Irish traditional music has concentrated the mind of Scotstown's Mackie Rooney for more years than he cares to remember. He reflects on his involvement in Scor over the course of four decades with Kevin Carney. Mackie Rooney has been at the vanguard of Scor in county Monaghan for the last 30 years and more yet his enthusiasm and gra for all things Irish remains as vibrant as ever. Then again those who know the Scotstown native intimately will tell you that the word Gaelgoir is probably stamped on his bones. The man himself admits that he simply couldn't imagine living life without the sound of music richocheting through every sinue of his body. Certainly there's no doubt but that that aspect of the GAA would be all the poorer in his native county were it not for the passion he brings to bear on matters which are quinntessentially Irish in nature. Mackie and Scor go back a long, long way but his interest in Irish traditional music goes back even further. As a boy of maybe seven years of age he recalls listening to a street singer belting out the old favourite 'Valley of Knockanure' at the upper end of Scotstown village. It was a Fair Day but all trading ceased for the duration of the balladeer's recital. Before too long Mackie's brother Alban had purchased a sheaf of the singer's ballads for a penny. For the rest of the evening, the Rooney brothers did nothing but learn verse after verse and sing the visitor's songs. Almost 60 years on, Mackie's love of Irish folk songs is still very much alive and kicking. Fortunately for the GAA, this love has helped bolster and cement the growth and development of Scor in his homeland of Scotstown, in the county of Monaghan and right across the country. Introduced to what was, in 1969, a fledgling Scor movement in Monaghan by erstwhile GAA President and first cousin Sean McCague, Mackie quickly immersed himself in the business of strengthening Scotstown's hand in Scor circles. With the aforementioned McCague and Brendan Lillis, Mackie enjoyed immediate success when the trio scooped the county title in their maiden voyage in the competition in 1970. The same year Mackie made it to the Ulster finals off his own bat while representing Scotstown and Monaghan in the Ulster finals in Edendork, Co. Tyrone. Mackie's recitation of various Patrick Kavanagh works earned him a runners-up berth in the provincial final. "That early involvement gave me a taste of what Scor was all about. "I saw the importance of the GAA having such a cultural wing in which activities such as singing, recitation, dancing and drama could be promoted as integral parts of the GAA movement. "The development of Scor was a revelation but wholly appropriate given the great revival of Irish music and dance which was taking place all around the country at that time. "But the success of Scor didn't surprise me because its core appeal has always been that competitions provide a great evening's entertainment in an environment where Irish culture is celebrated without any inhibitions. "I remember during the seventies when the Ulster finals were held in the Lyric Cinema in Castleblayney. "It had a 2,000 seating capacity but queues would be forming from 6.30pm onwards for the start of competition at eight o'clock." Does Mackie feel though that Scor is the poor relation of the GAA? "Not at all. If there is a lack of interest in Scor, it's not the fault of the GAA because they provide the framework, the structures for people to express their Irishness through song, dance and drama and it's up to individual club members to avail of the opportunities presented to them. "Most clubs in Monaghan mean well when it comes to promoting Scor. "They are providing the talent to enable the competitions to proceed. "But you have to accept that for most ordinary club members, the playing of Gaelic games is the priority. "The fact is Ireland is influenced an awful lot by a culture which has an Anglo-US bent. "The number of people interested in the promotion of Irish culture is really a relatively small percentage of the country's population." It is interesting to note that Mackie doesn't believe that interest in Scor, in general, hasn't diminished in his book over the last 30 years. He cites singers such as Bridie Gallagher, Frank Harte, Margaret Barry, the Clancy brothers and the Dubliners as being seminal figures in the nurturing of a deeper interest in Irish music. "For years around the 'fifties though, people with a bent for Irish culture were scoffed at by the educated classes but in the sixties, even with the likes of the Beatles and Elvis around, it became cool to be interested and involved in Irish music," Mackie reminds us. But whatever about those aforementioned individuals who were at the forefront in availing of the commercial opportunities which lay in producing quality Irish music material, Mackie is certain that Irish music would have been going nowhere only for the engine that is Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann. "Comhaltas is the major reason why Irish traditional music has held its own over the years. "It has been a enormous influential organisation ever since its foundation in 1951 and I'm proud to have been a member for the last 25 years. "Most of the talent that has brightened up Scor over the years has come through the ranks of Comhaltas with regard to organised classes and so on. "So Scor participants are already well versed in what it takes to be successful at competition level at Fleadhs before they represent their clubs in Scor. "There is a great level of communication between GAA clubs involved in Scor and Comhaltas organisers which is to the mutual benefit of both organisations. "In fact Scor was a trendsetter within the realms of the GAA because long before ladies football took off, Scor saw an involvement by a large number of girls and ladies." Mackie is more than proud of Monaghan's contribution to the Scor movement nationwide. He says that Monaghan gaels can hold their heads up high in that respect. "The Emyvale club, for instance, and Castleblayney Faughs have both been successful at All-Ireland level," Mackie notes. And, of course, his own beloved Scotstown have climbed to the top of the winner's podium also in Scor. Victories at All-Ireland level for the club's novelty act in 1991 and for Scotstown's instrumental act (on two occasions) are a matter of great pride to him and his ilk as are the triumphs achieved by the club's senior quiz teams of 2001 and 2003. Mackie was also delighted to witness the success of the Aghabog balad group in winning the All-Ireland Scor na nOg title. Scotstown's Scor co-ordinator for the past 23 years, Mackie also notes the great passion Monaghan's neighbours in Ulster bring to Scor competitions. Armagh, Tyrone and Down have led the way, he believes, in flying the flag for the province. "Scor has been especially vibrant in the Six Counties over the years. "The involvement of gaels in those counties in Scor has always been a flag they've been able to fly without fear of it being shot down. "Music has that ability to unite rather than divide people. Musicians never fall out," Mackie insists. For the last 15 years, the affable retired primary schoolteacher has seen his involvement in Scor activities broaden greatly onto a provincial and national canvas. He has guested as an adjudicator at junior and senior All-Ireland levels down the years. This year, for instance, he was the Fear an Ti for the All-Ireland junior Scor finals in Castlebar. Mackie, whose mother was a renowned fiddler from Knockatallon just outside Scotstown, has a love for his country, its music and people which shines through his involvement in Scor. One suspects that that involvement will continue for many moons to come. Lucky Scotstown, lucky Scor. Tweet

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