Micho has inspired many a song, story, tune, even a play. But of course, Micho’s legacy is the magic of his unique style of Irish music. He was farmer from Doolin who played a huge part in during the 1960′s folk music revival here, and then went on to become an international performer when he was a man in his 70s.

His vast repertoire of beautiful old tunes, personal warmth and utterly unique approach to playing the tin whistle won him a loyal and enthusiastic following wherever he went.

A Musical Family

Micho was born 1915 in Doonagore, Doolin, County Clare. His homestead is in a rugged, windswept area only a few miles north of the Cliffs of Moher and looks straight across to the Aran Islands. Both his parents were native Irish speakers but spoke English to their children. They were farmers who grew their own potatoes, kept a few animals and cut turf for winter warmth.

His was a musical household, his mother played the concertina and his father was a sean-nós singer. Micho had two sisters Bridie and Mary Kate and his two brothers, Pakie and Gussie, were also musicians.

Micho, Packie and Gussie Russell

House Dances

At the time, people would gather in designated houses like the Russells for a night of storytelling, singing and dancing. The youngsters would be listening, gradually becoming absorbed in the culture.

Later Micho (tin whistle/flute), Pakie (concertina) and Gussie (flute) would provide the music at these house dances, until the music eventually moved from the houses to the pubs in Doolin such as O’Connors.

Micho was as at home on stage as he was in front of his own turf fire. He became famous for his spoken introductions to tunes, bringing the notes to life with tales of local folklore and legend. His knowledge of tradition extended past music to language, stories, dance, herbal lore and old country cures.

He was quoted once: “You’d get this gift from hardship and hard work and getting wet and cold weather. And lonesome lives. You’d learn the sad way, people living alone and maybe your relations to die. All that comes from that source … ‘It comes down out of the heavens in showers’. The gift of music.”

A Star is Born

In the mid 1960s, Micho was persuaded to do go to Dublin to do a ‘gig’ in Slattery’s, Capel Street, Dublin – Pakie and Gus were just not interested in leaving the homestead. The uniqueness and simplicity of the man and his music astounded his audience and more and more engagements followed. Apart from his music, his listeners were enthralled by his folklore, intros to his pieces and singing of local songs. He did radio and TV broadcasts and became Ireland’s ambassador as he was invited all over Europe and USA.

Micho was a patient and conscientious music teacher and he was a favourite at the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay. In later years, his life-long interest in recording background to tunes and folklore came to fruition in several publications.

Micho died tragically in a car accident on February 19th, 1994.

In 1995, the annual Russell Memorial Weekend was established in Doolin to celebrate the music of the Russell brothers, Micho, Packie and Gussie, who many credit as the founders of Doolin’s famous Irish Traditional Music revivial.

St Brigid's Cross

February 1 is the feast day of Ireland’s much loved female patron saint, Saint Brigid. The day is still traditionally celebrated by making a Saint Brigid’s Cross, weaving rushes together. This cross is believed to protect your home in the year ahead.

Brigid, also known as Mary of the Gaels, was a hard-working woman of strong faith reknown for her care for the poor.

Ireland is full of holy wells dedicated to her – one of the most famous is at Liscannor, Co Clare close to the Cliffs of Moher. Open-air mass is celebrated here each year on her feast day, and she holds a special place in the hearts of North Clare people.  In times gone by, the Aran Islanders would come to Doolin in currachs and make the journey to St Brigid’s Well for this mass.

St Patrick’s Disciple

Brigid was born near Dundalk, Co Louth in the year 453. The 5th century was a time of major transition in Ireland.  Her father was a pagan Gaelic chieftain named Dubtach (Duffy) and her mother was a Christian slave called Brocessa, who was sold soon after Brigid’s birth. Brigid was baptized by Saint Patrick and they became friends. Her father did support her as a child, but when she grew up she became a servant in his household.

It was obvious from early on that young Brigid had a calling to care for the poor. Dubthach tried to arrange a marriage for his daughter, but she wasnt interested and decided to dedicate her life to God. Together with seven other women she formed the first ever female monastic community in Ireland in the year 468 at the ripe old age of 15.

Miracle Worker

Brigid had an extraordinary concern and compassion for the poor people of her time and has been attributed with many miracles. There are stories of how she multiplied her meagre supply of butter for the poor, and changed her bath-water into beer when thirsty clerics arrived unannounced.

The Miracle of St Brigid’s Cloak

Brigid founded her School of Art and a Monastery for men and women at Cill Dara, where the modern town of Kildare now stands. The story goes that she asked the King of Leinster for land to build a convent. Brigid told him she had found the perfect place, fertile land beside a forest and near a lake. The king laughed at her and refused but Brigid smiled asked “will you give me as much land as my cloak will cover?”

He agreed as Brigid’s cloak was so small he knew that it would only cover a very small piece of land. Brigid spread her cloak on the ground and asked her four friends to hold a corner and walk in opposite directions – north, south, east and west.

The cloak grew immediately and began to cover many acres of land. The astonished king realized that Brigid had been blessed by God and fell to the ground, kneeling before her. He promised her and her friends money, food and supplies. Soon afterwards, the king became a Christian and also started to help the poor.

The Story of St Brigid’s Cross

A pagan chieftain lay was dying and Brigid was with him trying to convert him to Christianity. Brigid sat down at his bedside and began consoling him. As was customary, the dirt floor was strewn with rushes both for warmth and cleanliness. Brigid stooped down and started to weave them into a cross, fastening the points together. The sick man asked what she was doing. She began to explain the cross, and as she talked his delirium quieted and he questioned her with growing interest. Through her weaving, he converted and was baptized at the point of death. Since then the cross of rushes has been one of Ireland’s most treasured and enduring symbols of faith.

Christian or Celt?

When Ireland converted to Christianity, many pagan Irish gods were also “converted” so that it was easier for people to make the change. Sites of pagan worship or superstition became associated with Christian worship.

For example, St Brigid’s Well in Liscannor was already a sacred place pre-Christianity.  St Brigid’s feast day, falls on 1 February, which is also the date of Imbolg, the pagan festival of spring.

There are ancient Irish legends about “Brigit” who was the mother of the gods themselves, the Tuatha de Danann. Brigit reigned over the light part of the year, she was the fire goddess of new beginnings, birth and healing,  represented by the lamb in the spring.

So it looks like “Brigit” became Brigid..

The footage was filmed in September 2007 when a film crew were based at the Cliffs of Moher for almost a week. Our boat, the Jack B, was used by the location crew during production. So we like to claim we were in the movie, even if it was on the other side of the camera..

The Cliffs were used as a dramatic backdrop for many other famous movies, tv programmes and music videos over the years.

Here’s a selection of our favourites:

The Princess Bride (1987)
The Moher cliffs doubled as the “Cliffs of Insanity” in the comedy hit. The stunt sequences were shot live at the Cliffs of Moher and staff here can recall the stuntman in The Princess Bride dangled from a safety harness over the 200 metre cliff edge.

Ryan’s Daughter  (1970)
The opening sequence  shows Sarah Miles losing her bonnet over the edge of the cliffs before moving down to the Dingle peninsula for the remainder of the movie.

The Mackintosh Man (1973)
In the Paul Newman movie, a thrilling car chase sequence through winding Burren roads ended in the pursuing Mercedes crashing over the cliff edge. With no computer generated wizardry, there was a live action setup, with only one chance to shoot the car careering backwards over the drop and crashing to the rocks below.

The Cliffs of Moher featured in the 1992 Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman movie Far And Away. Home-grown productions like Into the West and Hear My Song also included scenes filmed at the Cliffs of Moher as did several episodes of the immortal Father Ted comedy series and a Westlife music video for the hit single My Love.

The stories focuses on the Garrihy family and reveals how the creamery affected their lives through a series of touching and nostalgic stories from their youth up to present day.

This programme was aired in October and will be repeated at Christmas and then available as a Podcast, so keep a look out for updates!

The programme examines the rise, spread and eventual decline of small, local creameries in Ireland before their eventual disappearance in the late seventies.

The Creamery at the Crossroads also depicts what life was like in Ireland for a family who struggled through hard times, a changing landscape, emigration and the eventual disappearance of local creameries.
We’ll also hear how music and dancing in the culturally rich district of Doolin Cliffs of Moher and the Burren helped provide a much needed distraction for young and old alike, as thousands of families, like the Garrihys, strived to survive during one of the worst economic periods of Ireland’s modern history
Through the use of touching memories, evocative music and descriptive narration, The Creamery at the Crossroads recreates the powerful story of a close-knit community and the vital lifeline provided by the local creamery, during a period that, while long gone, had problems and issues similar to those that are affecting families throughout Ireland today
Marian Egan spoke with Brian Gallagher, Writer and Producer
The Creamery at the Crossroads will be broadcast on Clare FM this Bank holiday Monday at 6pm
Clare FM morning Focus Thur 27th Oct 2011

This will feature interviews with local chararcters from Doolin and the Aran Islands. We will be encouraging them to share their stories and we hope to will give you a flavour what it is like to live in this beautiful area.

Our first interview is with the one and only,
Paddy the Puffin.

Q: Tell us about yourself, Paddy
A: My name is Paddy and I am an Atlantic Puffin.  My family has been fishing at the Cliffs of Moher for generations – much like the Garrihys I suppose! Me and PJ have a lot in common

Q: Would you be classed as a local, a blow-in or a tourist?
A: Well, that’s a tricky one, I suppose in a way, I am all of the above.  I hatched here at the Cliffs of Moher – you know, I’ve heard the cliffs are Ireland’s largest seabird colony, and I’d well believe it (you try and get a decent burrow on Goat Island in the spring.)

Like all Puffins, I head away to sea at the end of the summer, and “blow” back in the spring.  And of course, with my new job as Doolin2Aran Ferries mascot I do a fair bit of travelling, so I suppose I get to be a tourist as well!

I keep meaning to get out to the three islands, Inis Mor, Inis Meain and Inis Oirr – take a bit of a holiday myself, see what the craic is over there.  Maybe I’ll go over when the Currach Races are on, I believe its only mighty.

Q: Tell us one of your favourite stories from the area
A: Last summer, my friends at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point, invited me along to a ceili during Willie Clancy Week. Sure the craic was only mighty as they say.  And I dont mind tellin ya, I cut a dash on the dance floor – might have ruffled a few feathers, so to speak! Have a look at the link on our Facebook page.

Q: Describe the Cliffs of Moher in 3 words
A: High, Mighty and Home!

A new pier at Doolin is critical in order to improve and protect the Health and Safety for all people using Doolin Pier as well as improving the experience and comfort for the thousands of tourists using the facility every year.

This Proposed pier has the potential to attract tens of thousands of additional tourists to County Clare every year.

Another central aspect for the proposed new pier is it will dramatically improve the access and landing facility for the essential emergency work carried out by the Irish Coastguards Doolin Coast and Cliff rescue team. The existing pier dries out at low tide and in the past this has prevented Doolin Coast guard from launching their rescue boats efficiently. The proposed new pier will free up the existing pier for their work as well as providing facilities for the increasing amount of leisure activities, etc., that use the facility during the summer months

Following many years of tireless campaigning Doolin Pier Development Committee and Clare Co Council secured a 6 million euro commitment from the Dept. of Environment for the construction of a new pier at Doolin. Clare County Council immediately put their project team in place and choose the best design from 6 proposed options. Clare Co Council has been working on a programme that should have seen work commencing on site with substantial completion by Dec 2011.

Surfers from Lahinch based West Coast Surf Club have at every opportunity blocked the progress of the proposed pier at Doolin. One of the surfers who has set up the petition to object to the pier Mr David Blount made the following statement to the Sunday Business Post published on 18th July 2010

“ ‘‘Surf tourism in the area of west Clare is huge business and it is the pubs, restaurants, B&Bs, hotels and associated businesses that really reap the benefit,” said Blount. ‘‘The national and international fallout from being publicly seen to destroy a wave of this quality would have a serious, negative effect on surfer tourism. “The surfers claim that moving the planned pier back towards the existing one by about 50 metres would resolve their issues. However, Blount said that the council had not responded to repeated requests from the surf groups for a meeting on the issue.””

Following meetings between Councillors and the surfers the Council took the surfers concerns on board and responded by moving the proposed pier eighty feet away from the wave and shortening it by fifty feet. Unfortunately this will result in substantial additional costs to the project because of additional dredging in order to maintain the safety for all users.

The Council believed this compromise would have allowed the project to proceed and the 32 Councillors who represent the entire County Clare voted unanimously in favour of the project. Clare County Council prepared the tender documentation and was ready to go to tender.

Still not happy the surfers cited the environment and stopped the project by lodging a request to An Board Pleanela to instruct the Council to carry out an EIS.This study will delay the project by at least another six months while also adding substantial consultants costs to the project.

All of this without one piece of definitive evidence that the Pier in its original location or its new compromised location will have any impact on the waves. In fact it is the strongly held view by many experienced mariners that the proposed new pier will have no impact on the waves

The surfers and the publicity surrounding their objection have also caused confusion in the public mind that the wave in question is the wave in the Allied Irish Bank TV advert. This is not the case as the AIB wave at Aill Na Searach is in fact almost 3 miles south of Doolin under the Cliffs Of Moher and nowhere near Doolin pier.

It is also known that the few members from West Coast Surf Club based in Lahinch that are stirring up objections to the proposed new pier location are not representative of the vast majority of its Co Clare members who are privately embarrassed by this campaign. In the Sunday Business Post published on 18th July 2010  Mr Blaunt stated ‘‘Surf tourism in the area of west Clare is huge business and it is the pubs, restaurants, B&Bs, hotels and associated businesses that really reap the benefit,” said Blount.

Pubs, restaurants, B&Bs,Hotels and associated businesses involved in tourism product in Doolin and the surrounding areas are well aware of the value of tourism and are equally aware of the category of guests and customers that visit the area.

Doolin does not form part of the Irish Surfing Clubs calendar of events. The simple reason for this is that the waves at Doolin are too irregular and unpredictable for such planned surfing events, as are other fantastic locations along the 3,500 miles of Irish coastline.

Below is the Irish Surfing Clubs Draft Calendar which outlines the location of the surfing events for 2011.

Irish Surfing Association

Draft Calendar of Events 2011

19/20 February, Irish Student Nationals, Portrush, Co Antrim 4 March, ISA Executive Meeting, Lahinch, Co

19/20 March, Tramore Junior & Senior Championships, Senior Tour Event 1/Junior Tour Event 2

26/27 March, Bundoran Senior Championships, Senior Tour Event 2

9/10 April, Portrush Senior Championships, Senior Tour Event 3

21/29 May, World Junior Surfing Championships, Peru

17/18 April, WCSC Kennys Open, Lahinch, Co Clare

11 June, ISA Executive Meeting, Dublin

4th/5 June, WCSC Cold Pro, Spanish Point, Co Clare

25/26 June, Junior Tour Event 3

18/19 June, Rossnowlagh Longboard Championships, Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal

30/31 July, Co Sligo Open, Senior Tour Event 4

20/21 August, Rossnowlagh Junior Championships, Junior Tour Event 4

2 Sept, ISA Executive Meeting, Bundoran, Co Donegal

3/4 Sept, Bundoran Board Riders Junior Club Championships, Bundoran, Co Donegal

10/11 September WCSC Longboard Contest

23 Sept/ 2 Oct, Eurosurf 2011, Bundoran, Co  Donegal

15/16 October, Rossnowlagh Intercounties

7 Dec, ISA Executive Meeting, Athlone

Surfers that have come and surfed at Doolin on occasions have enjoyed  and shared the natural beauty with the people of Doolin as have the many tourists that come to walk, swim, ski, climb, sing, dance, cave, fish, sightseeing or just to relax. They have all played their part in helping to sustain many businesses that employ local families and their children.

Surfing on rare occasions is part of the tapestry that makes Doolin a naturally unique and beautiful place to live and visit. The people of Doolin and north Clare would not want to be associated with any development that would impact negatively on its beautiful natural landscape or amenities.

Rural Ireland is crying out for investment and support in order to create employment for young people and their families. Emigration is once again stalking our rural towns and villages and tearing the hearth from our communities as it did to generations before. People who have never set foot in Ireland could not appreciate or understand the pain and suffering emigration has inflicted on families from Doolin and along the western seaboard.

In this project we have an opportunity to help in a considered and structured way by creating sustainable employment for many families. This 6 Million euro injection for Co Clare has been welcomed by all sides in a time of serious economic depression.

Please let common sense will prevail.

Eugene Garrihy

Doolin,

Co Clare.

The classical fisherman’s sweater is a bulky garment with prominent cable patterns on the chest, often cream-colored. It is both stylish and functional, designed to keep the fishermen warm and dry, allowing easy movement so he can get on with his work. This design works as well for fashion concious people who want to keep the Atlantic elements at bay!

The Aran Sweater gets its roots from the early Celts, who wove the coarse woollen blankets, crudely fashioned to provide warmth and shelter against the harsh elements. By the first century AD, heavy woollen garments with natural oils were knitted using primitive needles. Many Aran patterns can be found on ancient Celtic stones and crosses and also on their jewellery.

The intricate stitch patterns were there for a reason – to provide extra insulation from the cold winds. Also their tight stitching helps the water run off the sweater – it can absorb 30% of its weight in water before feeling wet. And it draws water vapour away from the body keeping the wearer warm and dry.

Every stitch signifies something special and unique, symbolising the fishermen’s daily lives.  Each family clan developed their own combinations of stitches and patterns. Sadly, all too often, drowned fishermen’s bodies were washed ashore and would be identified by the patterns of their family’s sweater. Here are three of the most popular stitches:

Diamond Stitch

The Cable Stitch represents a fisherman’s rope and is said to give the fisherman a more fruitful outing on the ocean.

The Zig Zag Stitch represents the lows and highs of a marriage and in parallel the winding cliff paths that you simply can see around the island.

The Diamond Stitch signifies the little fields on the Aran Island that were worked by the nearby fisherman. This stitch is utilized in hopes of good luck, achievement and wealth in the fields of the Aran Islands.

Over 100 years ago, knitting was seen to be commercially viable and the first organised knitting industry was established. From humble beginnings, the Aran Island Sweater Market on Inis Mor has grown into one of the most successful craft industries in the world.  It has contributed significantly to the economies of the three Aran Islands, Inis Mor, Inis Meain and Inis Oirr.

Along with the practical quality of Aran clothing the islanders always had a sense of style.
The Inis Meain Knitting Company has taken the traditional styles a luxurious step further, and their designs are a staple favourite of international fashion houses.

Each Aran sweater is a work of art, knitted by experts and carefully crafted to last a lifetime, a timeless reminder of an island and an art form quite like nothing else.

It was a fantastic win for the small school, the students and their teacher did a wonderful job of describing their Golden Mile on this, the smallest of the three Aran Islands, and the closest island to Doolin. 

The beautiful “Gairdín Draoíochta” in Baile Formna marks the start of the Golden Mile.  This “magical garden” is a place where the children of the island come to play and to grow their own vegetables, flowers, trees, berries and herbs.
The mile then continues to “Róidín na Síog” which leads to “Tobar Aoláin” a fresh water well which is now used by local farmers.

Further along the mile is the ancient burial site, “Cill na Seacht nIníon”. Inside the small rock fort is an altar and a cross inscribed stone. Along the Golden mile we pass fields such as “Garraí na Cille”, “An Smól” and on the other side of the road, “Buaille na gCloch”.

Halfway towards the south of Inis Oirr, we pass Creig na mBullan and Corr Sheain Míoch. Continuing on, we pass bóithrín (tiny road) Buaillte Dóibe, which leads us to the back of the lighthouse.

From here, we proceed past “Creagáin an Tobair” where there is another fresh water well called “Tobar Ligbhuí” which is also still used by farmers.

The mile finishes at the “Geata Mór” which is the entrance to “An Teach Solais“,  the lighthouse, which was built in 1857 and, at 34m, is the 3rd tallest in Ireland. This lighthouse was automated in 1978.

From the lighthouse you can see miles of coastline, both on the island and the mainland – Co Clare to the east and Co Galway to the north. On a very fine day you can see as far south as Kerry, where Mt Brandon looms on the Dingle peninsula.

All of the 22 students were involved in researching the archaeology, natural heritage and history of sites along the local roads of Inis Oirr’s Golden Mile.

Representing Inis Oirr: Mairead O'Reilly, Paddy Crowe and Muinteoir (teacher) Sinead Crowe