Mickey Bones Interview

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Mickey Bones Interview

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Details

Location

Hilltown

Year

2022

Date

Length

03min 30sec

Audio

sound

Format

Digital

colour

Source

Elspeth Vischer

Courtesy

Elspeth Vischer, Shared History Project, Hilltown, Rathfriland, Slack Press, Newry

Rights Holder

It is illegal to download, copy, print or otherwise utilise in any other form this material, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Description

Like many great stories, Mickey “Bones” Tumilty’s story as a musician begins in a bar. A butcher friend told him he had some left over bones and Mickey wanted to fashion them into a musical instrument. 

He became a member of the Windy Gap Folk Group and travelled across the United States, with a crowning performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Mickey shares his memories and reflections in a short, but poignant interview. 

The bones are a traditional folk instrument with a long history across many cultures. Ireland has a method unique to the island. While other cultures typically see bones players using both hands, Irish players use one hand which allows a more variable sound and rhythm. Mickey Bones demonstrates the Irish method several times throughout this interview. 

Credits

Interview carried out for Shared History Project, a community relations project carried out to connect the residents of Hilltown, Castlewellan and Rathfriland
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