Irish Trad Music Blog

"Lovers of Irish music (especially lovers of the Young Dubliners) can get tickets the the Utah Irish Music Festival Thursday for just $9.87, thanks to a promotion with KBEE 98.7FM. It all starts with Todd and Erin in the Morning and will go on until midnight. People can go to any Smithstix outlet, to www.smithstix.com or to the station at www.b987.com This promotion is for tomorrow only." Utah Irish Music Festival tickets on deep discount Thursday | Burger with Relish: Music | The Salt Lake Tribune : Related articles Surviving an ordeal, a week to study music and humming through Irish (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) The wonder of Ireland transcends time (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council hosting an evening of champagne, an Irish supper and Celtic music (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) Jazz-trad fusion at Matt Molloy's (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com)

Despite dwelling in the thick of mainstream French Quarter tourist draws, the Kerry Irish Pub is more cozy local music den than tourist trap. The pub has performers scheduled most nights with many traditional Irish acts among them. That’s what seemed to be on offer just the other night when I dropped by, too. From the back of the long, narrow room I could hear a guitar giving way to what I thought was a bodhrán, the traditional Irish drum with its distinctive, galloping beat. It just sounded that way, however. In fact it proved to be a telling trick from the man on stage, Danny Burns. The singer/songwriter was performing solo on the Kerry’s tiny stage, and at the crescendo of this particular song he whipped his much-worn, hole-pocked acoustic guitar into such a frenzy that it indeed sounded like a bodhrán in action. This was Danny Burns all over. A native of Donegal, Ireland, and now well rooted in New Orleans, his music can be by turns traditional or of-the-moment contemporary. ...

Image via Wikipedia The Irish love of a party was evident everywhere in Galway City during the couple of days we were there. We arrived during the 57th Annual International Oyster Festival -a celebration that coincides with the crustacean's harvest season. It's location on the banks of the River Corrib at the bend of Galway Bay which empties into the sea makes it a prime place for such an event. The festivities of the Oyster Gala evening had begun earlier in the day with a rollicking street parade, featuring energetic strains of traditional Irish music, fancy vintage cars and the crowning of the comely Oyster Pearl, who presents the mayor with an oyster -a tradition since 1954. That evening, at the gala, we witnessed what looked like a mob dance, but this one occurred not in the streets but rather in a formal dining hall, replete with white-clothed tables and guests in cocktail dresses and tuxes. Without prompting, but as if on cue, hundreds of people stood on their chairs, tw...

As a true testament to their love for traditional Irish music and their Irish heritage, eight young girlfriends got together and formed their own band they named "Girsa" - which is Gaelic for "young girls." Although the girls have been grown for some time, they still remain close and continue their tradition of making Irish music. Since their start in 2005 in their hometown of Pearl River, New York, the members of Girsa have released two albums. The first one, "Traditional Irish Music," was followed by the second, more recent release called "A Sweeter Place." Audience members at the Woodbridge Middle School - Irish or not - were mesmerized by the girls' rhythmic music instrumental talents, and surprising vocal range. Joan Brennan, a resident of Woodbridge who is of Irish heritage, was truly moved by the girls' show. "They are very good, I thought they were so good that I bought their CD," said Brennan, who purchased the di...

Image via Wikipedia Galway singer/songwriter Seán Tyrrell has spent the last month touring the country with fellow musicians Ronan Browne and Kevin Glackin to promote their new collaborative CD And So the Story Goes – a selection of songs, jigs and reels. In his newly published book about the Burren, writer and journalist PAUL CLEMENTS interviewed Seán at his home at Dooneen near Bellharbour where he explained how influential the area has been to his musical career. Born into a musical family in Galway in 1943, Seán Tyrrell’s playing pedigree stretches back to the 1960s when he performed in the Fo’castle Club in the city. He emigrated in 1968 to the US playing professionally and singing in Irish bars in New York and San Francisco on what he calls ‘the corned beef and cabbage circuit’. In 1976 he returned home and went to live in Kerry before moving to Clare where he was appointed caretaker at the UCG research station at Carron. One day he was walking with a friend at Eagle’s Rock in...

Image via Wikipedia A reward of €1,000 has been offered for information on a herd of wild goats that has gone missing from Co Waterford. Around 20 goats disappeared from hills around Passage East one night a few weeks ago - they have not been seen since. Searches of the area, including some by the local search and rescue helicopter, have proved fruitless. Gardaí are investigating, as is the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. A wild goat herd has been on the hills above Passage for at least 200 years. Gardaí are investigating reports that the goats were rounded up by sheepdogs and loaded onto a lorry. Those who took the goats left behind one puck and seven kids. There are reports that they will be - or have already been - killed to make bodhráns. A local resident has now put up a €500 reward for information leading to the finding of the goats, with the Passage East car ferry company matching that amount. Anybody with information is asked to contact gard...

Clarksville, TN – The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council is hosting an evening of champagne, an Irish supper and Celtic music at the Customs House Museum at 6:00pm on Friday, June 17th. Irish country music will be performed by Vintage Wildflowers, stopping in Clarksville as part of their first tour, highlighted by a Washington, D.C., performance for the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage Concert Series. With their vibrant blend of three-part harmonies backed by Celtic harp, Irish flute and fiddle, Vintage Wildflowers has developed an enthusiastic legion of fans. Acclaimed for their instrumental prowess, onstage charm and soulful vocals, they are equally at home on a huge festival stage, formal concert hall or in someone’s living room. Vintage Wildflowers features Dana Fitzgerald Maher on Celtic harp, vocals and bodhran; Melissa Schiavone on Irish flute, whistle, lead vocals and banjo; and Abby Bozarth on fiddle, mandolin, vocals and guitar. Tickets are $25.00 and ...

Image via Wikipedia  James Joyce, author of the epic novel 'Ulysses,' has amassed a following of epic proportions since his novel's 1922 publication. On Thursday, Joyce enthusiasts around the world will convene for Bloomsday, an annual celebration of the novelist and his work. Named after the book’s protagonist Leopold Bloom, Bloomsday has been taking place each year since 1954 on June 16, the single date on which the novel, set in Dublin, Ireland, takes place. This year, the 107th Bloomsday, holds particular significance for Joyce fans since it falls on Thursday, the same day the novel takes place. Following is a guide to Bloomsday celebrations around the city this Thursday: A Bloomsday Invitation: Ulysses Meets Twitter 2011 Joyce enthusiasts can now celebrate this annual event from the comfort of their homes and Wi-Fi hot spots, train cars and cubicles if they're on Twitter. Steve Cole, who is the brains behind "Ulysses Meets Twitter 2011," has asked so...

"I never have to speak Irish ever again YAAAAAAY -- Sarah Love how I spent Irish Paper 2 humming George Michael to myself instead of actually doing work -- Jennifer Only two exams left. My mind is blown. How on earth have I survived this ordeal? -- Ellen Irish Paper 2 was easy, total of 17 pages wrote, so proud of myself! Nearly there now, three exams then a week off to study music -- James Business was alright, if I had done more study it would have been amazing! -- Tony Now I don't regret only doing Business Studies in one year. Used the whole book and had to ask for more -- Laura Business was good, and the Junior Cert isn't half as bad as I thought it would be! Hopefully this keeps up -- Sinead Ah sure it's just the Junior Cert -- Niamh Boards.ie Irish Paper 2 was grand, hopefully I pass now! But the most important thing is that I NEVER HAVE TO SPEAK IRISH AGAIN -- Soccymonster Beautiful beautiful Sean O'Riordan, thank you for appearing on Ir...

Cover of Gráda GRÁDA are one of Ireland’s most successful touring bands, performing over 150 concerts across the globe annually at major festivals and venues such as The National Geographic Headquarters in Washington DC, The Royal Glasgow Concert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Their sound is deeply rooted in the Irish tradition, but also layered with fresh, jazzy tones and strong rhythmic grooves. Indeed, The Washington Post recently said that Gráda “is Irish music what Arcade Fire is to Indie - informal, prodigious and full of spirit”. The band has released three critically-acclaimed CDs to date and have just finished recording their fourth in Nashville with bluegrass and Grammy Award-winning icon and producer, Tim O’Brien. The album also features the legendary John Gardner on drums and US banjo great Alison Brown. Some of the musicians in the group include Nicola Joyce (vocals, bodhrán), who hails from Galway and Gerry Paul (guitar, banjo, vocals) who is well known ar...

Image via Wikipedia This was my third trip in five years to Ireland. It was unique because I traveled with two of my daughters, with the desire to connect them to their Irish heritage. When a country the size of Ireland has been populated for 5,000 years, it is understandable people see a thread that weaves through generations. My first visit was pure adventure and restorative a week with my wife and some 30 other sojourners who shared a time with poet David Whyte in thatched-roof cottages in Ballyvaughn, County Clare. We pondered the words of poets about life and spirit and the truth many of us seek. We hiked in a soft rain on an ancient limestone path of the Burren to an old burial site where large tumbled blocks of stone marked a civilization that reached back 1,500 years. One Irishman called upon the spirit of his father, believing we never are disconnected from our past, and that we are better for such. Something about the country wrapped around me warmly like one of those...

Image by wallyg via Flickr STATEN ISLAND, NY -- The Staten Ireland Irish Fair will celebrate its lucky 13th this weekend. Packed with a full slate of entertainment for all ages, the two-day event will feature plenty of shamrock sounds, Green Isle grub and Celtic crafts and even a kiddie zone called Leprechaun Land. Founded in 1999, the event supports the St. Columcille Irish Cultural Center’s ongoing goal to raise enough money to purchase property for a new building. The organization is currently operating out of a shared space at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in Livingston. “It’s really blowing up this year,” said John Leary, the fair’s marketing director. “It’s become so well-known that the acts are contacting us now.” Organizers stepped up the profile this year, reaching beyond Staten Island via postings in bars and restaurants, print ads and on the ferry billboards. They even created a Facebook page — 4,000 friends strong — that managed to catch the atte...

Cover of The Tannahill Weavers When The Tannahill Weavers released their first album “Are Ye Sleeping Maggie?” in 1976, they were about to rouse some people from a slumber. While The Tannies, as they are known to many, perform Scottish traditional music, the traditional music scene was about due for a wake-up call, suggested original member and guitarist and vocalist Roy Gullane. “I think we came along at a time when the traditional music was in need of a breath of fresh air. It was getting bogged down in the quasi-Scottish thing.” On the BBC (or more specifically, BBC Scotland), it was not uncommon to see performers “dressed in tartan and singing in an operatic manner. Young people were turning off,” Gullane recalled. Enter The Tannies. “We took it back a step and added guitars,” Gullane said. “We were at the age where we could do something to it without getting away from the origins of it.” As one review noted, the music was old-time Celtic (and not operatic Celtic) but the d...

Image via Wikipedia NORWOOD -- The Norwood Village Green Concert Series welcomes Adirondack harpist Martha Gallagher, percussionist Brian Melick and mime dancer Karen Montanaro, and legendary Irish music family band McPeake to the band shell over the next several days. On Thursday, June 9, Gallagher, Melick and Montanaro will give two shows, first at 1 p.m. for Norwood-Norfolk Elementary, and then at 7 p.m. for the public. A singer, harper, composer/songwriter, arranger and recording artist, Gallagher has gained international renown, changing the way people perceive the harp and harp music. She has taken the instrument through and beyond it’s stereotypical boundaries of classical and traditional music, into the territories of blues, jazz, world and contemporary music. Melick has been actively involved with music for the past 30 years and has developed a wide range of experience as a drummer, multi hand percussionist, and as an educator. He has been a featured artist on over 300...

Cover of Andy Irvine ABOCURRAGH is Irish folk doyen Andy Irvine's first solo album this century. The aberration is partially explained by his insatiable thirst for travelling and touring, and his involvement with the revered ensembles Planxty, Patrick Street and Mozaik. Irvine, who recently completed his umpteenth tour of Australia, has used the talents of members of two of those bands for his latest release, multi-instrumentalist (and set producer) Donal Lunny predominantly. With Lunny and uilleann pipes master Liam O'Flynn lending their expertise, the evocative opening reading of Three Huntsmen certainly carries the legendary Planxty imprimatur. The fiddles of Rens van der Zalm and Bruce Molsky, on the other hand, invest one of the other traditional songs, James Magee, with a Mozaik feel. Another member of that multicultural quintet, Nikola Parov, on kaval (Balkan flute) and nyckelharpa (a stringed Swedish instrument), combines with a foot-defying time signature to lend The D...

Cover of James Joyce THE EXPIRY of the copyright on James Joyce’s Ulysses next year will liberate the text from the “notoriously restrictive” instincts of his grandson Stephen Joyce, the co-ordinator of the Bloomsday festival has said. Stacey Herbert said those trying to organise celebrations of the book often found themselves without permission to do so by Joyce’s Paris-based grandson. To date the only place where public readings of Ulysses are allowed are on Bloomsday in the James Joyce Centre in North Great George’s Street. As organisations and individuals as diverse as the State, the Abbey Theatre and Cork University Press have found, the Joyce estate, whose main trustee is Stephen Joyce, is fiercely protective of the writer’s work. Ms Herbert said this year’s Bloomsday celebrations, which take place on Thursday, June 16th, will be the last where such restrictions will be observed. She said the lifting of the copyright restrictions would be celebrated by a flash mob next ...

"ASTORIA, Ore. and LONG BEACH, Wash. - Violinist Kathryn Claire and flutist Hanz Araki will play two concerts on the coast June 10 and 11. The Old Long Beach Train Depot at 102 N.W. Third St. in Long Beach, Wash. will host the duo from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 10. There is a $5 cover charge. The two move on to Astoria Saturday, June 11, to play at 9 p.m. at Hazel's Tavern at 1313 Marine Drive. There is no cover charge for this concert. Irish flute player Araki is the quintessential world music musician. He has performed around the world with the Juno Award-winning Paperboys, The Bridies, Casey Neill and an all-star tribute to The Pogues called KMRIA. He has played with the Seattle Symphony, the University of Washington Wind Ensemble and is featured on more than a dozen recordings and soundtracks, from feature films and documentaries to popular video games." Kathryn Claire and Hanz Araki play live Celtic music - Coast Weekend: Arts : Related articles Shawnee Celti...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife BEAUTIFUL Enniscrone of the magical sunsets is all ready to host its third festival featuring country and Irish music as well as céilí dancing. The Diamond Coast Hotel will host the Country and Céilí Welcome Home Festival from Sunday, June 12 to Thursday, June 16. Hundreds of revellers are expected to descend on the small Sligo coastal town from home and abroad. The five-day festival will gets under way with Dermot Hegarty on stage from 3pm to 5pm on the Sunday. Dancing on the Sunday night will be to Patsy and Majella and Lisa Stanley and the Enjoy Travel Band while Triogue play for the céilí. Kieran White plays the afternoon session on Monday with Safire and TR Dallas on stage for the dancing later in the night. Céilí Time provide the music for the céilí and set dancers on both Monday and Tuesday nights. A new feature this year is the concert with Ray Lynam on Tuesday night, followed by dancing to the Ger Long duo and Pat Jordan and the resident ...

Image via Wikipedia "When you are immersed in the field of entertainment either for business reasons or cultural ones, it is very easy to overlook people who fly under the radar for getting ink, airwave or digital attention for their efforts, but on closer examination things would not succeed without them. For my purposes I would like signal out just a few here on my periscope on the cultural side of things because of a timely nature. I’m just down from the Catskill Mountains from the first harbinger of the summer season in East Durham, that being the 34th annual East Durham Irish Festival over the Memorial Day Weekend. Shepherding it all those years has been its director, Tom McGoldrick, who has been a Catskill legend since his family ran one of its more popular resorts for many years, the Weldon House on Route 145 in the heart of the important and historic Irish American village." Summer starts to heat up - Irish music events in New York | IrishCentral : Related arti...

RANGELEY — Girsa, an eight-piece, all-female Irish band based in New York, will make its first tour of Maine in mid-June. Performances will be at Lakeside Theater on Tuesday, June 14; Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in Carthage on Wednesday, June 15; and Unity College Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, June 16. The women of Girsa, who are from the Pearl River, N.Y., have been playing traditional Irish music, dancing and singing together for most of their young lives. Many are the daughters of musicians and Irish immigrants. All have had the distinction of representing the United States at the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann and several hold titles in various instruments. They have all known each other since childhood and started Girsa, which means “young girls” in Gaelic, a little more than four years ago. The group holds numerous titles, including first place at a busking competition at the Festival in Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick in May 2005. "Now that I...

Irish  and traditional music news in Swedish: Irländsk folkmusik webbplats

Image via Wikipedia "With over 10 free gigs, one headline event and a whole lot of foot stompin’, who needs a tent when you have Irish pubs? Top-class local, national and international folk and bluegrass acts will be playing a plethora of free gigs in venues throughout the beautiful town of Westport over the last weekend in June. Musicians and singers near and far are tuning up their instruments and soaking their vocal cords in honey (or whiskey) in anticipation of the annual Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. Now in its fifth year, the festival will once again treat music lovers to a host of free gigs, as well as a music workshop, a musical lunch and a great big dollop of fun. The Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival began life as one man’s dream to create a unique festival in the town in which he lived. After running into a brick wall when trying to book singer/songwriter Jimmy McCarthy for a one-off gig in the town, Uri Kohen decided enough was enough. Westport needed to b...

Image via Wikipedia Maleny rings with the sound of fiddles, flutes, harps and drums when the third Celtic Winter School happens on June 17 -19. Its winter on the range, a time of sparkling days and flying fiddles. In Maleny, a town with a long musical history, the Maleny Ceili Band is excitedly preparing to play for the dance, and musicians of every ability are coming to learn from world-class teachers. The Maleny Celtic Winter School is a weekend of classes at all levels, and local musicians organise it with one great aim in mind: to get everyone playing music together. "Irish music is social music," said Nicole Murray, organiser and this year's singing tutor. "Its welcoming, its huge fun. You don't have to play well to start joining in, so its very satisfying from early on. And we have brilliant tutors coming to show us the art of great playing." The teachers at this year's school will be working with raw beginners, right through to top players. ...