Bridgie McGrath (née Lynch) (1884-1948)

Bridgie McGrath (née Lynch) was one of the most gifted concertina players to come out of North Clare, remembered not only for her musical brilliance but for her generosity in passing on tunes and encouraging younger players. Born into the renowned Lynch family of Ballybreen, she was the sister of John Joe Lynch, part of a musical dynasty that played a formative role in the Kilfenora tradition.

Bridgie married Jack McGrath of Oughty in 1911 and balanced her role as a mother with a deep commitment to music. She was part of the original Kilfenora Céilí Band, formed in 1909, and brought a distinctive, powerful concertina style that was admired by many — some even saying she surpassed Mrs. Elizabeth Crotty, including respected musicians like the Killourhey brothers.

In his thesis on North Clare music, Garry Shannon quotes Fr. Fabian McCormack, who wrote:

“The best of them was probably Bridget Lynch-McGrath who specialised in the concertina and reached such excellence that had she lived longer, she would have won national recognition.”

Although she was recorded in the very early days of RTÉ, the tape was unfortunately recorded over, and no known recordings of her playing survive — a great cultural loss. Still, her musical influence lives on through memory, family, and community.

Like many women of her generation, she stepped away from playing music for a time but later returned to it with a vengeance. Her head was constantly full of music, and she would often dream up tunes in her sleep. In fact, several people recalled that she kept a pencil tied to the bed with a piece of string so that if she woke up with a tune in her head, she could write it down immediately—scribbling the notes on the wallpaper to keep them safe. After she passed away, it was said the walls of her bedroom were covered in these handwritten tunes.

She was also a nurturer of the next generation, both musically and personally. When her brother John Joe’s wife passed away, Bridgie took in her niece Judith Lynch, raising her from the age of just two weeks. Judith remembers her with deep affection.

Her nephew, P.J. Lynch, recalls fond childhood visits to her home, where she would take out the concertina and teach him tunes — sometimes opening the instrument mid-lesson to make repairs, fashioning springs from goose quills. “She’d take out the guts,” he remembered with wonder.

Bridgie McGrath is remembered today not only as one of the finest concertina players her region ever produced, but as a quiet tradition bearer — passing on the music, the skill, and the joy of it, one tune and one child at a time.