CCÉ-Irish Traditional Music in Detroit-Windsor

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Completing the Circle
Sean Fallamhain

As most of us are now well aware, the Crotty-Doran branch of CCÉ recorded big wins at his year's Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Enniscorthy. Our young piper from Ann Arbor, Tyler Duncan, won first place in uilleann pipes in his age group. This is like winning an Olympic gold medal in Irish music. Also our 'Grupa Cheoil' (Colleen Burke - harp, Colleen Shanks - whistle, Jeremy Kittel - fiddle, Tyler Duncan -uilleann pipes and low whistle and Sean Gavin - flute) placed second against very stiff competition from Ireland. England, Scotland and other parts of the world, and Tyler Duncan and Jeremy Kittel placed third in duets. Over all this was an excellent performance by our young musicians. But there is more to the story than these wins.

Tyler Duncan with Al Purcell holding Rowesome Cup

Tyler and Al Purcell with the Leo Rowesome Trophy

When he took first place in uilleann pipes Tyler also won the coveted Leo Rowsome Cup, and therein lies the tale. Leo Rowsome is one of the legends in Irish piping. I remember hearing him many times on the radio in Ireland during the early fifties. Indeed he was one of the few traditional musicians who were allowed to play on the radio, given the snobby attitude of the government controlled radio station at that time and the low regard they had for Irish music. This was a time when Irish traditional music was at a crossroads, when it had to either fight or die. Although the music was still vibrant in many places in the west of Ireland, in Dublin and other major cities it was almost dead. This was the time when CCE was formed to 'save the culture from extinction'. Leo Rowsome was certainly part of the movement to save our music and he taught many students the art of uilleann piping throughout his lifetime. One of those students was Al Purcell, a member of our branch and one of the finest pipers in North America. Al has been sought after to give workshops in many places in North America as well as teaching regularly at the Willie Clancy and the South Sligo Summer Music Schools in Ireland. Over the years he has passed on the Rowsome tradition to a large number of pipers including the brothers Terence and Brendan McKinney. Brendan, who now plays flute most of the time, moved to Chicago many years ago and is very active in music circles there. Terence, on the other hand, stayed here and now passes on the Rowsome tradition to our young people.

Terence was the coach, instructor, and arranger who pulled together a group of young teenagers to play in the Midwest Regional Fleadh Cheoil held in Detroit last May. Fortunately they were a group of dedicated and very accomplished musicians and we all know what happened then. They took first place in Detroit and qualified to play in Ireland at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. In preparing this group, Terence consulted with Al Purcell regarding the choice of music, for a win in Ireland, or any other Fleadh for that matter, the music must be traditional. Their choice of music was excellent and the arrangement ideal, securing them a second place win in Ireland, a remarkable achievement for a group that first got together in November 1998.

Another of Al's students, and probably his star student right now, was Tyler Duncan. Tyler seemed to have a natural touch for playing the pipes, and what he made to look easy and graceful was only achieved after countless hours of coaching by Al and practice by Tyler. Tyler, who just turned fourteen, has been playing the pipes for about three years. Many times, like any young person, he wanted to play the music his way. But Al's insistence on sticking with the traditional values prevailed and Tyler turned out to be a very fine piper. In a recent conversation I had with Frank Kennedy, Chairman of CCE North America, he said that, at the Fleadh in Ireland, Tyler was the 'talk of the town'.

So this is how I see the circle being made complete. From Leo Rowsome, to Al Purcell, to Tyler Duncan and the winning of the Leo Rowsome cup. We should all feel very proud of our young musicians but we owe a tremendous debt to Al Purcell for taking so much of his time and energy to teach the uilleann pipes. We are very fortunate to have such a valuable resource and on behalf of all members of Crotty-Doran I want to thank Al and his lovely wife Ann for their help and support of our branch over the years. Al, you brought the Rowsome tradition with you and, thanks to you, it still lives in our midst.