Gaelic Grace Notes

The musical expedition of Ole Mørk Sandvik to Ireland and Scotland

Séamas Ó Catháin

The exploits of Ole Mørk Sandvik (1875–1976) in the collection of Norwegian folk music and his close involvement in the development of Norwegian church music earned him a special place in the hearts of the Norwegian people. His long life was dedicated to music and song of which he was an avid and gifted collector, and he was the author of a wide range of books and articles on aspects of Norwegian music both sacred and profane. He became the driving force behind the establishment of the Music Collection at Oslo University Library. His name is well-known in his native country, but less so in Ireland and Scotland, with whose traditional song cultures he fashioned a relationship in the summer and autumn of 1927. His three-month long research trip concentrated on parts of Cos. Cork and Kerry in the south-west of Ireland and also included the cities of Cork and Dublin and a brief excursion to the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. His findings appeared in an article entitled ‘Keltiske melodier og norsk folkemusikk’, published in Norsk Musikksgransknings Aarbok (1940). The present volume contains a description of his travels in Ireland and Scotland in pursuit of Gaelic song, includes an account of surviving archive holdings and presents selected audio recordings relating to the fieldwork he conducted.

Professor emeritus Séamas Ó Catháin has a long-standing interest in Celtic-Nordic studies, particularly in the field of folklore. He held the chair of Irish folklore at University College Dublin and was director of the National Folklore Collection.