Irish Trad Music Blog

AMHERST -- Irish music and dance will come together on stage Saturday during the eighth annual Winter Fest, host by local band Green Tea. "I like this event, because it's about everyone coming together," said Trevor Roark, event organizer and a member of Green Tea. "We have such a diverse group -- local dancers, competitive dancers, musicians from Madison who focus on traditional Irish music and (Green Tea), who focus more on making our own kind of Irish music. And we are all coming together for the love of music and dance." This year's event again will feature a matinee concert with the O'Dell Irish Dancers of Stevens Point performing with Green Tea, as well as an evening show with the An Blas Quartet of Madison and the Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancers of Milwaukee performing with Green Tea. "This is really exciting, because typically people don't see dancers on stage with local bands," Roark said. "What (Green Tea does) i...

The Ulster Council of Comhaltas has reversed its decision not to endorse Derry's bid to host the All-Ireland Fleadh. It followed a meeting of senior officers last night. The Derry branch of Comhaltas had appealed against the decision of the organisation's Ulster Council not to put the city forward as host. A decision on whether the city will host 2013's event will now take place this weekend. At a meeting of Derry Comhaltas last Wednesday, members voted 13-1 in favour of the bid. However, after two dissident republican bombs exploded in the city last week, the Ulster council turned down the bid. Comhaltas promotes traditional Irish music and culture around the world. On Sunday, the organisation's Ulster council said it was impossible to support the city's bid to host the popular music and dance festival because of the danger from dissident violence. It said that with "deep regret and long consideration", it was turning down the bid because ...

Image via Wikipedia The Derry branch of Comhaltas has appealed against the decision of the organisation's Ulster Council not to put the city forward as host for the 2013 Fleadh. At a meeting of Derry Comhaltas last Wednesday, members voted was 13-1 in favour of the bid. However, after two dissident republican bombs exploded in the city on Thursday, the Ulster council turned down the bid. Comhaltas promotes traditional Irish music and culture around the world. The Ulster council said it was impossible to support the city's bid to host the popular music and dance festival because of the danger from dissident violence. It said that with "deep regret and long consideration", it was turning down the bid because safety was paramount. The UK City of Culture organisers had been pushing to bring the Fleadh to Northern Ireland for the first time ever in 2013. But the UK link to the traditional Irish event had already proved a stumbling block with some members. D...

Image via Wikipedia Stars from Manchester’s illustrious Coronation Streetwill be performing in the world premiere of Street of Dreams, during the 2012 Manchester Irish Festival. The spectacular event will feature faces from the soap, past and present, alongside host Paul O’Grady. The show will debut at the Manchester Arena on Wednesday March 21 with the official premiere on March 22. Tickets are on sale now here; prices start from £25. After more than fifty years on air, the world’s longest running soap has a celebrated heritage of unforgettable stories and iconic characters. Award-winning musical writer, composer and lyricist Trisha Ward will be carefully crafting handpicked moments from the Street’s history. Famous faces from the past and present will include Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts), Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch), Brian Capron (Richard Hillman) and William Roche (Ken Barlow). The event’s host Paul O’Grady said: “I’m a great fan of the street! I’ve watched it for most of my lif...

Providence live at Cruise's Pub in Co.Clare. Related articles Far away fields are greener, but Irishness runs deep (uilleannpipes.blogspot.com) 2011's books on Traditional Irish Music (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) Féile Frank McCann (irishbodhran.blogspot.com) Local musicians to feature on Comhaltas (irishconcertina.blogspot.com) Standing ovation for Irish music legend (From Salisbury Journal) (irishbodhran.blogspot.com)

Video from 1981 with Peac Gately, Tommie Kildea, Tim Dolan, Peter Nestor, Patsy Hanly & Pakie Duignan.

Jolting 2012's Celtic Connection festival into all go, Bela Fleck And The Flecktones were the opening act for this year's globally renowned folk, roots and world music festival. Incorporating over 300 events into 18 days, the Royal Concert Hall, on the crest of the city centre, played host to the opening event. After a previous parting, this evening's show marked the European debut for the quartet's return after their release of Rocket Science last year propelled them into the Billboard, iTunes and SoundScan Jazz charts. Each part of the unit known for their musicianship and innovation as a solo artist, as well as a group, their unity alongside some special Celtic Connection guests had an enthusiastic crowd perched on the edge of their seats for this evening's show. Their incredibly unique style musically is mirrored visually in their four appearances. Often leaning towards the experimental side of things, an elaborate fusion of bluegrass, jazz and folk, only s...

A documentary by journalists / film makers Malou Fickling and Robert Gustafsson about Traditional Irish music in a changing Ireland. Set in rural and urban Ireland (Donegal and Dublin) this piece takes a look at the history, themes, preservation and evolution of Irish music. Musicians interviewed include Martin Tourish (TG4 Young Musician of the year 2008), Danny Diamond and Dinny McLaughlin.

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr Sinn Fein has said there is a "real danger" that the all-Ireland fleadh will not come to Londonderry in 2013. A meeting of the Irish music organisation Comhaltas was held in the city on Wednesday night to discuss the issue, but members could not agree. Sinn Fein's Martina Anderson said some County Derry members are opposed to hosting the event in 2013 because of the title the UK City of Culture. "It is deeply disappointing," she said. "My understanding is that County Derry branches are against it and the city branches are for it." The fleadh attracts a quarter of a million people and City of Culture organisers are pushing to bring the event to the city next year. Derry's bid cannot proceed without the local delegates' approval. If the fleadh is awarded to the city it will be the first time it will come north of the border. BBC News - Sinn Fein warns Derry could lose out on fleadh Rel...

Image via Wikipedia The Pride of New York is returning to East Haven this weekend. The Irish American Community Center, 9 Venice Place in East Haven, will once again play host to the traditional Irish music band, for a special performance Saturday, Jan. 7, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Event organizers said when the Irish American supergroup — Joanie Madden on flute/whistle, Billy McComiskey on accordion, Brian Conway on fiddle; and Brendan Dolan on keyboard — played the community center last year, the concert was a sell out. For Saturday's performance, donations are $20 at the door. For more information, call John O’Donovan at 203-281-3563, Pat Stratton at 860-664-1600 or Mary Chesley 203-317-0249. 'Pride of New York' Reels Its Way Into East Haven - East Haven, CT Patch Related articles Cathy Jordan Interview - Leitrim Equation 2 (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) Ever-growing Banjo Burke Festival returns to the Catskills (irishtradmusic.blogspot.com) Talún in Concert,...