Newly-launched book keeps trad legend Frank’s tunes on record

Last Friday evening, a large crowd gathered at Mullingar Town Band’s band hall at Blackhall to celebrate the launch of a published collection of tunes written by one of the stalwarts of traditional Irish music in Westmeath, the late Frank Gavigan of Rathconrath.

Completed in April, the official launch of the book was, appropriately, delayed until Fleadh week, with Éamonn Ó hArgáin and Labhras Ó Murchú, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann president and ard-stiurthóir respectively, doing the honours.

Mick Foster, a great friend and student of Frank Gavigan, was joined by a number of friends from the trad scene to provide musical accompaniment to the launch, including members of the Frank Gavigan CCÉ branch in Milltown-Rathconrath, and the other half of Foster and Allen, Tony Allen.

The book, entitled ‘The favourite session tunes of Frank Gavigan, All-Ireland accordion champion 1952’, came about after Mick’s wife, Moyra Fraser, found a collection of Frank’s tunes in a drawer at their home during lockdown. The music was written on manuscript paper; Mick recalled seeing Frank jotting some of his own tunes down on the back of cigarette boxes over the years.

“She [Moyra] was concerned that if either of us kicked the bucket, they’d be thrown out or burned so she decided she’d put them together in form of a book. With help of Comhaltas head office and Frank Gavigan branch the book was put together,” Mick explained.

The resultant publication comes not only with a host of tunes, but also photographs relevant to the history of Comhaltas in Milltown-Rathconrath and beyond, plus memories of Frank penned not only by Mick Foster and Moyra Fraser, but also by Vonnie Geraghty (chairperson, Frank Gavigan CCÉ Branch) and accordion players Paddy Maguire and Martin Donohoe.

The book was officially launched at the band hall on Friday evening by Comhaltas Ard-Stiurthóir Labhrás Ó Murchú who, incidentally, presented Mick and Moyra with a Gradam na hÉigse award. Of the ongoing festivities, the Comhaltas chief said: “This Fleadh is pure magic.”

“Very often when I get the opportunity of speaking I talk about people showing appreciation for where they learned their music, and who taught them their music,” Mr Ó Murchú continued. “And there’s something very nice when you gain stardom like Mick has – world stardom, in fact – that they don’t forget their roots, and that’s really what tradition is all about.

“I was invited to unveil a monument to Frank Gavigan all those years ago, and I could even sense at that gathering this wonderful pride in community.

“When you put up a monument like that, you never know who’s going to stop to say a prayer, or read the inscription. And that leads to a bit of curiosity, and people want to know a little bit more about the person who is being honoured and whose memory is being perpetuated.

“When Mick talked about the manuscripts he had, I could see from day one talking to him the great appreciation that he had for Frank Gavigan. He never forgot about him.

“If somebody gives you the gift of music, you can continue to enhance that and expand that.”

Mr Ó Murchú said that there were now 250,000 actively participating in traditional music in Ireland, and that this was largely down to people like Frank, who “looked after the fort until a better day when we had a renaissance”.

“That [the 250,000 participants] is a long way away from when Frank Gavigan started, or when the old musicians sat by the fireside – maybe only one person and a cat listening to him, but keeping the music alive for that person was important. It’s like putting the seeds away for the next harvest,” the Cashel native added.

The Comhaltas chief congratulated Mick and Moyra on the book project, and Moyra in particular, whose guiding hand was evident throughout.