The collector Stephen Grier (1824-1894) who was also an uilleann piper and a fiddle player lived for much of his life in Gortletteragh where he collected and transcribed over 1,000 tunes.
Short Biography
Born around 1824 in North Longford, Grier moved to Gortletteragh once he married Rose McGivney in 1852.
Grier’s Manuscripts
His full collection of manuscripts has been digitised and is available at
Irish Traditional Music Archives
where you can also follow the links for interactive scores and hear some of the music in the McNamara “Furls of Music” collection.
Legacy
Many other artists have also recorded tunes that they learned from Grier’s manuscripts
Listen to two more Grier tunes and much more Leitrim music here – although the programme is in french, the music transcends language boundaries.
Grier tunes at 31 minutes 23
The Grier family from Gortletteragh carry on the musical tradition of their great great grandfather – pictured here are Margaret, Helena and Jacqueline Grier with Gortletteragh club at “Scór na nóg” in Cornageeha Social Centre when Gortletteragh won Club of the Year in 1987.”
