New book gives insight into place of music magic

One of the most influential musical families in Galway have congratulated the author of a book about their home village.

The publication by author Mary J Murphy is simply entitled Caherlistrane and it is where the famous Keane family were born and reared.

Singers Sean, Matt and Dolores among others all feature prominently in the book, but pride of place is for their aunts Rita and Sarah who were the inspiration for many traditional and folk singers over the decades.

Sean Keane has says he is greatly impressed by Murphy’s efforts, which created a great insight into the parish in which he grew up.

The accompanying photograph was taken in Carragh, Caherlistrane, where Sean’s aunts, Rita and Sarah, lived and were musical magnets for singers from all over the world for decades.

At the launch of the book recently local poet, playwright and PP, Fr Pat O’Brien – who was a close friend of both Rita and Sarah and of legendary poet Seamus Heaney – spoke of how he used the words of Heaney to “sing yourself back to where the music comes from” at Rita’s funeral in 2009.

“The chapters in Mary J Murphy’s book that deal with the Keanes succeed utterly in doing that,” said Fr Pat.

“They have brought us back to the place where the singing comes from. It happens to be Caherlistrane, for which we must all be eternally grateful.

“One of the many many beautiful things about Mary J’s book is that it’s deeply worthy of the musical history of this place,” he said.