01/03/2023
• Fleadh Cheoil Dhoire Logo •
The original artwork was used for an album cover that I designed, for a project Da was working on with Aoibheann Devlin. The provisional sketches were handed to me the very day Da was diagnosed with having a brain tumour. He came straight over to my house with the originals, directly from the hospital, after been given that shocking news, so the artwork here will always evoke some bitter-sweet feelings for me.
Bitter in the terrible news that day, and sweet how he fought and overcame.
It was decided that it would be used in the back cover of the album "The Ancient Music of Ireland" - From the Collections of Edward Bunting, 1773-1843, and the recurring theme throughout the sleeve notes of the entire album.
The logo encapsulates the 2 mountains in the heart of Ó Cathain's Country; Benbradagh and Binevenagh and the water represents / is symbolic of the River Roe, as well as the Foyle and the Bann, the 3 rivers which are represented in the Ó Catháin family crest of 3 salmon, signifying the Ó Catháin’s fishing rights and the expanse of Ó Catháin’s Country.
The colours used are just how I picture it my mind’s eye and hopefully do justice to and reflect the majestic beauty of our area, with such a rich and long-standing musical tradition and history, from the famous harpers and composers; Ruadhrai Dall Ó Catháin, Eaclain Ó Catháin, Brighid Ní Chatháin who taught Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh (Denis Hempson) the harper, who played the famed wire-strung Downhill Harp and played at the historic gathering of “the last of the Irish harpers“ in the Assembly Rooms, Waring Street, Belfast on the 11th, 12th and 13th of July 1792.
The style of the logo (font selection etc.) is very much in keeping with great “Éigse Benbradagh” festivals (which were a blueprint for how the most successful Irish traditional music festivals today are run; “music firstly for the musicians”) and previous County Derry Fleadhs, that my father would organise in Dungiven, and in a way, I hope the continuation of this style, keeps that tradition alive.
- Murrough O'Kane
Facebook and Instagram pages with the logo are now live at:
https://instagram.com/fleadhcheoildhoiredungeimhin
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090819394535
