Doireann Ní Ghlacáin is a Dubliner through and through, but she might not be typical of what you would associate with the capital.

“Brought up on the northside of Dublin, you can imagine what we were like going around the place; fiddles being played constantly in the house and speaking Irish to each other in the middle of Clontarf. It wasn’t exactly the regular thing you expect from that area,” she smiles.

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By way of explanation, Doireann’s family, the Glackins, are renowned fiddle players. Her grandfather Tom Glackin moved to Dublin from Donegal in the 1960s and was a notable fiddle player.

Her uncle Paddy Glackin is a leading traditional musician and her father Kevin and uncle Seamus are well-known fiddle players also. To this day, Doireann says they would still be very connected to a Donegal style of playing.

On her mother’s side, her grandfather was Seán Ó Riada, an influential traditional music composer. He founded Ceoltóirí Chualann, which included many founding members of The Chieftains.

Her mother, Sorcha Ní Riada is political correspondent for RTÉ Nuacht and TG4. She is from the Gaeltacht village of Coolea in west Cork and brought her children up as native Irish speakers in Dublin. Even now, Doireann says it would be rare for her to have a conversation with her mother in English.

Sorcha also instilled in her children a love of sean-nós singing. Casually, Doireann mentions she has won a few Oireachtas na Samhna (the largest Irish language festival) medals for sean-nós singing. At present Doireann is finishing a PhD as Gaelige on the tradition of sean-nós. Outside of studying, Doireann is an Irish language television presenter, but more about that later!

Culturally clued-in

On growing up with such strong Irish cultural links, Doireann says she was immersed in traditional music and Irish, and that was what she knew. She went to a gaelscoil in Stillorgan, an affluent rugby area of Dublin, but they were almost like a little pocket Gaeltacht there.

“There was a massive emphasis put on language and culture in our school. They had unreal hurling and football teams. When I was in school it was very normal for people to be into trad music. I suppose, when I met people from outside that circle they were probably a bit like, ‘Who’s your one?’

Traditional music has a prominent place in Doireann’s family.

“I remember when I started school Miley Cyrus was really big and I hadn’t a notion who she was. We’ve never been into popular culture, even now. The environment I was in, it wasn’t ever that big a deal.”

At the age of three, Doireann got her first fiddle, the day her sister was born. She jokes, there was never a question of playing another instrument. “I remember coming home and asking could I play concertina. I was told in no uncertain terms there would be nothing played in our house, only the fiddle.

“I never really attended formal classes, I was taught at home. I would be playing away doing my bit of practice and my dad would come in then and he might teach me a new tune or show me how I could improve.

“Even with my uncles down at my grandmother’s house it would be: take out the fiddle, play a tune and see how you’re getting on. Everyone was invested and giving advice on how to improve, so it was probably a very unique experience.”

From the age of 13, Doireann was attending sessions with her father around Dublin and her social life very quickly became wrapped up in trad music. Now she is living in Ennis, Co Clare with her boyfriend, a farmer from Corofin, who is also a trad musician.

Keeping it contemporary

When asked if traditional music is still popular among young people, Doireann’s answer is unequivocally, yes.

“People are into living a more sustainable life and grounding themselves a bit more; it’s definitely becoming cooler in that sense. I see girls now who I know never had any interest in trad, they would be posting up videos of folky-trad bands that have come into mainstream. It’s great to see.”

Doireann also says young musicians are bringing a contemporary element to trad music. She says thankfully young trad musicians are speaking up for themselves, referencing the Mise Fosta movement, which exposes sexual abuse and harassment in the traditional Irish music scene. An investigation in to the topic aired on Prime Time in recent weeks.

“I’m 26, so I’m not that old, but I’m seeing these young ones coming up and they’re unreal. They’re 19 or 20 [years old], they’re well able to speak up for themselves. They’re really bringing a new wave of modernism to traditional music. Not in their playing, but in their approach,” explains Doireann.

“It’s great that young people are able to speak out and they’re bringing a new wave of vibrancy and relevancy; they’re bringing traditional music in to 2020 just with their attitude. And I’m not even talking about the music in that sense.”

As for the future of the Irish language among the next generation, we agree it’s a complicated question!

Careers collide

As a career, Doireann didn’t want to pursue music professionally. She always saw it as an enjoyable hobby. She did an Irish degree in Dublin City University (DCU), where she is currently completing her PhD.

In terms of a job, Doireann wanted to work in the media, and does. In her early 20s she was actually playing traditional music on TG4 shows, when she was asked would she like to try her hand at presenting. “Thankfully, I’ve been flat out ever since,” she laughs.

It’s no surprise, given her love of trad music and Gaeilge, that this is Doireann’s third year as a presenter on TG4’s Fleadh TV, a show normally broadcast live from the Fleadh.

The fiddle is the most important instrument to the Glacáins.

This year Fleadh 2020, an initiative by TG4 and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, aired for four nights last week in lieu of the Fleadh. There were two music stages, one with a socially distanced audience. It’s still available to watch on www.tg4.ie.

Normally, with the vast amount of people around, the show is busy and vibrant, but naturally this year with the event in Mullingar cancelled, it was a little different.

“It was very reflective,” feels Doireann. “The first Fleadh was in Mullingar in 1951. It’s the first time we’ve had a chance to get back to Mullingar and have a look at 70 years’ worth of the Fleadh; what it means to so many different people.”

In March of this year Doireann started her own podcast, The Mise Éire Podcast, which has had some pretty interesting guests; Gerry Adams, Demi Isaac Oviawe, Louise O’Neill and Roddy Doyle to name a few. At this point of the article, it will come as no surprise to you the reader, that the show deals with what it is to be Irish and the different ways people perceive their Irish-ness.

From language to music, media and academia, Irish is infused in almost every aspect of Doireann’s world.

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