Eimear Magee awarded Ashling Murphy Scholarship 2024

Eimear Magee celebrating the Cloughmór Céilí Band's success at the Ulster Fleadh

On the evening of 9th August 2024 in the Wexford Opera House, during an intermission in the performance given by the National Folk Orchestra, as part of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the 2024 winners of the 2nd Annual Ashling Murphy Scholarships were announced.

It was a poignant moment as the assembled audience remembered Ashling, a member of the National Folk Orchestra at the time of her untimely death, murdered as she walked along the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Co. Offaly just two years previously.

These scholarships were set up by Comhaltas in Ashlings memory and are awarded in the areas of Education, Community and Resaeach.

The 2024 scholarship for community was awarded to Eimear Magee from Mayobridge Co. Down.

Eimear receiving her award from Ashling Murphy’s parents in Wexford Opera House

Eimear is an extremely talented young lady........

.... a fiddle player, singer, dancer and a member of the Cloughmór Céilí Band, 2024 Ulster Senior Ceili Band champions, a Comhaltas teacher and a proud member of Craobh Rinn Mhic Giolla Rua CCÉ.

Eimear Magee performing with the Cloughmór Céilí Band in Portsoy, Scotland in June 2024

Added to that, Eimear had only a couple of weeks previously, graduated from the Ulster University, Belfast with a first class honours degree in Textile Art and Design!

Using her degree dissertation "Singing Threads," Eimear created an incredible fusion of art, craft, music, costume and history as she worked new life into the history of the linen mills in Belfast.

Around this dissertation, she moulded her scholarship application, and intends to revive the largely forgotten songs of the linen mill workers by breathing new life into them through the mediums of song, music, art, craft and fabric with the project aimed, initially, involving children and young people.

Receiving this scholarship is an amazing achievement for Eimear and one which will, no doubt, add extra impetuous to her future career.

I know that Eimear would be the first to acknowledge that her success would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of an amazing backroom team, especially her mum and dad, Peter and Paula and her siblings Cathal and Rory, all of whom have had a long association with the Branch, not only as members but as active participants as musicians, dancers, singers, whistlers and teachers.

Comhghairdeas Eimear!

~ Jimi Quinn