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Showing posts from 2009

Music of the white silence

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On December 14th 1909, explorer Ernest Shackleton was in Dublin, lecturing at UCD about his ‘Nimrod’ Antarctic expedition. Next week, exactly 100 years on, composer Michael Holohan will commemorate the moment with a new piece of music theatre LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN a major theme for Michael Holohan. It may seem an odd thing to say about a composer, but as a long-time resident of the Boyne Valley, he has written a good deal of music which evokes the rivers, forests and ancient burial sites of this part of Ireland. He has also woven the contrasting natural materials of classical and traditional music into a seamless whole in such works as The Road to Lough Swilly , for string orchestra and uilleann pipes. Over the years, too, he has worked with many poets, among them Paul Durcan and Seamus Heaney, to craft a distinctive blend of words and music. Even this experienced musical traveller was quite startled, however, when he was asked by the National Concert Hall to write a new piece evoking the

Irish Christmas comes to Lowville

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LOWVILLE — Fans of Irish music dreaming of a green Christmas will want to be in this village Dec. 6 regardless of the snow situation. The touring production "Irish Christmas in America," sponsored by the Lewis County Historical Society, stops that day at the Lowville Academy and Central School auditorium. The show, in its fifth year, includes some of Ireland's top traditional artists, featuring music, dance and stories of seasonal Irish traditions. The production was created five years ago by Oisin Mac Diarmada of the award-winning Irish group Téada. Mr. Mac Diarmada plays fiddle for Téada, which is Irish for "strings." The band focuses on the traditional music of Ireland and was named the Best Young Irish Traditional Act at the inaugural 2009 Ireland Music Awards. Mr. Mac Diarmada, speaking from his home in County Sligo, Ireland, late last week a day before leaving for Mexico, said he saw Irish Christmas in America as a chance to show the diversity of Irish cul

Cherish the Ladies

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Like jazz and rock, Celtic music has traditionally been a male-dominated scene. But in 1985, folklorist/musician Mick Moloney had the idea of sponsoring a concert series featuring the finest female Irish traditional musicians. The result was Cherish the Ladies, a band that has become one of the most celebrated Celtic ensembles in the world. They will perform their Christmas program as part of the Kutztown University Performing Artists Series, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Schaeffer Auditorium. Cherish the Ladies will perform a Christmas program Wednesday as part of the Kutztown University Performing Artists Series. The leader, Joanie Madden, born in the Bronx, N.Y., to Irish parents, was the first American to win the senior all-Ireland championship on the tin whistle in 1984. She has played flute and tin whistle with the group since its inception. The rest of the current lineup includes founding member and fellow New Yorker Mary Coogan on guitar; All-Ireland champion Mirella Murray from Co

Award-winning Mulkerrin Brothers bring new trad show to Town Hall

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Arts Week with Judy Murphy When Pádraig, Éamon and Seán Mulkerrin decided to enter RTÉ’s All-Ireland Talent Show late last year, they did so mostly because it would give them a chance to meet Jacksie, the barman from the comedy series Killanascully. The Mulkerrin Brothers from Inis Mór, never imagined they would walk away with the top prize of €50,000, for their performance of traditional Irish music and dance. But last March that’s exactly what they did; having won the heart of the nation, with the sean-nós dancing of 10-year old Seán receiving a particularly strong response. And this is a band of brothers with more than one string to their bow, as people will find out when the three play the Town Hall Theatre on November 30. The show is part of a short Irish tour being presented by music promoter Vince Power, the man who set up the Mean Fiddler music group in England and a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment business. “People have only seen them on the [RTÉ] talent show, b

Legendary Irish group celebrates 20 years on the road

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Black 47 brings back 1989 prices for anniversary shows By John Lee Black 47’s NYC shows have been described as “a rite of passage for all New Yorkers.” For the last nine months they have been touring the country, along with recording 13 new songs for Bankers and Gangsters, which will be released in February 2010. But for three consecutive nights they will celebrate their New York City beginnings with 1989 prices of just $10. Along with the new material they will highlight songs from all stages of their sometimes controversial career. “New York was always the center of music for me,” said Kirwan. “New York was Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, The Clancy Brothers, The Velvet Underground, Television, CBGB's, Max's Kansas City. And right from the start with Black 47 we concentrated on creating our own scene. We didn't give a damn about playing anyone else's. Because that's not New York to us.” Black 47 formed in the Bronx in late 1989 and burst onto the American scene in 1993 wi

Westport box player releases new CD

Renowned button-accordion player Pat Friel is set to release a new album, ‘Lios-a-Phúca’, this week. The much-anticipated follow-up to ‘The Humours of Westport’ will include reels, jigs, hornpipes and a number of well-known songs, including ‘Moonlight In Mayo’, ‘ These Are My Mountains’. ‘Say You Love Me’ and ‘My Lovely Achill Island Home’, written by Westport musician Lenny Grimes. Pat was first taught how to play the accordion by his mother, Julia, who came from Letterbrock, eight miles west of Westport. His was a musical family, and four of his five brothers also play the box. Pat played occasionally for house dances, especially after the Stations, when the priest said Mass in the house. In the showband era of the 1960s, Pat played the bass guitar in a band called the Frielmen, which played pop and country and Western. Twenty years’ ago, he started the local Comhaltas group and was three times named Connacht Button-Accordion Champion. He went on to form one of the most successful cé

Solas presents 'A Celtic Solstice Celebration' at Weis Center

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LEWISBURG, Pa. — The Celtic band Solas will present "A Celtic Solstice Celebration" on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell University. Tickets are $25. Since 1996, Solas has been loudly proclaimed as one of the most popular, influential and exciting Celtic bands ever to emerge from the United States, said Bill Boswell, executive director of the Weis Center. "This performance will be a wonderful way to herald the winter season and the holidays." The band has performed at all the major Celtic and folk festivals, including the legendary National Folk Festival and Milwaukee's Irish Fest as well as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Wolf Trap, and Queens Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. The band's latest release is a live CD and DVD called "Reunion," which celebrates the band's 10th anniversary. Solas comprises Seamus Egan, flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, low whistle, guitars and bodhran (Irish dr

'3' is the magic number

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By Sean P. Feeny This month a trio of three young Donegal fiddle players who are continuing to push the boundaries of Irish traditional music are releasing their first album together. Fidíl began as a duo with Aidan O'Donnell and Ciaran Ó Maonaigh taking the Irish music world by storm with their 2008 self-titled debut album. Having used modern technology to create a unique, multi-layered fiddle sound on their album, the two musicians soon brought in fellow Donegal fiddle player, Damien McGeehan, to recreate that sound in a live environment. Aidan, who is Limerick County Council's current Artist-In-Residence at lectures at the University of Limerick (UL), said it has been an eventful year since the Dunkineely native and Ciaran from Gaoth Dobhair launched their debut album last summer. "The core idea behind our first album was to record the sound of two fiddles as a duet playing the traditional Donegal music, but with a difference. "Rather than using conventional tradit

Gerry ‘Banjo’ OConnor and friends

SIOBHÁN LONG Button Factory, Dublin As an antidote to this winter of our discontent, the inaugural date of the Button Factory County Sessions, in front of a large and expectant crowd, hinted at great escapes to come. Taking its lead from the renowned Harcourt Hotel sessions of old, these County Sessions celebrate local musical accents, and judging by the volume of punters who turned up for this celebration of Co Tipperary, there’s a voracious public appetite for good traditional music played in a hospitable venue. Flute-player, film-maker and entrepreneur Conor Byrne gently coaxed his brainchild, the County Sessions, into existence, playing a short solo set and then cracking the bottle off the stern by way of his uncle, Christy Moore. Negotiating an affectionate ramble through a short set that included The Galtee Mountain Boy , Christy was in fine form, relaxed enough to exploit the bantering potential of the odd lyrical slip, and in his element when embroiled in picaresque and adventu

Dylan Foley, Blaithín Loughran and Céitlin Finlay play Irish reels

2008 All-Ireland under 18 fiddle champion Dylan Foley and accordionist Blaithín Loughran are joined by Céitlin Finlay on banjo for a set of reels, including "Dr. Gilbert's" and "The Ash Plant". More info and videos at http://comhaltas.ie iTunes podcast at http://tinyurl.com/comhaltas

Ancient Irish Scales

From A History of Irish Music by William H. Grattan Flood Chapter IV THE construction of the old Irish scales has afforded a wide field for the most conflicting theories. Even Dr. Sullivan, in his critical introduction to O'Curry, says that the Irish scales were "manifold, and often apparently quite arbitrary, so that the principles upon which they proceed are sometimes incomprehensible to us." Dr. James C. Culwick would have us believe that the Irish scales numbered 15, and he compares our old "gapped" scales to those of the Chinese, Russians, and Zuni Indians. Father Bewerunge, the most recent authority on this subject, only admits four modes namely, Doh, Ray, Soh and Lah.[1] From a long and careful study of some thousands of our ancient melodies, I have arrived at the conclusion that the old Irish scale was pentatonic, proceeding as follows: C D EG AC. By making each note in this first mode a tonic, or keynote, we naturally form four other modes--and thus we

Rural Irish High School Connects With Georgia Tech

A high school in rural Ireland will soon have a direct, high-speed, high-definition video link to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, allowing students to look through Tech’s million-dollar electron microscope and take classes from top scientists. “For our students to be able to interact directly with researchers in Georgia, remotely control technology such as telescopes and powerful microscopes will be hugely exciting and motivational for our students and teachers,” Joe Varley, a science teacher at Killina Secondary School, 10 miles from Tullamore, Ireland, told GlobalAtlanta in an e-mail interview. Classes with Tech researchers via video will start in January, said Jeff Evans, deputy director and principal research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Tech is offering the classes through a program called Direct to Discovery. Tech currently offers the program in about 90 Georgia school systems. Killina will be the first overseas school to part

Shaskeen to play in Matt Molloy’s

It’s not easy to sum up Shaskeen’s 39 years of music making and entertainment, but listening to the trad band’s new CD ‘Walking Up Town’, it is clear that they are going to be leading the way for quite a while yet. Like many Irish traditional musicians, Shaskeen has been caught up in the whirlwind of the set-dancing era, and their last four albums were comprised of music for the sets. Now they are making a change to concert-style performances. ‘Walking Up Town’ – remarkably, the band’s 15th album – marks a return to their original musical formula. It’s an album ‘for listening to’, and it features a generous collection of jigs, reels, waltzes, polkas, barn dances and songs. The title tune is an American ‘breakdown’, a fun rag-style tune. It’s probably the best summing up the band could ask for. It is hard to beat well-seasoned musicians, and the members of Shaskeen are as experienced as they are skilful. The band has maintained the same ethos over its many years of making music – and th

Old Bay Céilí Band Reels at the All-Ireland

A set of reels from the Old Bay Céilí Band, CCÉ Michael Rafferty Branch in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, USA and O'Neill-Malcolm Branch. The selection was recorded at the Senior Céilí Band competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, held August 2008 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Band members are: Jim Eagan, Katie Linnane, and Danny Noveck, fiddles; Brendan Bell and Laura Byrne Egan, flutes; Peter Brice and Seán McComiskey, accordion; Bob Smith, banjo; Matt Mulqueen, piano and Joshua Dukes on drums. More info and videos at http://comhaltaslive.ie Or subscribe via iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/comhaltas

Fleadh 2009 Bridge Hotel saturday morning

Niall Murphy (fiddle) Shane McCartan (Guitar) Eamonn Nugent (Bodhran) 3 Reels

The Fitzgerald Family playing Irish jigs

A selection of jigs featuring all the Fitzgerald family of Celbridge, Co. Kildare: Áine (concertina), Seán (fiddle), Ciarán (fiddle) and their parents John (button accordion) and their mother Mary (piano). The first jig was composed by Ciarán at 11 years of age and is called "The Ballyferriter Jig". They learned the second tune from fiddle player Liz Keane, and the third tune is "Princess Nancy".

The Old Bush - Reel on Flute and Fiddle

The Old Bush reel. More Irish tunes at www.tradschool.com

Session CD Download

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13-track album with corresponding sheet music, recorded by Tradschool. This is an amateur recording, made on a portable recorder during our evening sessions. Both teachers and students are featured. The 13 tracks are in .mp3format, zipped into one file. Also available: the sheet music of all the CD tracks, in a .pdf booklet. DOWNLOAD HERE Tracklist 01. The Kerry Jig / The Mug of Brown Ale 02. The Bucks of Oranmore / Rakish Paddy 03. Spootiskerry04. Gareck's Wedding 05. O'Neill's March / Tommy Peoples' Reel 06. Mulhares Jig / Out on the Ocean 07. Saint Ruth's Bush / The Stolen Reel / Dan Breen's 08. The Blackhaired Lass / Cregg's Pipes 09. The Blarney Pilgrim / The Pipe on the Hob / Merrily Kiss the Quaker 10. Celtic Heart 11. Sergeant Early's Dream 12. The Man of the House / The Silver Spear 13. The Foggy Dew

Mulhare's Jig / Out on the Ocean

2 jigs at Tradschool's summer workshops

Harry Bradley & Paul O'Shaughnessy in Roscommon

If you want to hear the very best of Irish trad music from two of our most gifted musicians, who blend great in duet, go to Roscommon arts centre this thursday @ 8pm sharp to hear Harry Bradley(flute/pipes) and paul o'Shaughnessy(fiddle/flute). admission 14/12 euro. Info/bookings...0906625824/ artscentre@roscommoncoco.ie . This talented duet released the acclaimed"Born for sport" in recent years, and only a few weeks ago they appeared on RTE 1 TV, on "The full set"...Start off the bank holiday weekend in a lively fashion and come down to Roscommon!

The old ways endure

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The devotion of a person of the cloth is a selfless vow to both parishioners and community. Preparing to lead a flock, bringing spirituality, faith and religious beliefs to individuals of a congregation is a huge pledge made when entering a seminary. Throughout four decades until his retirement, Monsignor Charles Coen led churches in both the New York Archdiocese’s southernmost parish to the second most-northern parish. However, Father Charlie (as he is most commonly called) added much more to his ministry and to the surrounding communities. Although Coen retired last year, one facet of his numerous talents is on display at The Rhinecliff, where he demonstrates the musical skills that conjure up images of his homeland. Coen came to the United States in 1955 from his birthplace of Woodford, County Galway in Ireland to be in a climate more conducive to his asthmatic condition. He was in his 20s at the time. “My first employment was at a hospital in Monticello as dishwasher, and, after a

Quad City Arts presents Tommy Sands, Irish Music Oct. 9

Quad City Arts' Visiting Artist Series presents Irish musician Tommy Sands in a one-week residency Oct. 4-9. Tommy will be joined by family members Moya and Fionan Sands as they present 15 educational outreach activities during their stay. Their only full-length public concert will be Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Redstone Room, River Music Experience, in downtown Davenport. Tickets are $15 adults, $8 students, and may be purchased at the RME Box Office, (563) 326-1333, or in person at the River Music Experience, 129 N. Main Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801. Tommy Sands, singer, songwriter and social activist has achieved something akin to legendary status in his own lifetime. From the pioneering days with the highly influential Sands Family, bringing Irish Music from New York's Carnegie Hall to Moscow's Olympic Stadium, he has developed into one of the most powerful songwriters and enchanting solo performers in Ireland today. His songwriting, which draws the admiration of N

Scottish band fuse past with the present for upcoming gig

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A SCOTTISH band which fuses the music of the past and the present with effortless ease to create music of a unique sound, is coming to Worcester. Under their banner ‘Forward with Scotland’s Past’ Battlefield Band are inspired by their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength of their country’s cultural scene. MIxing old songs and new self-penned material the four-piece band play on a fusion of ancient and modern instruments such as bagpipes, fiddle, synthesisers, guitar, cittern, flute, bodhran and accordion. After 40 years in the industry the band is still going strong and leading the way for Scottish music introducing new musicians and music and always involving their growing worldwide fan base. Visitors to Worcester’s Huntingdon Hall will be able to judge the band for themselves when they appear on Tuesday, October 13. The performance begins at 8pm. Battlefield Band is made up of Alan Reid, Mike Katz, Alasdair White and Sean O’Donnell and the group say they play conte

Fun for all ages at Graig' festivals

By Staff Reporter GRAIGNAMANAGH showed off what it has to offer this past weekend as its two annual festivals – the Town of Books Festival and Féile Freaney – brought a selection of books, music and other entertainment from Friday to Sunday. The Féile Freaney trad music festival kicked things off with a gala concert in Duiske Abbey on Friday night. Drawing a near-capacity crowd including some well known local musicians, headlining band Líadan gave a beautiful and energetic performance which could easily inspired a listener or two to partake of the variety of workshops on offer in the town as part of the festival. The six-piece band including fiddles, harp, piano accordion, flutes and tin whistle delighted the crowd with their lively jigs and reels, but the highlight for this listener was their enchanting songs, in particular those sung by Valerie Casey, with a voice reminiscent of Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. Their powerful harmonies filled the abbey with beautiful precision, each voi

Bagatelle to be honored in New York

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Legendary Irish band Bagatelle, who have been playing together since the late 1970’s, will be honored at an event in New York City on Thursday, October 1 for their contribution to Irish music. The event celebrates their 30 year anniversary, with proceeds going to benefit the Widows and Children Fund of fallen members of the NYPD. Created by New York singer-songwriter, Enda Keegan, The Streets Of New York Benefit, named after the song by Bagatelle frontman Liam Reilly, will honor the Irish rockers for all they have given to the world through their music and for opening doors for others who have followed. “We are so excited to have the opportunity to honor Liam & Bagatelle” said Timothy Bergin, President of the Emerald Society. Performers for the event, which will begin at 6 p.m. at P.D. O’Hurley’s Bar Pier 84, 44th and 12thAve in New York City, include Bagatelle, Joe Hurley and the Gents, and Enda Keegan. Advance ticket sales are available for $30 and at the door for $35. Tickets ca

Tulla festival a feast of culture

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By Paul Keating Tulla, Co. Clare -- It would seem to be one of those scenarios where it would be bringing “coals to Newcastle” to call over the Atlantic and to New Jersey, in particular, for a couple of musicians to deliver jigs and reels in an area that had no shortage of them in the tradition. The East Clare area around Tulla and neighboring East Galway and Tipperary across the Shannon share a bountiful traditional music legacy that has played a large part in making the scene as robust as it is. By inviting Mike Rafferty from Hasbrouck Heights and Willie Kelly from Boonton to headline the Tulla Trad Music Festival over the weekend of September 11-13 in Tulla, the organizing committee recognized the continuum aspect of reeling in the music wherever it may have traveled from the banks of the Shannon. The lovely music contained in their new CD The New Broom merited a launch here on the opening Friday night and a special place on the Sunday concert slot, and once again added to a wonderf

A night of Irish Music

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Probably only the Irish would celebrate the first Irish Music night six months to the day before St. Paddy’s Day! It’s short notice but on Thursday 17th September, the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre will play host to two of the area’s most talented folk musicians – Phil Trainor and Bill O’Brien Bill O’Brian has been gigging around the Costa Blanca for many years now and he has long pedigree in the music business having has toured Europe with Rory Gallagher, played in the Paris Olympia as part of Chuck Berry’s touring band, gigged in the Wembley Arena in a Country Music Festival, formed one of Ireland’s first Punk band in Cork in 1977 and played at more Irish weddings than he can recall! His first band, however, was an Irish Folk group and it is to this music, the foundation of much of what is good in the best of world music today, that he returns in the company of Phil Trainor. Bill plays guitar, harmonica, bouzouki and (when he can get his hands on one) banjo. He sings a few song

Irish Music Festival kicks off Friday in Muskegon

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The Holland Sentinel Posted Sep 15, 2009 @ 05:11 PM Muskegon, MI — The annual Michigan Irish Music Festival returns to Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon Friday through Sunday, with a complete weekend of live Irish entertainment, activities and culture. Presented by Mercy General Health Partners, the festival features live Irish and Celtic music on three covered stages. Festival favorites returning this year include Seamus Kennedy, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Switchback, Craic Wisely, Old Blind Dogs, Fonn Mor, and Blackthorn. In addition, several new bands will make an appearance at this year’s festival including Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, Solas, Slide, and The Makem & Spain Brothers. Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, masters of fiddle, are two of the world’s most celebrated fiddlers. They also happen to be married. Together, Natalie and Donnell are a whirlwind of fiddle-driven music, dance and song. Festival guests will have the chance to hear the fruits of this renowned mu

CEOLTA ÉIREANN

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50th anniversary CD release of first Gael Linn LP www.gael-linn.ie Gael Linn is Ireland’s oldest recording company. Its first LP was issued in 1958 and to commemorate it we are now re-issuing the album on CD for the first time. Prior to issuing an LP, Gael Linn had been issuing gramophone records (78s) since 1957 where songs and music were featured on alternate sides. The same order was followed for the first LP. On the CD, Cork baritone Tomás Ó Súilleabháin sings eight well-known songs in Irish. Interestingly, the arrangement and piano accompaniment were by Seán Ó Riada, making this Ó Riada’s first commercial recording. Ó Súilleabháin, who is now retired and living in Dublin, was a regular guest on radio programmes in the 1950s and 60s. During this time, he also toured the States with singers and musiciians who included the late Dermot Troy and Veronica Dunne. Tomás’s personal favourite on the album is Seán Ó Duibhir a’ Ghleanna. The album contains Irish airs arranged by contemporary

Cavan town to host Fleadh 2010

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It was the worst kept secret in this region for months, but Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann has finally confirmed that Cavan town will host Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2010. Cavan is celebrating the announcement following a meeting at Comhaltas headquarters in Monkstown, Dublin on September 12, at which the Ardchomhairle voted to stage Ireland's premier traditional culture event in the Lake County. The Director General of Comhaltas, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, said that Tullamore, who has hosted the event for the past three years, has set the bar very high for future venues. "Their innovation, dedication, professionalism, hospitality and attention to detail were inspiring. They have placed our cultural traditions on a pedestal and have raised the morale of the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the Fleadhanna for the last three years". Speaking after the announcement, the County Arts Officer, Catriona O'Reilly said the Fleadh will greatly enrich the cultural life of