New booklet charts Athlone's rich musical history

Athlone's rich musical history is the subject of a new booklet which makes the case that the town can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anywhere else in the world when it comes to producing gifted and influential musicians.

Tadhg Kelleher, himself a local musician and music teacher, is the author of the attractively-produced 40-page booklet entitled Athlone: The Birthplace of Modern Music.

While Tadhg concedes there is a degree of humour and "hyperbole" to the title, he feels the depth of Athlone's influence on music globally is not something that's been properly recognised.

"I see it as an unknown story," he said. "I like to take unknown things and try to develop them So (the history of Athlone music) was like a goldmine.

"I got great help from the likes of (historian) Gearoid O'Brien and others. There's still a lot to discover, but we're getting there."

The booklet begins with the story of Patrick Keating, a bandmaster and teacher born in 1796 whose teaching shaped a generation of musicians, and it ends with the town's hosting in 1953 of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

The booklet also covers topics such as the establishment of Athlone Musical Society, John McCormack's performances on the world stage, and radio broadcasting from Athlone's transmitter in Moydrum.

Shown on the cover are four figures who are key to the town's musical legacy: Patrick Keating, Patrick Gilmore, John McCormack and Michael Kilkelly.

"I got most of this material from the Westmeath Independent, going back to the 1840s," Tadhg explained. "I tried to condense a 200-year history into something that works for students, kids, and adults, and something that doesn't overwhelm anyone."

This is achieved in the booklet through the concise and engaging text and the evocative use of images.

Tadhg gathered his research for the booklet over a number of years, and he has given talks on Athlone's musical history in the town library and the Dean Crowe Theatre.

"I've been campaigning for a museum on music history for about six years now," he said. "I had done a lot of work on general music history and then I came across the music history of Athlone, which turned out to be probably one of the biggest music histories on the planet."

The initial print run of the booklet was quite small, but additional copies are expected to be printed shortly. Tadhg said he was hoping to distribute the booklet to local schools and give some talks about the people and stories featured in it.

"I'm still figuring out the distribution side of things, but I will have a launch of it, probably closer to Christmas," he said.

"The plan was just to get it into the libraries, museums and schools. I've gotten some help from the council so far and I'm hoping to get some more help from the library and heritage office in terms of distribution and that kind of thing.

"It's a story that I just wanted to tell," he said.

* Anyone wishing to contact Tadhg in relation to the booklet can reach him at: tadhgkelleher@gmail.com