Nell Galvin facts for kids

Ellen (Nell) Galvin (1887 – 5 September 1961) was a talented Irish traditional musician. She was famous for playing both the fiddle and the concertina. Nell came from Ballydineen, near Kilmihil in County Clare, Ireland. This area is well-known for its rich traditional music.

Nell Galvin: A Traditional Music Star

Learning Music Early On

Nell Galvin started learning music when she was young. Her teacher was Garret Barry, a blind uilleann pipes player from Inagh. Nell loved both the fiddle and the concertina. Because she couldn't pick a favorite, Garret taught her to play both instruments.

Winning Music Competitions

In 1901, Nell entered a music competition called the Thomond Feis in Ennis. She won the fiddle competition! A few years later, in 1905, she competed again. This time, she played both the concertina and the fiddle, and she won both contests. She also won another competition in Kilkee. A judge there was Seamus Clandillon, who later became the director of Radio Éireann, a big radio station in Ireland.

Sharing Her Music with the World

In 1937, Nell Galvin got a chance to audition for Radio Éireann in Dublin. This was a big deal because it meant her traditional music could be played on the radio for many people to hear. Her performances helped share Irish traditional music with a wider audience.

Her Unique Playing Style

Nell Galvin had a special way of playing her instruments. She used techniques like "droning strings," which creates a continuous background sound. She also used "dissonance" (sounds that seem a bit clashing but are used on purpose) and fancy "ornamentation" (extra musical decorations). These techniques made her music very interesting and unique.

Leaving a Musical Legacy

In the mid-1950s, some of Nell Galvin's music was recorded. These recordings are now kept safe at the ITMA in Dublin. They are part of the RTÉ collection. Nell's music is important because it connects older music styles from before the Great Famine in Ireland to the music played by musicians today. She was a link between the past and the present of Irish traditional music.

Nell played with many other famous musicians from County Clare. Some of these included Mrs. Crotty (concertina), John Kelly (fiddle), Sean Reid, Dr. Bill Loughnane, and Willie Clancy (uilleann pipes).

Later, Nell and her son Stephen played as guest musicians with the Kilfenora Céilí Band. They played a reel (a type of fast dance tune) that didn't have a name. The band liked it so much that they named it "Mrs Galvin's" after her!

Today, there is a music festival named after her called the Nell Galvin Traditional Music Weekend in Moyasta. This festival later joined with another to become the "Crotty Galvin Traditional Weekend," celebrating both Nell Galvin and Mrs. Crotty.

Personal Life

Nell Galvin was born Ellen McCarthy. She married Patrick Galvin, who was from Moyasta. They had five children together: two girls and three boys.

See also

• Mrs. Crotty