Dancer Edwina Guckian hails from Co. Leitrim, and is deeply influenced by the local music and traditions she grew up with. She is the artistic director of the Leitrim Dance Project, and in April 2022 she was awarded Gradam Comaoine TG4 for her outstanding contribution to culture.
In 2023, she was selected for the Markievicz Award by the Arts Council and the Department of An Taoiseach, and in February 2024, Edwina launched her first children's book, Sparks from the Flagstones - a treasury of Irish folk traditions and calendar customs.
On St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) at the National Concert Hall, Edwina invites audiences to step back into 1930s Ireland as she and The Gralton Big Band bring to life the music, song, dance, and stories of a nation caught between tradition and temptation... She talks to Miriam O'Callaghan below:
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We asked Edwina for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Jimmy’s Hall, directed by Ken Loach.It tells the story of Jimmy Gralton, who set up a dance hall in Leitrim in the 1930s.
MUSIC
Cathy Jordan’s The Crankie Island Project features a beautiful album accompanied by YouTube videos for every song. Each video showcases a crankie box created by a commissioned artist, visually telling the story behind the music. Cathy also performs the project as a live show with her band. My children love it just as much as I do.
BOOK
These days I’m mostly reading children’s books. We have incredible Irish authors and illustrators for young readers. Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat, is a huge hit in our house, as is Milo and the Mountain by Jamie Carroll. We also love Paddy Donnelly’s books - his latest, The Upside Down Lighthouse, has just been published.
THEATRE
Mikel Murfi’s The Man in the Woman’s Shoes is one of my favourites. He’s touring with it again at the moment. I highly recommend seeing it and falling into cobbler Pat Farnon’s world. Catch it at The Mermaid, Bray on March 19, and on May 9 in Mohill, Co. Leitrim.
TV
Cartlann Christy Moore by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh at the Irish Traditional Music Archive. It premiered on TG4 on New Year’s Eve just gone.
GIG
The Gralton Big Band play the National Concert Hall on St. Patrick’s Day.This night celebrates dance, Jimmy Gralton, and the controversial 1935 Public Dance Hall Act, which made it illegal to dance without a licence.
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ART
The folk art of Hannah Ferguson. Working with ceramics and textiles, she brings a sense of place and storytelling into each piece.
TECH
ITMA.ie, the Irish Traditional Music Archive on Merrion Square, is the national public archive for Irish traditional music, song, and dance. The team has recently updated the website, making it easy to access thousands of recordings from Ireland’s national and local treasures. Visit once and you’ll find yourself returning again and again.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I hope it’s Lindy Hop making its way into dance communities across Ireland.
Edwina Guckian and The Gralton Big Band perform on March 17 at the National Concert Hall, Dublin - find out more here
