EuropeanaTech Conference 15 & 16 May 2018, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

1. LITMUS: Developing a Linked Data Ontology
for Irish Traditional Music and Dance
Lynnsey Weissenberger, Ph.D.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow
@lkweissenberger

2. Linked Irish Traditional Music

3. Presentation Overview
• Background of Linked Irish
Traditional Music (LITMUS)
project
• Development of ontology’s
properties
• Use cases and future
direction
“Dear harp of my country”
Unidentified artist; postcard

4. About the LITMUS Project
• LITMUS* seeks to improve searching of,
and access to, web-based Irish traditional
music, song, and dance resources
• Focuses on the development of a linked
data ontology and framework
• Music/dance, geographic, and personal
relationships expressed as linked data will
allow people to explore, learn, and make
new connections between materials
Unidentified dancer, old-style stepdance
Photo by Danny Diamond
* LITMUS, Linked Irish Traditional Music, project results
(Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action grant number 750814)
were generated with the assistance of EU financial support.

5. LITMUS: The Process
• Develop properties:
• Properties are sourced from a representative sample of around 30
album notes from ITMA’s commercial recordings collection
• Album notes span 1962-2012
ITMA recording studio
Photo by Danny Diamond

6. Albums Used for Analysis
Instrumentation
Various Vocals
Fiddle Harp
Flute / Whistle Accordion /Concertina
Pipes Plectrum
Musicians
Men Women

7. Excerpt from CD
album notes:
“One Out of the Fort”
Johnny Henry, fiddle
(and others)
Liner notes written by
James Kelly
CD issued: 2012
Original material
recorded: 1964,
1973, 1977-78, &
1981

8. LITMUS: The Process
• Working in Excel and now OpenRefine
• Organising how properties are derived from
phrases within notes
• Able to trace each property back to a source or
multiple sources
• Language within notes mirrors how musicians
discuss musical subjects in formal and informal
settings
• Likely an important aspect of final ontology for
re-use outside of Irish traditional music

9. Properties Data Excerpt

10. LITMUS: Use Cases
• Danny Boy / [London]Derry Air and other titles
• Has many sets of words/lyrics set to the air
• Associated with events like Belfast Harp Festival
• Appears in Edward Bunting’s 1792 collection and numerous others
• ITMA has digitised many related objects and featured them in a digital
exhibit
Air: Danny Boy
from Pádraig O’Keeffe Manuscripts

11. LITMUS: “Danny Boy”

12. LITMUS: Use Cases
• The Blackbird / An Lon Dubh
• Appears as song, air, dance tunes, set dance (multiple versions)
• Appears within numerous historical printed sources & recordings
• ITMA has interesting connections between objects in the collection
• Michael Tubridy’s notated Blackbird dance
• Michael and Céline Tubridy’s dance instruction video
Dance notation by
Michael Tubridy

13. Irish Traditional Step Dancing with Céline and Michael Tubridy

14. LITMUS: The Blackbird (An Lon Dubh)
Author: Cowdrey, J. R.
Book: The Melodic
Tradition of Ireland
Example transcription:
Cathal McConnell playing a
4-part version of the
hornpipe
Also very similar to a
Longford version of the
hornpipe –
Parts A, B, and C with
modified ending [ ]; no D
part
A
B
C
(D)
[ ]
(repeat the A)
ITMA video: Padraig McGovern & Peter Carberry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vidJn-Ebyc

15. LITMUS: Next Steps
• Publish data, ontology, and other research outputs to the web:
• View ongoing progress at litmus.itma.ie
• Research data / output repository (open access): Zenodo
“Pipers of the 19th Century”
[unidentified photographer]

16. 73 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, D02 WK75, Ireland
73 Cearnóg Mhuirfean, BÁC 2, D02 WK75, Éire
Email // Ríomhphost lynnsey.weissenberger@itma.ie
Tel // Teil +353 (0)1 661 9699
Fax // Faics +353 (0)1 662 4585
Website // Suíomh Idirlín www.itma.ie
litmus.itma.ie
Lynnsey Weissenberger, Ph.D.