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Book Launch – ‘111 Original Irish Music Compositions’ Josephine Marsh
Book Launch –
‘111 Original Irish Music Compositions’ Josephine Marsh
Date & Time: 3.30pm, Saturday 9th November 2024
Venue: Lucas Bar, 74 Parnell St, Clonroad Beg, Ennis, Co. Clare, V95 X754
In this, her first publication of 111 Original Irish Music Compositions Josephine Marsh is delighted to present a collection which includes reels, jigs, slip jigs, hornpipes, polkas, waltzes, planxties, barndances and slow pieces. Many of her tunes have made their way into the traditional canon and have been recorded by various musicians including, Michael McGoldrick and John McSherry, Cherish the Ladies, The London Lassies, The Yanks and Michelle Mulcahy. In 2020 Josephine was honoured with the TG4 Gradam Ceoil award for Composer of the Year.
‘This collection reveals and gives insight into an artist who possesses a unique musical voice.’
Dr. Michelle Mulcahy
‘This collection is to be treasured, a wonderful testament to her immense musical talent’.
Kevin Burke
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Josephine Marsh is an accordion player/multi-instrumentalist and award-winning composer. Josephine comes from a musical east Clare/Co Meath family and began to play the accordion at the age of seven and cites her father Paddy as her earliest musical influence. From a very young age she began to perform on radio and television and recorded her first album with Cyril O’ Donoghue at the age of twenty. Since then she has gone on to record three more albums:
‘Josephine Marsh’, ‘I Can Hear You Smiling’, with her band (The Josephine Marsh Band) and her latest release in 2018 – ‘Music in the Frame’.
In 2020 she was honoured with the prestigious Gradam Ceoil Award for composer of the year at The Waterfront Theatre in Belfast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oap0WKRj6U
Josephine has compiled a book of 111 Original Irish Music Compositions which was launched on 7th July this year at Scoil Samhradh Willie Clancy in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare.
Josephine has been commissioned to compose music over the years for RTE Irish radio and ITMA (‘Into a Brighter Day’ – hornpipe, 2020), TG4 (‘A Naomh Brid’ – Planxty’ for Ceol O’ Kylemore, Ceiluradh na mBan 2021) Ceol ó Kylemore – Ceiliúradh na mBan | TG4 (youtube.com) and for Music Network composing ‘The Coffee House’ and ‘Spideog’ Josephine Marsh “The Coffee House” and “An Spideóg” (youtube.com) which she performed with her band at the aforementioned Gradam Ceoil Awards. In 2003 she was the Musician in Residence in Mountshannon, Co Clare and composed the score for the production ‘The Music of Ghosts’ which was written by PJ Curtis. This was subsequently recorded and aired by Lyric Fm.
Other collaborations over the years have included performances with musicians from Quebec, Britany, Wales and Scotland. Josephine’s music has featured on many albums over the years with artists such as: Mick Hanly, Niamh Parsons, Sean Tyrrell, Gerry Lynch, Sean Garvey and Tim Flannery to name but a few.
Josephine has been a resident accordion teacher at the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy in Miltown Malbay for over 30 years and encourages children to compose a tune each year as part of their learning for the week.
In the past 2 years, Josephine has collaborated with fiddler, Kevin Burke to play on his series for online TV ‘Music from an Irish cottage’ and also on the Wild Atlantic Tours series of concerts, the weblinks for the series is provided on weblinks page. Kevin Burke » Music from an Irish Cottage
In 2023 Josephine travelled to St John’s in Newfoundland to perform and teach at the Seamus Craig Festival with Tara Breen and Nell Ni Cronin.
Some other radio and tv performances over the years have included: BBC world service, Sult with Donal Lunny, Nationwide, Síbín, A Prairie Home Companion for Garrision Keillor, The Pat Kenny Show, Floisc and in recent years – PORT for TnaG and BBC Alba with Mick Kinsella on harmonica, Céird an Cheoil’ for TnaG, ‘The Full Set.’ BBC Two – Ceird An Cheoil, The Harmonica, Ceird An Cheoil – The Harmonica
In 2016 Josephine was part of the Bean an Cheoil series which highlighted women in Irish music today.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC included ‘The Shepherd’, a track from the Josephine’s second album in a film based on the Great Famine in Ireland, narrated by Gabriel Byrne. This film also included music from The Chieftains and Zan McCloud.
Josephine’s compositions have been recorded many times by musicians such as Cherish the Ladies, Mick McGoldrick, The London Lassies, Michelle Mulcahey, The Yanks and many more over the years. The reel ‘Phyllis Birthday’ along with many others in her collection have been embraced by traditional musicians all around the world and are now part of the music canon today. Josephine has travelled extensively over the years both as a performer and music teacher. Her travels have taken her to Australia, Europe and America. Over the years she has collaborated with many artists such as Dublin’s own Niamh Parsons, performing on St Patrick’s day 1999 on Capitol Hill.
She has been a guest on many albums since then, some of which included including THE DIMMING OF THE DAY – (1998) Gerry Lynch (vocals) THE ORCHARD – (1998) Sean Tyrrell (vocals) , PIECES OF THE PAST – (1999) Tim Flannery (vocals) – Featuring: Jackson Browne and Bruce Hornsby, WOODEN HORSES – (2000) Mick Hanly on his solo album (2000), BLACKBIRDS AND THRUSHES – (1999) Niamh Parsons, IN MY PRIME – (2000) Niamh Parsons. She has also recorded with Nepalese musicians Hiralal and Ramji Gaine playing both Irish and traditional music from Nepal (Gandharba and the Roadside All Stars). Josephine’s music has/is featured on a regular basis on local, national, and international radio stations such as Clare FM, RTÉ One/RTÉ Two, BBC World Service with a live performance on New Years day 2001. Airplay has also included live interviews on Sydney radio; Australia, Breton Radio, France, the Kathleen Biggins celtic radio show in New York, live on ‘Folkscene’ KPFK radio – Los Angeles, and in February 2000 recorded for the Garrison Keillor programme, ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ recorded live at the University Concert Hall, Limerick and RTE’s ‘Rattlebag.’