Blogs

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, musician Eileen Gogan responds to stories from The Long Gaze Back and talks to editor Sinéad Gleeson.

And now for a few thoughts from our colleague Clodagh on keeping sane whilst keeping indoors. I’m starting to get a little home-crazy. With home-schooling, home-working and home-only for the foreseeable future, all I can think of is escape from home rather than using my spare time to clean the previously untouched corners of my home. Bathroom grouting – you have no need to fear! My escape is music. Music touches almost all of us I think, we’re hooked by a bassline or drawn to a melody. I have music in every room of the house, so that I can listen as I read, cook, work or argue about how April Fool’s Day is not a national holiday and therefore home-school still goes ahead.Have you ever wondered what it is about music that makes it so appealing to us humans? How does it affect our brains? How do earworms happen to us? Have a listen to ‘Musicophilia’ by Oliver Sacks, available on eAudiobook through Borrowbox with your library membership. Sacks quotes Charles Darwin’s ‘The Descent of Man’ in his introduction claiming music to be a pretty useless, but nevertheless enjoyable endeavour! I think of dementia choirs here in the city and wonder if Darwin could do with an update? ‘As neither the enjoyment nor the capacity of producing musical notes are faculties of the least use to man ... they must be ranked among the most mysterious with which he is endowed.’If you’d like to find out more, another book choice might be Daniel Levitin’s ‘This is your brain on music’.Or why not check out some of the great music biographies on Borrowbox of talented artists such as David Bowie, Rory Gallagher or Janis Joplin.Watch our how-to video on Borrowbox.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link.In the current situation, I could certainly do some musical therapy, so rather than reading further, I’ve decided to give my faculties a challenge with Artistworks for Libraries, available via RB Digital with your library membership. Watch our how to video for RBdigital.My challenge is to master the bass guitar lying lonesome in the corner of one home-schooler’s bedroom, purchased from the much-missed Walton’s on South Great George’s Street way back when the home-schooler expressed an interest in learning, swiftly followed by a lack of interest in learning. I delude myself that I could be the next Kim Deal or Tina Weymouth, should anyone come looking for a 40-something librarian bassist, with a side knowledge of 2PiR and the counties of Ireland ‘as Gaeilge’.On Artistworks for Libraries, Nathan East provides the bass guitar tutorials. He has worked with musicians from Eric Clapton to Herbie Hancock, and you’ll know his bass lines from songs such as Kenny Loggins’ ‘Footloose’ or Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’. That’s impressive, so I watch the first few videos, feeling a little perplexed by new terms such as harmonics and intonation.‘One man’s G sharp is another man’s A flat’I slow down to get to grips with the terminology and tie it in with what I know already from previous instrumental dabbling. I move on to the warmups and scales and really enjoy getting stuck into the sounds of each string. I’m delighted to see that these videos have a slow-motion version too. The short videos that allow you master a skill before moving on are great for building confidence.The break in the daily home routine is refreshing. Learning an instrument requires a focus that makes you shake off distractions and gives you a sense of accomplishment as you progress. Have a look at Artistworks for Libraries, think about what you could do with the mysterious faculties with which you have been endowed.Dream of your other life in music. Plans for my world tour are on hold for the moment, but watch this space…

Instrument Carousel - a partnership between Girls Rock Dublin and Dublin City Libraries was a smash hit with all the teenagers in Pearse Library on Culture Night last Friday. Instrument Carousel was an opportunity for participants to explore their musical potential.It marks the launch of the “GRD Gear Library”, the gear loan service designed for teenagers by Girls Rock Dublin & Dublin City Libraries. Sixteen teenagers took over the Library in a fun & loud experiment involving electric guitars, basses, synths, keyboards & drums. By moving through different rooms and engaging with GRD coaches, participants learned a song on each instrument, and finished by performing the song together.Girls Rock Dublin is a non-profit, volunteer-led organisation that builds girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance. Providing workshops and technical training, GRD creates leadership opportunities, cultivates a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourages social change and the development of life skills. ​From Culture Night any teenager who is a member of Dublin City Libraries can borrow their preferred instrument for three weeks. All you need is your library card!Teenagers will need the signature of a parent or guardian when completing the membership form. Their parent or guardian will need to bring photo I.D. and proof of address. Get access to great online resources, borrow books, DVDs and now musical instruments! There are no fines and you can use your card in any library in Ireland.    Joining is easy. Call into Pearse Street library and borrow what you like. The GRD Gear Library is a collection of  instruments, amplifiers and musical accessories that Girls Rock Dublin are now making available through Dublin City Libraries all year round.     The collection is made up of donated gear from people in the community who value the work of Girls Rock Dublin and from purchases made from funding received with thanks to ​Reverb.com​. GRD Gear Library also welcome donations of 'gear'.The library is an ongoing project, more pics from Culture Night 2019 on flickr. Dublin City Libraries are free,fun and easy to use. Find out more.       

Our featured online resource this week is Freegal ,a free music service which offers access to about 15 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists, and over 40,000 music videos.The Freegal Music website has thousands of artists, tens of thousands of albums, and millions of songs.In total the collection is comprised of music from over 40,000 labels with music that originates in over 100 countries. There is no software to download, and there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. Dublin City Public Library users have unlimited streaming and can download 5 songs per week. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Go to https://dcpl.freegalmusic.com/ or download the free App from Google Play or the Apple Store  

Bhain slua maith taitneamh as seo ó Ghuthanna Binne Síoraí (Everlasting Voices) ar Lá Filíochta na hÉireann, Déardaoin, 26 d’Aibreáin i mBliain na Gaeilge, 2018. Bhí filíocht ó WB Yeats curtha i láthair i mbéarla agus Gaeilge ag Cathal Quinn, Acadamh Lir agus seinnteoir, Enda Reilly. D’aistrigh Gabriel Rosenstock na dánta ó bhéarla go Gaeilge.We celebrated Poetry Day Ireland, 26 April and Bliain na Gaeilge with a great event, "I Hear It in the Deep Heart’s Core" with Guthanna Binne Síoraí at Dublin City Library and Archive.

The Orchestra of St Cecilia Collection includes concert programmes, posters, flyers, correspondence, programme notes, recordings, soloists and conductor’ biographies and administrative documents. Access to the collection provides unparalleled insight into the processes involved in professional orchestra and event management from the turn of the twenty-first century through recession times in Dublin. Find out more and view some items from the Orchestra of St Cecilia Collection...Dublin City Library and Archive.

David Bowie was The Future. His first solo album 'Space Oddity' was released at the peak of The Space Race between the US and the USSR in 1969. It portrays the plight of an astronaut alienated from his planet and family. This could have been influenced by the Kubrick film '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

Mary Louise O’Donnell gave a talk and recital titled "Ireland's Harp: shaping a nation's identity" in the Central Library, Ilac Centre on 12 March.

The Lockout 1913 inspired many poems, ballads, songs and rhymes. Many of which were published in The Irish Worker. These poems and ballads provide a vivid portrait of the conditions faced by Dubliners during the Lockout, the battle between the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union and the Dublin Employers’ Federation and the key personalities of the time.As part of the City Hall Springtime Lectures Francis Devine and Fergus Russell performed ballads and songs of the 1913 Lockout. Songs include 'Freedom's Pioneers' by James Connolly and 'The Red Hand Badge' by AP Wilson.Right: Image from A Capital in Conflict, Dublin City and the 1913 Lockout. Copyright: Dublin City Library & ArchiveFrancis Devine's accompanying historical commentary gives the background of the Lockout and the songs featured here. He discusses The Irish Worker newspaper, women and the Lockout, Bloody Sunday, victims of the Lockout and figures such as Jim Larkin, William Marting Murphy, Divisional Magistrate E.G. Swifte (aka "forty bob") and Rosie Hackett after whom the newest bridge over the River Liffey was recently named.Listen to songs and poems of the 1913 Lockout with historical commentary by Francis Devine.Read the transcript.Recorded by Dublin Community Television on Tuesday 2nd April 2013 as part of the Spring series of City Hall lectures. The City Hall Lectures are organised by Dublin City Archives.Further ResourcesDublin Commemorations 1913-1916 Sources available at Dublin City Archives.The Reading Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street holds a wealth of material on the history of Dublin, including books, pamphlets, journals, street directories, and almanacs.Browse books on the 1913 Lockout in the Library Catalogue. Dictionary of Irish Biography: Over 9,000 signed biographical articles. Includes many figures from 1913 Lockout mentioned in this talk such as James Larkin, William Martin Murphy, James Connolly, Delia Larkin, Countess Markievicz, Helena Moloney, WP Partridge.The following online resources can be accessed free of charge at your local library (access links via our NetVibes portal). Ask library staff for information and assistance.Dictionary of Irish Biography: A comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary for IrelandIrish Times Digital Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Times from the mid-nineteenth century until the present.Irish Newspaper Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Independent and a range of other newspapers.The Ireland-JSTOR Collection: This online archive of academic articles can also be accessed free of charge at your local library.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, American folksinger and songwriter. He wrote more than 1000 songs, which were all influenced by his travels, and dealt with such themes as the hardship of the Depression, the "Dust Bowl" drought and the Unions. He is best known for the song "This land is Your Land" and "So long it's been good to know ya". Many of the songs he wrote during his illness were lost as they were not recorded.In 1940, Alan Lomax began recording Guthrie's songs for the American Library of Congress. Around this time, he also met Pete Seeger in New York where Guthrie also performed with other activists, such as Lead Belly. During the 1950s and 1960s he became famous as a folk hero, influencing the younger generation of protest singers, such as, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg and others.He was born on July 14, 1912, and raised in the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma. His father was a businessman and was also involved in local politics. His early life was beset by many tragedies including the death of his sister in a fire which destroyed the family home. His father was financially ruined. His mother suffered from poor health, although, it was not known at the time that she was struggling with the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease for which she was later institutionalised and died.He received little formal education and taught himself to play the guitar.  Both his parents were musically inclined and taught Woody a wide range of folk songs. During the 1930s he lived a very nomadic lifestyle, singing and performing his songs on the streets from place to place to eke out an existence. He travelled with migrant workers to California singing and busking along the way. Many of his songs are about his experiences in the Dust Bowl era during Depression times. Guthrie became a successful radio personality in Los Angeles, and began performing at protest meetings and picket lines. Guthrie was married three times and fathered eight children. He died 3rd October 1967 from complications of Huntington's disease which he had inherited from his mother.To celebrate Woody Guthrie Centenary, Billy Bragg and Andy Irvine will be staging a show at Vicar Street, 17th September which will focus on the legacy of Woody Guthrie.The Music Library has many of Woody Guthrie's CDs, Scores and books among its collectionSome Folk (Woody Guthrie)Dust Bowl Ballads (Woody Guthrie)Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)Struggle (Woody Guthrie)The History of American Folk (featuring Woody Guthrie)Bound for Glory (Woody Guthrie)