09/06/2026
…And you can catch Joanne performing with The Fews Ensemble this weekend at Carlingford Heritage Centre!
Wee Yarn — The Violin, The Town Hall & The Lunchtime Maestro 🎻🏛️
Archive — about 1997 or 1998-ish.
One cloudy afternoon at roughly 12:15, while most of Newry was worrying about lunch, parking tickets, traffic lights, or whether the rain was about to start, a young musician stood beside the old bridge with a violin case in hand & the Town Hall rising proudly behind her.
At the time she was simply Joanne Quigley from the Camlough district — somebody I’d never spoken to before. A booking in the dairy .
A talented local lass.
A familiar face around Camlough, Bessbrook & Newry.
A gifted violinist with more dedication than most people had sense.
Of course, had somebody told me that afternoon that this young Camlough woman would go on to lead orchestras, perform at the BBC Proms, teach future generations of musicians & become one of Ireland’s most respected violinists, I’d probably have nodded wisely while secretly wondering what a “BBC Prom” actually was.
Back then she was simply Joanne.
As it happened, I’d attended the Abbey with one of her relatives, so there was at least a small connection to begin the conversation.
The violin case looked bigger than some Newry flats & probably contained an instrument worth more than the photographer’s car.
Yet talent has a funny habit of giving clues long before fame arrives.
That afternoon we chatted briefly. As always, I worked quickly, framing scenes in my head, forever worried I’d miss the photograph I wanted. I took about a dozen frames that day. One made it into print.
Oddly enough, not this one.
When we finished, I thanked Joanne, wished her luck in her studies & offered my blessing on behalf of the entire Lordship. Whether the council chairman had already told her or not, I wanted her to know that the wider community wished her well.
It was only later in life that I learned more of the story.
Joanne came from a wonderfully creative family. Music wasn’t simply something they did; it was something they lived. From an early age she was competing in the Newry Musical Feis, developing a reputation as one of the district’s most gifted young performers.
She attended a local grammar school where her talent was encouraged, nurtured & allowed to flourish.
The violin seemed to come naturally.
By all accounts she excelled wherever she went. The Ulster Orchestra, concert halls across the province, competitions, performances, studies — each became another stepping stone on a remarkable journey.
Soon enough Newry Town Hall wasn’t a destination.
It was a starting point.
Not content with mastering one side of the Irish Sea, Joanne went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester & later at the Royal College of Music in Toronto.
Crossing one sea wasn’t enough.
She crossed an ocean as well.
Before long she was appearing with orchestras whose names were longer than some South Armagh roads.
She became Co-Leader of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, guest leader with major orchestras across Scotland & Ireland, performed with the celebrated John Wilson Orchestra, appeared at the BBC Proms, toured internationally & established herself among the finest classical musicians to emerge from this corner of Ulster.
Which proves a useful lesson.
While the rest of us were perfecting the art of leaning on walls discussing football, politics & weather forecasts, Joanne was practising scales.
Thousands of them.
Possibly millions.
Today she teaches at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, directs The Fews Ensemble & continues bringing world-class music back home through Newry Chamber Music.
There is plenty happening through Newry Chamber Music during May & June at their hub in The Quays, Newry, with Quayside Sessions & performance opportunities for musicians of all ages.
Give them a shout if you’re interested in performing or attending.
https://newrychambermusic.org/quayside-sessions/
And that, perhaps, is the finest part of the yarn.
For all the concert halls, international tours, standing ovations & achievements, she never forgot where she came from.
Only a few weeks ago I happened to meet Joanne again, this time with her own daughter, behind the Town Hall — almost exactly where the blue vans can be seen in the background of this photograph. Her daughter had just collected a trophy at the Newry Musical Feis.
And suddenly the years folded in on themselves.
The student had become the mentor.
The young competitor had become part of the next generation’s story.
So whenever I look at this old photograph, I don’t simply see a young violinist from Camlough.
I see a young woman standing beside the Clanrye River with Newry Town Hall behind her, carrying a leather case full of possibilities.
Her future, quite literally, tucked beneath her arm.
The funny thing is she simply stayed on her path.
She stuck at her craft.
She honoured her gift.
For more than twenty years she continued learning, studying, practising, teaching & performing.
In the old shared Gaelic tradition, the highest respect was often reserved for those who devoted a lifetime to mastering their chosen art. Whether poet, musician, storyteller or scholar, true mastery was measured not in applause but in dedication.
That is what this photograph reminds me of.
The Town Hall clock probably thought it was just another ordinary lunchtime.
Newry history often arrives without making any fuss at all.
