Irish Trad Music Blog

Having 60 years of tradition is enough reason to celebrate, but the traditions of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann go back far longer then its 60 years in operation. Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann is an international organization aimed at promoting and preserving traditional Irish culture. The 415 branches in 15 countries gather to uphold traditional Irish music and promote and foster the Irish language. Here in Kingston, the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Harp of Tara Branch has been operating for 31 years. For the 60th anniversary of the organization, the Kingston branch hosted representatives from branches throughout the Canada East region, which covers Ontario and all provinces east of it. It was for that reason that the Irish Ambassador to Canada, Ray Bassett, made a stop in Kingston this past weekend, where he presented awards of recognition to members of each branch in Canada East. "Comhalts is a very important organization, keeping alive the traditional music and general traditio...

NORTHBOROUGH — Direct from Prince Edward Island, Canada, to Northborough, will be the extraordinary talents of fiddler Roy Johnstone and singer/songwriter Steve Sharratt. Invited to perform in town by resident (and traditional music fan) Liam Kearney, the performers will appear on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on West Main Street. While well-recognized in the field of traditional music - and the winners of multiple awards together and separately - organizers say the foot-stamping appeal of Roy & Steve can only be truly appreciated when you hear them live. In Northborough, they plan to perform the best of their Celtic and folk tunes along with original songs and some fine new gypsy tunes. Johnstone and Sharratt come from the red cliff shores of Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province. As long-time performing partners and accomplished recording artists, they will bring their toe tapping kitchen party music to venues across New Hampshire, ...

Kick up your heels for A Celtic Family Evening with the Martin Family Band Saturday, Oct. 15, at Bucks County Community College. The show, featuring Irish and American fiddle tunes and Irish step dance routines, gets underway at 7:30 p.m. in the Gateway Auditorium on the campus at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown. The band revolves around the eight-member Martin family: parents Nelson and Elaine, 20-year-old Emily, 18-year-old Melissa, 15-year-old Brian, 13-year-old Christy, 10-year-old Zach and 5-year-old Alex. Nearly all play the fiddle, while Emily adds bagpipes and banjo, Melissa picks up the accordion and Irish whistle, and Nelson and Brian play guitar. Family friend Earl Pyles completes the group on drums. Traditional Irish step-dancing and storytelling round out the program. A reception follows the show, where audience members can meet the performers and enjoy free refreshments, many of which are homemade. Tickets are $15. Children under age 12 are free. Proceeds benefit CCC Celt, which ...

Image via Wikipedia THREE SISTERS from Newcastle swept the board at the recent 2011 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, coming away with three coveted pieces of silverware. Between them, Lottie, Courtney and Katie Cullen brought home all of Wicklow's three titles from the 53rd Fleadh Cheoil which took place in Cavan at the end of August. Lottie was the first to show her hand to the competition when the 16 year old played the Uilleann pipes in the Under 18 competition. A member of the Craobh Chualann branch of Comhaltas Ceolteori Eireann and previous winner of five All-Ireland titles, Lottie soon made it clear that the competition from England, America and beyond were no match for her playing skills. Her title winning performance was so impressive, that the teenager was asked to take a starring role in the opening ceremony of the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle, Co. Meath, last weekend. Fresh from her Under 18 win, Lottie joined her sister Courtney to represent Leinster in the highly c...

The Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and Heartbeat Music© announce The 1st Annual Fairfax Feis - Festival of Irish Music and Dance http://www.fairfaxfeis.com. The Feis will be held October 14-15th in venues throughout downtown Fairfax in Marin County, California. A Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and cultural festival modeled in the traditional Irish Flead Cheoil where music, dance and poetry and storytelling go on in pubs all throughout the towns. This is the 1st Feis to be modeled on the traditional Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland to be held in northern California. Lineup for the Feis: Girsa, Todd Denman & Friends, Shay & Michael Black, Dale Russ, Brosnan School of Irish Dancing, Culann’s Hounds, Kyle Alden, Lucia Comnes Band, Gerry Carthy, Colm Ó Riain, Gerry Forde, The Gas Men,The Mild Colonial Boys, Tipsy House, Vinnie Cronin & Barry O ’Connell, Pat Hamilton, Iseult Jordan & Liz Stires, Riggy Rackin, Pat & Sean O Donnell, Healy School of Irish Dance, Sinead & Roisin...

The Ward Irish Music Archives will host the 7th annual American Sheet Music Conference this weekend at the Irish Fest Center, 1532 Wauwatosa Ave., Wauwatosa. Dealers and collectors of antique sheet music from across America, as well as teachers, professors and artists, are expected at the conference. The event begins at 4 p.m. Friday with a swap meet of music-related items. A series of seminars will be held on Saturday. Closing out the conference is ragtime entertainment in a program called "Sunday Cabaret with Bill Edwards." The event is open to the public. Admission is $5 each day. For more information, visit www.irishfest.com. Ward Irish Music Archives hosts American Sheet Music Conference - JSOnline :

The composer’s groundbreaking arrangements of traditional music had a formative influence on an entire generation, writes SIOBHÁN LONG FISHERMAN, PHILOSOPHER and polyglot; broadcaster, composer and arranger: Seán Ó Riada occupies a place somewhere between that of a tortured genius and what you could term an iconoclassicist. This year, the 40th anniversary of his death and the 80th anniversary of his birth, offers a timely opportunity to delve beneath the surface of this maestro whose legacy is still debated in both traditional and classical music circles. Those who have made Ó Riada’s acquaintance second-hand through his music might struggle to understand what all the fuss was about. Who was this man who cut a swathe through our characterisation of Irish cultural identity from the early 1950s to the late 1960s? Was he truly the white knight who rescued traditional music from the lower caste to which it had been consigned? Did Ó Riada’s film scores (in particular, that for Mise Éire ...