In this talk, Toner Quinn, editor of the Journal of Music, will explore some of the ideas in his recent book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music, including a discussion of musical life in Ireland, what makes this culture unique and the challenges it faces into the future.
Quinn’s recent book is a collection of essays and articles written over the past two decades. The volume explores topics such as how we can create a deeper public discussion around music, what folk music can tell us about our society, and how we can better support music in our towns, villages and cities.
Launched by Martin Hayes at the Irish Traditional Music Archive in February, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music has been described by the Irish Times as ‘a richly textured, all-embracing compendium … a formidable collection… Collecting so many well-argued pieces in one place underscores the heft of Quinn’s writing.’
Toner Quinn is a musician, writer, editor, publisher and lecturer. Born in Galway and raised in An Cheathrú Rua in the Conamara Gaeltacht and Bray, Co. Wicklow, he began learning traditional Irish fiddle with the late Donegal fiddle player Tom Glackin and subsequently studied music in Waterford and publishing in Scotland. In 2000, he founded the Journal of Music, the Irish music publication that won the 2010 Utne Independent Press Award for arts coverage.
As well as editing the Journal of Music, Toner is highly regarded as a writer on music and has made a significant contribution to public discussion on Irish music over the past two decades. He was also Project Officer for the Special Committee on the Traditional Arts, which produced the report Towards a Policy for the Traditional Arts in 2004, and, in 2014, he was commissioned by the Arts Council to research the Irish harp, which led to the publication Report on the Harping Tradition in Ireland.
In 2013, Toner released a fiddle duet album with Malachy Bourke, Live at the Steeple Sessions, which was selected by the Irish Times as one of the traditional music albums of the year. Since 2008, Toner has been a part-time lecturer in publishing at the University of Galway.
This talk is presented by the OPW as part of the 2024 cultural programme at Farmleigh House.
www.tonerquinn.com
www.journalofmusic.com
