Ashling Murphy Scholarships awarded at Fleadh Cheoil
The talent and legacy of the late Offaly schoolteacher Ashling Murphy was recalled at a special ceremony at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford on Friday night last when three gifted musicians were awarded scholarships in her honour.
Fittingly, the awards were presented at the start of a concert by the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, of which 23-year old Ashing was a valued and much-loved member.
The awards were established by Comhaltas in 2022 to remember and recognise the legacy of Ashling Murphy, a newly-qualified primary school teacher, music teacher and performer who was murdered in broad daylight while she was exercising along the banks of the Grand Canal at Cappincur on January 12, 2022.
Her parents, Ray and Kathleen presented the three scholarships to gifted musicians from counties Dublin, Monaghan and Down under the categories of research, education and community,
The research scholarship was awarded to 22-year old Cathal Ahern from Lucan in county Dublin who is a recent graduate of Trinity College with a degree in music and Irish. Proficient in tin whistle, flute and piano acordion and a composer and arranger of Irish traditonal music, he won the All-Ireland Senior Tin Whistle title in 2023 and also has considerable teaching experience with various branches of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and is also active in leadership roles within the organisation.
His research project will explore the tin whistle as a foundational instrument in modern Irish music education and cultural transmission, with the findings to be presented both as an academic journal article and a more accessible format for the wider traditonal music community.
The recipient of the music education scholarship was Saoirse Barbour from Newcastle in county Down, who hold a First-Class Honours Degree in Music from Ulster University and is a skilled musician and teacher with expertise in both Iroish traditional and classical music.
As a passionate advocate for inclusivity in the arts, her proposed project 'Ceol le Chéile' (Music Together) will focus on developing an inclusive traditional arts programme for young adults with special educational needs. The programme will feature sensory-aware workshops; adaptive instruments; accessible learning materials and opportunities fro participants to perform together, concluding with a public performance as part of the IMBOLC Music Festival.
The final scholarship, under the category of community project, was awarded to Órla Ní Chorragáin, a traditional fiddle and tin whistle player from county Monaghan, who is the the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Champion and holds a BA in Irish and Music from Ulster University.
Her project 'Fuaim Uladh' is a video-based nine-track collaborative EP celebrating the musical diversity of the nine counties of Ulster. Each track will pair her fiddle playing with a guest musican from each county, with the finished EP to be launched during Seachtain na Gaeilge with bilingual documentation, reflecting her dedication to language and tradition.
The Ashling Murphy Scholarships, which are awarded annually during Fleadh Week, are sponsored by Ken Barrett of KB Leisurewear.
In a Facebook post at the start of the 2025 Fleadh Ceoil na hÉireann in Wexford, the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund once again pledged their “full support” for the tradtional music festival, stating that music was “at the very heart” of Ashling's life.
“She not only found joy in playing, but also in inspiring the next generation ~ nurturing young talent through her work with her local Comhaltas and within her classroom as a primary school teacher” the post said, adding that Ashling’s “passion and dedication continue to resonate with all who knew her”.
The fund expressed the hope that, through supporting the All Ireland Fleadh, the legacy of the much-loved and admired school teacher will be continued.
Last Friday night's concert by the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, which took place in Wexford Opera House, featured four Offaly members among the 60-strong line up: Ellen Godley from Clara Road in Tullamore on cello; Clare Ann Kearns, a member of Killeigh CCE on fiddle; Shauna Denmead (neé McGarrigle), concertina and soloist from Rahan CCE and soloist Michaela Keenaghan, from West Offaly CCE.
The National Folk Orchestra was established by Comhaltas in the late 1980's and is made up of exceptionally talented young traditional and classical musicians and singers from across Ireland and the UK. The late Ashling Murphy was a fiddle player with the orchestra at the time of her death.