Irish Traditional Music Archive
Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann
Press Release: 30 August 2007
DEATH OF TOM MUNNELLY (1944–2007)
The Board of the Irish Traditional Music Archive deeply regrets the death on Thursday 30 August 2007, after a long illness, of Dr Tom Munnelly, its founding Chairman from 1987 to 1993 and a world authority on Irish traditional song. He contributed greatly over many years to the establishment of the Archive, to the building up of its collections and to the development of its ethos. His continuing active interest and his personal generosity with his expertise and encouragement will be greatly missed by his colleagues, as will his wit and humour.
The Board extends its sympathy to his wife Annette, his children Colm, Tara and Éadaoin, and his other relatives, colleagues and friends.
Tom Munnelly, born in Dublin but resident in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, since 1978, made the largest field-collection of Irish traditional song ever compiled by any individual. He was a singer and an enthusiast for traditional singing from his earliest years, and was influenced by the collecting work and writings of Breandán Breathnach and Hugh Shields. After recording privately in the 1960s, and collecting especially from Traveller singers, he became a professional folklore collector and archivist with the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin (now the UCD Delargy Centre for Irish Folklore and the National Folklore Collection), from 1974 to date, with a concentration on English-language song. He recorded, indexed and transcribed over 20,000 songs (and a mass of other folklore) during decades when older traditional culture has been fast disappearing, and his work could not now be replicated. His extensive list of audio and print publications includes The Mount Callan Garland: Songs from the Repertoire of Tom Lenihan and Songs of the Irish Travellers 1967–1985. He lectured and taught widely, was a leading activist in many folkmusic organisations and festivals, including the Folk Music Society of Ireland, the Willie Clancy Summer School and the Clare Festival of Traditional Singing, and he served on national bodies such as the Arts Council. Recently he was presented with the festschrift Dear Far-Voiced Veteran: Essays in Honour of Tom Munnelly, and was made an honorary Doctor of Literature by the National University of Ireland Galway.
For further information contact
Irish Traditional Music Archive
Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann
73 Merrion Square
Dublin 2
T +353-1-661 9699
F +353-1-662 4585
W www.itma.ie
September 2007: Dublin Culture Night
June 2007: Honorary Degrees to Members of Irish Traditional Music Archive Board and Staff
November 2006: Official Opening of New Premises of the Irish Traditional Music Archive
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