FOR over five decades, Rosie Stewart has been a leading light in keeping the Irish traditional singing flame alive in Fermanagh and across the border counties.
The recent remastering of her original album, which was produced in Derry back in 1984, has proved that the Cashel singer’s passion for music and song is stronger and burning brighter than ever.
Ms Stewart, formerly Rosie McKeaney, comes from a family that’s steeped in traditional music. Her late father, Patrick, was a renowned step dancer and singer, who had inherited a large repertoire of songs.
The Dunnes Stores employee fondly remembers enjoying singing and dancing at house céilis with friends and family in Cashel.
“It was a thing we grew up with. I remember us sitting on the stairs and listening to the singing going on in the kitchen. That was the entertainment, because there was no TV back then,” recalled singer Rosie.
“My grandfather lived in our house and he wasn’t able to go out so people would come to ours to visit and once they came, they’d have to sing.
“Some of the singers weren’t great, but it’s not about being a great singer – it’s about having the heart and the spirit and being able to have a bit of fun. It’s not about being perfect,” added the Fermanagh singer.
In the early 1980s, the family formed their own band – The McKeaney Sisters. Rosie, alongside her siblings were inspired by Irish trad lyrics they learned from their father.
“When I was growing up, we just sang. We would have sang pop songs, Country songs and the odd traditional song,” the popular singer told the Herald.
“When I made the conscious decision that I was going to do traditional singing, then I started looking at people to emulate.”
After touring Ireland for over two decades, the family band parted ways as a group and that sparked Rosie’s individual career, which saw her make her mark in the ever-changing music landscape in Ireland.
“I got into traditional singing by default,” said the former singer with the Shannon Aces group, “there was a Fleadh in Belcoo and somebody said sure you could sing at it . It was from that – it just snowballed.
“I’ve travelled a fair bit in the past 40 years and when you’re talking to people who have been involved in singing, they wouldn’t have necessarily have came from poor backgrounds.
“They wouldn’t have had a TV and music was their way of amusing themselves,” explained the talented singer.
Singing became a way of life for the Fermanagh star and she produced three albums, with her commitment to traditional music recognised by TG4 in 2004, when she was named ‘Singer of the Year’.
In the present day, Fermanagh’s the home to some of Ireland’s leading Country music stars and Rosie recalls that the Erne county was once famous for being the centre point for Irish traditional singing greats.
“Paddy Tunney from Scotland used to say that the best singers and the best songs came out of Fermanagh and I would have to agree with him,” recalled the popular Rosie.
“There was some marvelous singers from Fermanagh. John Maguire from Newtownbutler, Mary-Anne Connolly, and they’re all gone now unfortunately, but they would have had a big impact on me.
“I really admired Maggie Murphy (Chambers) from Tempo. When I met Maggie, she was very well got from the English folk scene. People in Fermanagh didn’t know who she was, but people in England did.
“I couldn’t even begin to name the people that influenced me over the years and people who have gone to their reward,” added the Belcoo singer.
The McKeaney Sisters were ‘resurrected’ in 2016 and Rosie and her sisters Peggy and Anna have set up the ‘Rainbow Singing Circle’ in Glenfarne in Leitrim, to promote Irish traditional singing.
“McHugh’s Bar is a small, intimate setting and we have a lovely time there. There’s a crowd of people that come and we all know each other and I’d invite guests and you never know who’ll turn up next,” she explained.
“Over the years I would have taught so many people and had them for Fleadh Cheoils and so on, but very few of them are still going today.
“It’s very rare for them to keep going and I find that sad, but sometimes life just gets in the way,” added Rosie.
At the recent Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy Festival in Derrygonnelly, Rosie released her remastered original album, ‘Rosey Drops of Dew’.
The Cashel woman hopes that her new recording will ignite the Irish traditional singing flame in Fermanagh and the renowned singer certainly has no plans to retire just yet.
“I’ve no intention of giving it up. I haven’t anything in the pipeline at the moment, but I’ve already bookings for around the country and in England for next year,” added the much-loved Rosie.