musical and personal qualities.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Hayes’ household is one of the hot-beds of Irish traditional music and almost every traditional musician of the last fifty years has, at some time, found a warm welcome waiting in the beautiful kitchen in Maghera. That traditional music and dance will survive and flourish in the next century is in no little way due to the care and attention given to it by all the Hayes’ family: P. Joe and his wife Peggy, and their children Martin, Patrick, Helen and Anne-Marie.

The Tulla Céilí Band, 2006.

Postscript (2009)
More than ten years have passed since this article was originally penned – ten years in which the Tulla Céilí Band have continued to remind us that, in spite of its critics, the céilí band is still capable of providing a memorable night of music and entertainment – and, surely, that is what traditional music is all about. The last ten years have, perhaps, been the most stable in the Band’s distinguished history – the few changes to the 1996 ensemble are noted in the discographical information for their 2006 CD. I am reminded also that another chapter in the life of this remarkable ensemble needs to be written!