The Long Grazing Acre – Louth – a celebration of the Travelling Community’s contribution to Irish Traditional music and song

Renowned uilleann piper Paddy Keenan leads a star-studded line up of Irish traditional musicians and singers at the Long Grazing Acre Festival at The Lumpers, Ravensdale, Co Louth, from Fri 26 to Sunday 28 September. The Long Grazing Acre tour celebrates the enormous contribution Travellers make to traditional Irish music as it tours Donegal, Clare and Louth this year, focusing on a different musical Traveller family in each location.
Keenan will be joined in Ravensdale, County Louth by local Traveller musicians including Maragret Barry’s grandchildren Marty, Paddy, Eugene, and Eoin, piper Johnny Purcell grandson of Johnny Doran, accordion player William Dundon, and singers Colette Joyce and Coleen Savage along with local fiddle virtuoso Gerry O’Connor and Keenan’s long term musical partner Éamonn De Barra.
The rich musical heritage of Irish Traveller musicians in the Oriel region presents a compelling opportunity for a cultural celebration that preserves and honours this vital tradition. The Oriel region, encompassing parts of Counties Monaghan, Louth, Armagh, and Down, has been home to some of Ireland’s most influential Traveller musicians, whose contributions have shaped mainstream Irish traditional music.
Central to this celebration is the legacy of Margaret Barry, whose powerful voice and distinctive banjo playing style made her one of the most significant figures in Irish traditional music. Barry’s performances at festivals and concerts throughout Ireland, Britain and the USA in the mid-20th century helped preserve and popularise traditional songs that might otherwise have been lost. Her recordings, particularly of songs like “She Moved Through the Fair” and “The Factory Girl,” stand as masterpieces of the tradition.
The contemporary generation of Barry musicians – Marty, Paddy, Eugene and Eoin demonstrates the living continuity of this tradition. Their music shows how Traveller musical heritage continues to evolve while maintaining its essential character.
Similarly, Johnny Purcell, grandson of Johnny Doran, connects us to one of the most celebrated Traveller musical dynasties in Ireland, has local roots in Newry and will be to the fore at the concert and sessions. The music of the late John Rooney, the renowned uilleann piper from Crossmaglen, will be recalled and celebrated. Rooney represents another crucial figure in this musical lineage. His mastery of the pipes and deep knowledge of Traveller tunes represents a vital part of Oriel and Traveller heritage.
William Dundon’s accordion playing and singing is another vital strand of this musical tradition, demonstrating the diversity of instrumental styles within Traveller music in the Oriel region.
The concert takes place on Saturday 27 September in The Lumpers, Ravensdale with workshops, exhibitions, and walking tours happening throughout the weekend.

The festival programme for the weekend is as follows:
 
Friday 26 Sept
8pm –Opening session with the Long Grazing Acre & local musicians
 
Saturday 27 Sept
10:30 am – 11:30 am The Margaret Barry Legacy with Tommy Fegan & the Barry family
11:45 am – 1pm Oriel Region Fiddle Traditions & Repertoire – with Gerry O’Connor
2 pm – 3:15 pm The Impact of Traveller Musicians on Irish Traditional Music – illustrated talk with Tommy Fegan

8 pm Long Grazing Acre Concert Admission: €20
 
Sunday 28 Sept
11 am The Cadgers’ Path Walk. Oriel Connects Us Project – Music on the Mountain. Starting point, Tullagh Bridge
2.30 pm Welcome back the Cadger Walkers; Farewell Session

The Long Grazibg Acre is funded by an Arts Council Touring Award