College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences - Masters by Research Theses
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Item Investigation of the neurological effects of musical training in children with Down Syndrome(University College Cork, 2024) McMullan, Eva; Nolan, Yvonne M.; Chan, Jason; Setti, Annalisa; University College Cork; Science Foundation IrelandThe World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that one in every 1000/1100 babies is born with Down Syndrome worldwide, with Ireland having the highest Down Syndrome occurrence than any other country, with 1-in-444 children being affected. It is characterised by physical growth delays, impaired sociability, anxiety symptoms, and intellectual disability. This cohort has differing capacities in executive function, attention, and learning and memory due to altered hippocampus and prefrontal cortex functions. Recent reports have suggested that music training could positively affect the cognitive and social abilities of children with Down Syndrome. However, we do not know if musical training improves sensory processing or higher-order areas in this cohort. This lack of understanding is detrimental to identifying the most effective means to enhance cognitive performance, relieve stress and improve the quality of life for those with an intellectual disability. Therefore, this study used a pre-post design to assess five types of cognitive processes, including learning and memory, sensory-motor skills, emotion regulation, social bonding, and executive function, before and after seven weeks of musical training. Saliva and hair samples were collected before and after the training sessions to examine concentrations of cortisol, which is linked to stress, and oxytocin, which is linked to social bonding. Temporal order judgement tasks, including both audio-visual blocks, were administered before and after the intervention period, as well as the Corsi Blocks test. In addition, all participants answered two questionnaires: Why Choose Music? (Paterson, 2008) and the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Varni et al., 2001). The group that received the music intervention answered Daily Diaries and the Qualitative Description of Your Child’s Experience of the Music Intervention questionnaire. Due to the challenges experienced with recruiting, the saliva and hair samples could not be processed. The results from the Temporal Order Judgement and the Corsi Blocks tasks did not show any significant difference in this cohort's temporal perception and short-term spatial memory. There was no improvement in short-term spatial memory and temporal perception as a result of the music intervention, suggesting that those cognitive domains are not sensitive to a music intervention, at least as measured using these tasks. However, this could be because few participants completed the post-intervention measure. The other measures showed positive indicators of the emotional and social functions, as well as communication skills of those with Down Syndrome engaging with music. The diaries and the quantitative data saw sequential songs as the preferred musical activity when accompanied by actions. This led to perceived improvements in learning and memory that impacted communication skills in those with Down Syndrome.Item An briathar mí-rialta i nGaeluinn na nDéise(University College Cork, 2004) Uí Fhoghlú, Áine; Ua Suilleabhain, SeanTá an saothar taighde seo bunaithe ar thuairim is triocha uair an chloig dʼabhar a dheineas a thaifeadadh ar fístéip idir 1990-ʼ94 i measc na gcainteoirí is fearr a bhí i nGaeltacht na Rinne agus an tSeana-Phobail ag an am. Ina measc so tá éinne dhéag gur sár-chainteoirí láidre ná tabharfaí tionchar an Bhéarla ná tionchar ghramadach na scoile fé ndeara ar a gcuid Gaeilge. Tá triúr ina measc gur sár-chainteoirí iad a tógadh le Gaeilge sa Rinn agus a bhí ina múinteoirí i rith a saoil. Cainteoirí iad so a bhfuil a gcuid urlabhra ana-shoiléir agus aird acu ar chruinneas gramadaí, aird ná fuil le fáilt ina measc súd a bhí gan oideachas foirmeálta. Tá cúigear sa chnuasach a tógadh le Gaeilge ach a raibh go leor Béarla le clos acu ina n-óige agus bhí cúpla duine acu san as taithí a bheith ag caint na Gaeilge le tamall roimh an taifeadadh. Ar an abhar a dheineas a thaifeadadh bhí mórchuid seanchais, scéalaíochta, amhránaíochta agus stair áitiúil. Nuair a thug Roinn na Nua-Ghaeilge cead agus cuireadh dom an taighde seo a dhéanamh beartaíodh gur saothar deilbhíochta ar Ghaeluinn na nDéise a bheadh ann agus an taighde dírithe ar an mbriathar mí-rialta mar ná raibh a leithéid de shaothar ann roimhe seo sa chanúint sin. Mar sin is é teideal an tsaothair ʻAn briathar mí-rialta i nGaeluinn na nDéiseʼ. Ar dtúis chaitheas éisteacht go grinn leis na téipeanna agus gach sampla de gach briathar mí-rialta a dʼúsáid na cainteoirí a bhreacadh síos, ansan ord agus eagar a chur orthu. De réir mar a bhí an obair ag dul chun cinn bhí eolas nua á nochtadh dom. Cé gurb iad na téipeanna atá mar bhun-fhoinse taighde agam úsáidim leabhair thaighde ar Ghaeluinn na nDéise mar fhoinsí tagartha agus táid seo ar fad liostáilte sa saothar. Is é an Dr. Seán Ua Súilleabháin a stiúraigh an obair.Item At Casey’s Altar – exploring the life and music of Bobby Casey(University College Cork, 2024) Arkins, Conor Joseph; Mitchell-Ingoldsby, Mary; Ní Shíocháin, Tríona; University College CorkThis thesis explores the life and music of Bobby Casey (1926-2000), an Irish traditional fiddle player born and raised in Annagh, a small townland in rural West Clare, who is regarded as one of the finest exponents of Irish traditional fiddle playing of the twentieth century. Utilising an comprehensive multi-method approach, employing ethnographic fieldwork interviews, archival ethnography, historiography, as well as musical transcription and analysis, this thesis presents the reader with a comprehensive study of Bobby’s character, life and creative process. Furthermore, the repertory nature of this study, culminating in the form of a transcribed tune collection, not only illuminates complex elements of style present in his musical idiolect, but preserves his performance repertoire in the largest collection of his music in existence. The introductory chapter of this thesis contextualises the study within existing research in the field as well as outlining the methodologies used throughout the research process. Chapter Two examines the vernacular creative and social practices in rural West Clare during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, by providing an informed view of the tradition that existed during Bobby’s formative years. Chapter Three explores Bobby’s musical life from his childhood to his death at the age of 73 and how his interpersonal relationships informed his practice. Chapter Four explores the process of analysing elements of style in Bobby’s music through the parameters of pitch and rhythm, by exploring stylistic intricacies present in the transcriptions completed as part of this study. Chapter Five presents to the reader a collection of forty-nine detailed transcriptions of his repertoire transcribed from various commercial and archival recordings taken over a 40 year period. I submit to the reader, that this work acknowledges the significance of both the cultural context of the individual and the process and product of their creative practice. It recognises and is informed by existing research in the fields of Irish musical studies, Irish historical studies, cultural anthropology, and ethnomusicology. Furthermore, this study aims to contribute to the growing body of work in these fields by offering new historical accounts of creative and social practices, analysing elements of style in the creative process, and preserving of the music of one of the finest Irish traditional fiddle players of the twentieth century.Item "I'm gonna be free": listening to expressions of queer identity and cultural Catholicism in the music of contemporary Irish artists(University College Cork, 2024) Fleming, Laura; Marshall, Melanie L; Gale, Emily; Rollefson, J. GriffithThis project is the culmination of my research into the relationship between Irish cultural Catholicism and queer Irish identity as revealed and complicated through music. For many, queer identity and Irish identity are polarised, situated at a point of tension as a result of the homophobic teachings of the Catholic church, an institution which has historically held immense power in Ireland. I will explore this contentious relationship, drawing from personal experience as well as those of other queer Irish people to examine what it means to be a queer person in Ireland today. With this as the contextual background for my case studies, I will examine the use of religious images, language and symbols by contemporary Irish queer musicians. Finally, I will explore the impact of this for queer listeners, and the participation of these musicians in the imagining of a queer Irish utopia through music.Item Normal hero(ine)s and deviant villains: musical representation of moral archetypes in a selection of Disney films(University College Cork, 2023) Lozano Velasquez, Camilo Andrés; Gale, Emily; Rollefson, J. Griffith; Fundación para el futuro de ColombiaIn this dissertation, I examine the musical representation of hero(ine)s and villains in selected Disney animated films: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994). While existing scholarship extensively scrutinizes Disney characters, this study provides a musicological approach to elucidate how music complements and underscores insights into the representation of the characters’ particular dimensions. Specifically, this research reveals connections between well-established traits associated with character portrayals, such as morality, gender, and sexuality, and the musical-performative elements within their musical numbers. Notably, the scenes featuring love ballads and villain songs provide intriguing opportunities to identify and assess these aspects, shedding light on the depiction and perception of the hero(ine)s as normal and the villains as deviant. The analytical framework of this research centers on musical elements related to lyrical content, musical performance, and contextual considerations such as genre and style. These musical components play a pivotal role in shaping the processes of representation, supporting and advancing conventionally used musical codes of character portrayal. Throughout this dissertation, I delineate the perceived normality of the protagonists, characterized by virtues, gender conformity, and heterosexuality, in stark contrast to the deviance embodied by the villains, depicted as evil and queer-coded. This dichotomy is musically reinforced by elements that resonate with Western cultural ideals of identity and alterity. Specifically, I discern dualities pertaining to the musical representation of the natural and the artificial, the familiar and the exotic, as well as the conventional and the unconventional. This study, then, provides a comprehensive examination of the intricate relationship between music and character representation in Disney animated films. However, this research goes beyond character analysis to unveil cultural intersections between beauty, gender, and sexuality, which serve as markers of morality in popular culture, and elements related to the musical texture of the songs.
