Music and Songs by the Sea

About Michael Falsey

I was born and reared in a small thatched cottage on a cliff top in Quilty West, Co. Clare. My father. John Falsey, and my mother, formerly Mary Downes, were natives of this area also. I had three brothers and three sisters. We attended Quilty Primary School and afterwards Kilmurry Technical school.
My Father played a concert pitch flute and I took an interest in the traditional music at an early age. Instruments were hard to come by in my youth so it meant that young people didn't have much chance to fulfil their interests in the music.
There were quite a few older musicians around the area as the house dances were a good form of entertainment especially in the long winter nights. As 1 got older I was able to take part in this. Around this time, specially in the early 1940's, some travelling musicians would travel around where fairs, football or hurling matches and sports would be, and it was a chance to hear and learn some tunes. It was during some of those visits I had the pleasure to see and hear the Doran brothers perform. Johnny would have stayed for longer spells in this area. They were both gifted uilleann pipers and so was their father, who I never saw or heard, although some of the older generation did remember him. I continued on playing the flute belonging to my father and I bought a tin whistle as soon as I could afford it.
Shortly after this I got to know Willie Clancy, having heard him play at a Feis in Miltown Malbay. He had learned his piping from the legendary Johnny Doran, and many years after, I learned how to play the uilleann pipes from Willy. I eventually went on to win Senior All-Ireland on the uilleann pipes,flute and tin whistle. I also had the pleasure of winning the gold medal at Oireachtas na Gaeilge at the Mansion House in Dublin in 1958. I won the Johnny Doran Cup at Feis Laichtín Naofa in Miltown, 1959. I was a member of Laichtín Naofa Ceilí Band for a few years and when the band finished I joined the Kilfenora Ceili Band and stayed with it for six years. Small groups began to form as the era of the dancehalls was coming to an end so I got involved with those groups as it meant less travelling, staying nearer to home. The Fleadh Ceóls gave a great boost to the traditional music and this music had become very popular at home and abroad. I have a great interest in songs and especially ballads. They would be very popular in our area and in many places around the country. Having been born and raised so close to the sea it's only natural that I took part in fishing like my father before me. My grandfather, Jimmy Falsey, was one of the fishermen who rescued the crew of the French cargo vessel Leon Xlll which was -wrecked off the Quilty coast in October 1907. the ballad of that epic rescue I have included in this album. 'The Star of the Sea' chapel in Quilty is a fitting memorial to the gallant fishermen from this area who risked their lives to save these stricken sailors
Michael Falsey November 2004