The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is committed to providing free, universal access to the rich cultural tradition of Irish music, song and dance. If you’re able, we’d love for you to consider a donation. Any level of support will help us preserve and grow this tradition for future generations.
For over two hundred years, and for a variety of reasons, ‘folk’ song and music enthusiasts have ventured into the field and become collectors– gatherers of the material which has greatly enhanced our understanding of the vernacular culture of the past. But their activities have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, and it is time for a wide-ranging re-assessment of the collectors’ lives and works. This major two-day conference will investigate collectors as individuals and networks, their achievements and failures, motives, methods, strengths and weaknesses, social and political context, and the underlying ethos and ethics of collecting itself.
The focus will be on collecting in Britain and Ireland, but we would also be pleased to hear from researchers in countries with strong historical folk cultural ties to these islands. The conference will be in-person, but papers from delegates who cannot attend can be pre-recorded and played on the day.
Proposals for papers (20 minutes) and other presentations are invited. Closing date is 19th April 2024
VENUE: Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London NW1 7AY
DATE: Saturday, 20 July–Sunday 21 July 2024
Organised jointly by the English Folk Dance & Song Society(EFDSS) and the Traditional Song Forum (TSF); with the support of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA), Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin Cymru (Welsh Folk Song Society), and the Elphinstone Institute (University of Aberdeen).
Contact: Steve Roud ([email protected])
