Tradition with a Twist

Morning Star brings a mix of traditional and original Irish music to Bucks County Community College Oct. 12.

By: Amy Brummer

In addition to traditional songs, Morning Star also performs works that deal with the Irish immigrant experience in America.

   The soundtrack of American history is peppered with the rhythms and harmonies of countless world cultures. Many share common elements, such as drums, strings and voice, which has led to the hybridization of many sounds and styles, creating a new expression, distinct to its new home. Often there also is a desire to keep the music pure, to retain a bridge to a history and culture left behind.
   Morning Star — an Irish music band appearing at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pa., Oct. 12 — walks a line between the two, delivering a mix of traditional and original Irish music. The performers give life to the age-old songs of their homeland, as well as incorporating the songs of Irish-American culture.
   The band formed in 1982, when vocalist Mary Courtney had the opportunity to perform with a band at the Village Pub in Bronx, N.Y. After leaving Ireland, she intended to settle in Chicago, where she had family. But Ms. Courtney gelled with the women in the group, Margie Mulvahill on tin whistle and flute, and fiddler Carmel Johnston. They took the name Morning Star from a reel in O’neil’s Book of Music, a comprehensive publication of Irish music compiled by Captain Francis O’neil.
   For more than a decade, the band was one of the few all-woman Irish trios on the Eastern seaboard, gaining the acclaim of audiences in Ireland and the United States.
   Critic Terry George of the Irish Voice praised their Village Pub performances in a January 1990 review, calling them "one of those great moments of discovery of new talent, (with) inspired tin whistle and wonderful rapport with a tough audience." Ms. Courtney is grateful for the attention they have received. "It’s a very tough business," she says, "a lot of competition, but it’s such a great country, the work is here, the people are wonderful."
   Of course, their success was something she could not have foreseen. Her parents owned a local dance hall and encouraged their 11 children to participate in the song and dance that infused their lives. "We are bringing that across because people have a love for the music and the songs and we are keeping that tradition alive," Ms. Courtney says.
   In the mid-’90s, with the departure of Ms. Johnston, the group assumed its current lineup, adding John Reynolds, who plays fiddle, mandolin and viola, and accordion player John Nolan. Together, the group has brought its sound to venues across the country, in addition to earning film credits for Frank McCourt’s The Irish…and How They Got That Way, Tim Hunter’s The Saint of Fort Washington, and stage work in Grandchild of Kings at Irish Repertory Theatre in Manhattan. The musicians use their award-winning talents to animate a lively reel or complement Ms. Courtney’s soulful ballads.
   In addition to traditional songs, they also include works that deal with the Irish immigrant experience in America. One of Ms. Courtney’s favorite tunes, "The Ghost of the Molly Maguires," tells the story of Irish-American coal miners in Pennsylvania, whose struggles to become unionized resulted in oppression and tragedy.
   With members of the band ranging from third generation to first generation Americans, Ms. Courtney recognizes the band could never be perceived as a purely traditional Irish band. This is especially true of her vocal contribution, bringing her unique treatment to the lyrics. "For me, with songs now, I’m inclined to take songs and interpret them the way I hear it," she says. "I will be accused many times of not singing it the way it should be sung, but I’m fine with that."
   At the same time, John Nolan, a Bronx native, was the first American ever to win the senior all-Ireland championship on button accordion. In his solo work, Mr. Nolan stays close to traditional sounds, recently praised as a master of the genre for his recently released album, A Rake of Reels.
   The band’s Newtown performance will benefit CCC Celt, a non-profit group that maintains the Celtic Special Collection at the BCCC Library. Founded in 1989, the organization is an association of Celtic societies dedicated to the preservation and promotion of their heritage through education, literature and theater. The group amassed a collection of more than 2,000 books, 100 videos and 250 CDs in an effort to raise awareness about Celtic culture. Through donations and fund-raising efforts, the group supplies these materials to local schools.
   Morning Star comes to Bucks County through the efforts of CCC
Celt founder Tom Slattery. It is familiar ground for Ms. Courtney, who once resided
in Lambertville and met Mr. Slattery while performing at Tir na nÓg in
Trenton.
   "Morning Star is one of my favorite bands," he says. "They are simply outstanding musicians, and Mary has a great voice."
Morning Star performs at the Bucks County Community College Library Auditorium, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, Pa.,
Oct. 12, 7 p.m. Tickets cost $17; $13 seniors, students and children under age 12. A post-concert reception takes
place in the Gallagher Room. For information, call (215) 968-8087. On the Web: www.bucks.edu