In Pictures: Dunkineely Fiddle Weekend celebrates a long tradition of music

The second annual Dunkineely Fiddle Weekend has taken place, celebrating the town’s long history of traditional music. Click on the arrows to see Siobhan McGowan's photos of the event. 

Among the organisers was fiddler Rab Cherry who said: “Dunkineely has a long history of locals being involved in playing traditional music, which went through a lean period for a time. 

“However in recent times there has been a resurgence of interest in the past few years.

“These days there is a great group of young musicians which is a testament in large to the work of local man Kevin O'Donnell, who teaches locally.”

The organisers of the weekend Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí have been working for more than 40 years to promote, teach and collect Donegal's fiddle music. This one of a number of events which Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí run in various parts of Donegal throughout the year, with the assistance of the Arts Council  

There was a great crew of fiddle players involved in teaching the daytime classes and playing at the concert. Aoife Feeney, Aidan O'Donnell, Martin McGinley and Megan Níc Fionnghaile joined in the concert by Kevin O'Donnell on guitar and Glenties fiddle player Peter Campbell. 

There was also an exhibition of the various types of fiddles commonly played in Donegal through the ages, Tin Fiddles, Box Fiddles, Standard Fiddles and Dancing Masters Fiddles, featuring actual examples of these fiddles which could be examined and played and explanatory photos and text  put together by Rab Cherry. 

Further information on the work of Cairdeas can be found at www.donegalfiddlemusic.ie or the Facebook page The Fiddle Music of Donegal