Interactive Music Archive 2021

Utilising the music from our existing archive and combing this with additional new compositions from Inishowen composers, Paul Harrigan on behalf of ITMP has worked with Andy Linton from Wellington Faculty of Engineering, New Zealand, to develop this Interactive Music Archive.

Andy Linton is a computer engineer and lecturer, and a pioneer in deployment. He is one of fourteen globally trusted community representatives tasked with keeping the internet secure.

Andy is also a keen musician and came to Letterkenny to attend Ceol na Coille Summer School of Traditional Music. Through his admiration of the work of Ceol Na Coille and ITMP he offered to assist us in our ongoing work. Andy has acted as an advisor to this project and shared his knowledge on how to develop a software solution to make the ITMP archive more interactive.

The result has been the development of a new user interface, providing the opportunity for students to read notation, listen to audio recordings and interact with the tunes and the recordings in the archive. Students can use the embedded online tools, to loop sections of the music, or slow the music down to assist with learning.

The traditional mode of transmission of our music is normally person to person, however with the pandemic this has been interrupted and this project assists with access to the music and the development of tools for learning. With the difficulties in providing one to one tuition during the restrictions imposed, as a result of the pandemic, this resource will be a huge asset for music teachers and students alike.

This is an invaluable asset for students of music, academics, and researchers, and to anyone interested in the valuable cultural heritage of Inishowen.

This project was funded by the Development Initiative Fund, Donegal County Council