Diarmuid Clifford
Diarmuid Clifford’s childhood home was in Filemore, close to the old church and facing the new church ‘Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception’ which was consecrated in 1954. He first became aware of music from his father who was a shoemaker. His father never played an instrument but had great ‘puss music’ and was always humming tunes as he mended and repaired shoes. His mother was a fine singer and Diarmuid inherited his gift for singing from her. As a young boy he would often be called on to sing a song when visiting neighbours or when people called into the house after mass. His first musical instrument was the tin whistle which he learned how to play in his early days at primary school and quickly became proficient on it. On most Friday evenings there was dancing in the school and the Master, Dan O’Mahony would call on Diarmuid and a few others to play for the dancers. The family cut turf on a bog close to the home of Joe O’Connor (Garrydine), a distance of about two miles from their home. From the age of nine or ten Diarmuid would call in to the house on his way home in the hope that Joe would be playing a few tunes on the accordion. There was little access to live music at the time and Diarmuid was impressed and influenced by the quality of the music Joe played. Sometime around 1955 his father bought him a single row accordion/melodeon from Christy Sheehan’s shop in West Main St, Cahersiveen and in a short time was playing the tunes he had heard by ear. He bought his first banjo, a five string, while on honeymoon in 1969 from Walton’s music shop in Dublin. A short while later he traded in the five-string for a four string tenor banjo. Diarmuid was a member of the Filemore Comhaltas and played regularly with Joe O’Connor, Pat Garvey, Mary O’Neill and others at the Oíche cheoil nights in Filemore School, Coars school, Caitín Beater’s and other places locally. He would act as fear an tí for these evenings leading the singing and calling the dancers to the floor. Many of the tunes played on these nights were the tunes he had heard Joe play when he was a child. The music played by Diarmuid (banjo) and Joe (accordion) on some of these evenings was captured on a Grundig reel to reel player by Matt Joe O’Neill and transcribed for this publication. Diarmuid’s love of music and song has continued in his children and grandchildren.
Ba sa bhFaill Mhór a chónaigh Diarmuid Clifford ina óige dó, i dteach a bhí gearr don seanséipéal agus a raibh a aghaidh amach ar an séipéal nua, Séipéal Mhuire gan Smál ar deineadh é a choisreacan sa bhliain 1954. Óna athair, gréasaí bróg, a fuair sé eolas ar an gceol i gcéaduair. Níor sheinn a athair ceol uirlise riamh ach bhí an-scil aige ar an bportaireacht béil agus bhíodh sé ag portaireacht leis agus é ag deisiú na mbróg. Amhránaí breá a bhí ina mháthair agus thug Diarmuid leis bua na hamhránaíochta uaithi. Agus é ina ógánach is minic a chuirtí ceist air amhrán a chasadh agus iad ag cuartaíocht le comharsana nó nuair a bhuaileadh daoine isteach tar éis an Aifrinn. An chéad uirlis cheoil a bhí aige ná an fheadóg stáin agus d’fhoghlaim sé conas í a sheinm ina óige dó ar an mbunscoil. Níorbh fhada go raibh sé breá oilte ar an uirlis. Oícheanta dé hAoine bhíodh rincí sa scoil agus ghlaodh an Máistir, Dan O’Mahony, ar Dhiarmuid agus ar roinnt eile ceol a sheinm do na rinceoirí. Bhaineadh an teaghlach móin ar phortach a bhí in aice le tigh Joe O’Connor (An Garraí Doimhin), thart ar dhá mhíle óna dtigh féin. Ó naoi nó deich mbliana d’aois ar aghaidh bhuaileadh Diarmuid isteach ar an tigh agus é ar a bhealach abhaile le súil go mbeadh Joe ag seinm ar an gcairdín. Níorbh éasca teacht ar cheol beo ag an am agus chuaigh caighdeán an cheoil a sheinneadh Joe i bhfeidhm ar Dhiarmuid agus d’imir sé tionchar mór air. Thart ar an mbliain 1955 cheannaigh a athair cairdín aon sraithe/mileoidean ó shiopa Christy Sheehan ar an tSráid Mhór Thiar, Cathair Saidhbhín, agus níorbh fhada go raibh sé ag seinm na bhfonn a bhí cloiste aige ón gcluas. An chéad bhainseó a bhí aige, ceann a raibh cúig shreang air, cheannaigh sé é ó shiopa ceoil Walton’s é agus é ar mhí na meala i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1969. Tamall gairid ina dhiaidh sin bhabhtáil sé bainseó na gcúig shreang ar bhainseó teanóir a raibh ceithre shreang air. Ba bhall de Chomhaltas na Faille Móire é agus bhíodh sé ag seinm go rialta le Joe O’Connor, Pat Garvey, Mary O’Neill agus daoine eile ag na hoícheanta ceoil i Scoil na Faille Móire, Scoil na gCorr, Tigh Chaitín Beater agus in áiteanna eile sa dúthaigh. Bhíodh sé ina fhear an tí ag na hoícheanta úd, agus é i gceannas ar an amhránaíocht agus is é a mhealladh na rinceoirí amach ar an urlár. Go leor de na foinn a sheinntí ag na hoícheanta úd is foinn iad a bhí cloiste aige á seinm ag Joe agus é ina pháiste. Thaifead Matt Joe O’Neill an ceol a sheinn Diarmuid (bainseó) agus Joe (cairdín) ag roinnt de na hoícheanta seo ar sheinnteoir Grundig spólgo- spól agus tras-scríobhadh don bhfoilseachán seo iad. Tá an dúil mhór a bhí ag Diarmuid sa cheol agus sna hamhráin le feiscint ina chlann agus ina gharpháistí go dtí an lá atá inniu ann.
The music below was recorded in Cairtín Beater’s Pub in the early eighties. Diarmuid Clifford & Joe O’Connor are playing for two sets.
