Exploring the Music Traditions of County Cork & County Kerry

A unique opportunity to explore the story of one Irish ballad and celebrate its living oral tradition.

This part of the project will trace the song, The Pretty Milkmaid (Cailin Deas Crúite na mBó) as it travelled from Kerry to Lincolnshire, Hollywood and beyond. Hosting the event will be Meabh Begley who learnt this song from her grandfather.

Méabh Begley, local duo Ruben and Alana, fiddler Owen Spafford, and Chapel FM Jazz Collective will each perform their own specially commissioned version of the ballad.

Supported by Arts Council England, this nine-month social history project 'Exploring the Musical Traditions of County Cork & County Kerry' will explore the musical traditions of County Cork and County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland, in particular the music of the ‘Sliabh Luachra’ area.

‘Sliabh Luachra’ (pronounced Sleeve Loucra) is the mountainous region along the Cork/Kerry border in the province of Munster straddling the county boundaries of Cork and Kerry. The name ‘Sliabh Luachra’ means "a mountain of rushes".