Irish Trad Music Blog

John McKenna Traditional Festival 2012 June 7th to 10th 2012 sees the hosting of the 17th annual John McKenna Traditional Music Festival in Drumkeeran, Co. Leitrim. As in former years the programme offers a varied programme to suit all tastes information: info@johnmckenna.ie John McKenna Traditional Festival 2012 | The John McKenna Traditional Music Society : Related articles Barney McKenna The police chief who saved Irish folk music Joe Mooney Summer School Irish Music Kicking off the 14th annual Arts Festival at Boston College on April 26

Cover of Altan Beidh an grúpa iomráiteach Altan ag seinm ag ceolchoirm mhór a bheidh ar siúl ar an bpríomhstáitse i ndugaí na Gaillimhe mar chuid de Lá na Gaeilge, ag ceiliúradh cuairt rás mór an Volvo ar chathair na Gaillimhe. In éineacht leo beidh aíonna óna ceantair Ghaeltachta eile timpeall na tíre. Is é an Déardaoin, 5 Iúil, atá roghnaithe mar Lá na Gaeilge agus tá na grúpaí Gaeilge ar fad i gCathair na Gaillimhe ag teacht le chéile chun a chinntiú go mbeidh deis ag na cuairteoirí, chomh maith le pobal na Gaillimhe féin, blaiseadh den teanga a fháil. Ar na grúpaí a bheidh páirteach tá Údarás na Gaeltachta; le seastán acu sa Global Village chun ardán a thabhairt don Ghaeltacht; Conradh na Gaeilge a mbeidh ag eagrú ranganna Gaeilge do chuairteoirí; Gaillimh le Gaeilge a mbeidh gníomhach le comhlachtaí agus siopaí na Gaillimhe, agus Músaem na Cathrach a mbeidh ag seoladh clár imeachtaí dá chuid féin don ócáid..

Bencorr from across Lough Inagh, part of the Twelve Bens, County Galway (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) By Kernan Andrews THE GALWAY Sessions festival, a celebration of the folk and traditional musics of Ireland, Scotland, and America, will hold its festival club at Monroe’s The Backstage Bar. Each night the club will open with a show, followed by a session with visiting and local musicians until late. The Galway Sessions runs from June 11 to 17. The festival club opening night is on Wednesday June 13 at 9pm and is entitled The Atlantic Steps. It will feature sean-nós dancer Brian Cunningham and Galway trad/bluegrass/world music band Fling. The Atlantic Pirates take to the stage on Thursday 14 at 10pm. This troupe of balladeers - James Gallagher (banjo/vocals), Wayne Wilder (guitar/vocals), Stephen ‘Pecker’ Dunne jr (banjo/vocals), and Iven ‘The German’ Markquard (fiddle) - cut their teeth on the streets of Galway and are now making their effortless transition to the live stage. P...

Conal O'Grada in Fairfield, CT (Photo credit: mcurry ) Two of Irish music's best-known faces are coming to Nelson for Queen's Birthday weekend and the Ceol Aneas Irish music festival. Festival spokesperson Brendyn Montgomery said flute player extraordinaire Conal O'Grada inspired an entire generation of flute players with his album The Top of Coom in the 1990s, and Benny McCarthy is the accordion player with the well-known band Danu. The Ceol Aneas programme features music classes, artist workshops, a ceili dance, a tutors' concert, and traditional Irish music pub sessions' running into the wee hours. Thanks to funding from the Irish Government, Conal and Benny are coming all the way from Ireland exclusively for the festival. "Acts of their calibre would usually come to Australia as well so it's a good thing for us," Brendyn said. Joining them are countrywomen Louise Phelan (fiddle) and Cliodhna Costello, all-Ireland banjo champion in 2003...

Maeve Gilchrist, Anna Colliton, Cara Frankowicz and Nicole Rabata have been called North America's most powerful new traditional Irish music group. The Forge is ironclad Irish trad all the way, with its members hailing from both sides of the Atlantic. They are the next concert coming to the region through the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts. The Forge will be appearing at the Colebrook Country Club on Monday, May 28, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $12, or can be purchased in advance at Fiddleheads, 110 Main St., in Colebrook. Gilchrist, who plays harp and sings, grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. At 17, she was awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she started to put down roots in the American roots music scene. Some of her performance highlights include the Celtic Connections Music Festival, the ICONS festival and the World Harp Festival.

Cover of John Doyle Hide your Barry’s, ladies and gentlemen, the Teetotalers, “a sensational new trio in Irish traditional music,” has hit our eastern shores!  With a lineup that consists of three superstars in Martin Hayes (Dennis Cahill, The Gloaming, Masters of Tradition), Kevin Crawford (Lúnasa) and John Doyle (Joan Baez, Solas, Liz Carroll, Green Fields of America), the Teetotalers are about to become the talk of the U.S. The first time Hayes, Crawford and Doyle played together was at the Sebastopol Celtic Festival in California in 2010, thrown together onstage in haphazard fashion and saddled with the “Teetotaler” mantle.  A somewhat inauspicious start, yes, but things seemed to click right away.  The music they made was magisterial.  They got along personally.  From there, a tour seemed like a logical next step.  “It’s the kind of side project that doesn’t happen very often and it’s been great for all involved,” Doyle told me.

Entrance to North Haven (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) There's a 50th Anniversary party coming to North Haven! The Connecticut Irish Festival will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on June 23 and 24 at the North Haven Fairgrounds, Route 5, 300 Washington Avenue. This event, sponsored by the Irish American Community Center, is the longest running Irish Festival in New England and, according to organizers, the United States. Each year thousands assemble to partake of a program featuring the finest in Irish music, dance and sports while enjoying the camaraderie of those with similar interests. Cultural offerings include language and instrumental competitions as well as genealogy, traditional music presentations, and carving demonstrations. The cultural building will also house area Irish organizations and feature an Irish bread-baking contest.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) June 1, Fri: Connecticut: West Hartford, University of Hartford, Wilde Auditorium, presented by Celtic Airs/WWUH, www.hartford.edu/hartt. June 2, Sat: Connecticut: Stratford, Stratford Theater, presented by Shamrock Traditional Music Society, www.shamrockirishmusic.org. June 3, Sun: New York: New York City, Joe’s Pub, www.joespub.com. THE TEETOTALLERS — an unprecedented new project by three of the best and busiest Irish musicians, Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, and John Doyle — make their first US tour this spring, ten East Coast dates winding up at Joe’s Pub in New York on Sunday, June 3rd. “Irish music fans should be particularly excited about The Teetotalers mini-supergroup, since all three are great collaborative players,” says The Huffington Post. The group combines fiddler Martin Hayes, Ireland’s Traditional Musician of the Year for 2008 (TG4 Gradam Ceoil awards); flute player Kevin Crawford, a member of acclaimed band Lúnasa; and singer ...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Spirit of Folk, Ireland’s newest festival ‘celebrating all things folk’, today announced the line-up and addition of an extra night for this year’s festival, once again taking place in the idyllic surroundings of Dunderry Park, Co Meath. Returning this year from 21 – 23 September, Spirit of Folk 2012 will see musicians and storytellers from all over Ireland and the UK come together for a weekend of music, arts, craft, spirituality, philosophy and folklore. This year’s family-friendly festival line up boasts an impressive mix of traditional Irish music, folk, bluegrass and country; from established Irish singer songwriters to emerging acts, the beautiful and bespoke three-day event will truly embody the spirit of all things folk. Festival Director, Natasha Duffy, commented: “We are delighted and proud to announce the fantastic line up we have planned for this year’s Spirit of Folk festival. In our sophomore year, we aim to truly celebrate Irish folk in a r...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) July 21st – 28th, 2012 www.joemooneysummerschool.com The Joe Mooney Summer School of Traditional Music, Song and Dance will take place in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim from July 21st – 28th,  2012. This renowned Summer School, now in its 24th year, will provide a full programme of workshops in traditional instruments– fiddle, flute, banjo, bodhrán, whistle, concertina, button accordion, piano accordion, harp, uilleann pipes, mandolin and bouzouki. Traditional accompaniment was successfully added to our programme last year and will be offered again in 2012. Tuition is also available in Set Dancing, Sean Nós Dancing, 2 Hand Dancing, Traditional Singing and Sean Nós Singing. These daily workshops are presented professionally by tutors of the highest calibre. All classes are graded and all grades are well catered for by experienced tutors with excellent pedagogic skills  and strong motivation in passing on our traditional culture to overseas students and ...

Andy Irvine, August 3, 2008, at the Dublin Irish Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) €20/€18/€16 / €16 Early Bird tickets available for a limited time. “..one of Ireland’s most creative talents for over 20 years.” – Boston Globe Andy Irvine has enjoyed a long and successful career as a traditional Irish musician. He has travelled the world as a solo artist and as a member of legendary Irish groups such as Planxty, Patrick Street and more recently Mozaik. Throughout his extensive career he has maintained and developed the qualities in his music, which endear him to his audience and fellow musicians alike. Now the legendary Irish singer/songwriter Andy Irvine is coming to perform at The Model. With his impressive repertoire of Irish traditional songs and dexterous Balkan dance tunes, he creates an exciting new fusion of Irish and World Music not to be missed. Andy continues to pursue new combinations and styles of music. He has broadened his musical horizons over the course of h...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Online music streaming is all over the news this week, so we talked to Mark Foster, Deezer’s MD for the UK and Ireland, to see what all the fuss is about and ask why some services have ignored the Irish market. With SoundCloud reaching 150m users and announcing its latest iteration, SoundCloud Next, earlier this week, and the UK’s streaming chart launching next Monday, it seems that online music streaming is something worth talking about. Deezer's MD for the UK and Ireland, Mark Foster, has been working in the music industry since the eighties and seen its transition from hard copy to digital distribution. In 2011, after a long history with Warner Music, he was asked to spearhead the UK and Ireland launches of French-based streaming subscription service, Deezer.

Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Thousands of English and Welsh students will be able to claim free tuition at Scottish universities by claiming Irish grandparents, it was revealed today. Last week, it emerged that students from Northern Ireland could avoid fees by taking dual Republic of Ireland citizenship and applying as EU students, which would result in them having their fees paid under European equality law. The Scottish Government played down the development, saying it would only apply to a small number of students. But it has now emerged that anyone who lives in the UK who has an Irish grandparent can obtain an Irish passport and apply under the same loophole. Nearly 625,000 people living in England and Wales claimed Irish ethnicity in the 2001 census – and as many as six million across the UK are estimated to have at least one Irish grandparent.

At the dawn of the 20th century, Ireland’s traditional music was in danger. English occupiers and Catholic authorities frowned on those old Celtic tunes. Waves of emigration scattered Irish musicians around the globe. And no one was publishing their melodies. No one, that is, other than the police chief of Chicago. Francis O’Neill, an Irish immigrant who was chief from 1901 to 1905, did more than anyone to save Irish folk music from extinction. Even as he led the police force, he kept his ears open for tunes played by people from all over Ireland who had come to Chicago with their flutes, fiddles and pipes. He compiled 1,850 of those songs in a 1903 book, O’Neill’s Music of Ireland. It’s still considered the bible of traditional Irish music. Highland Park resident Adam Whiteman, who practices law in the Loop, discovered all this when he was producing the album “Hidden Treasures: Irish Music In Chicago” for his record label, Big Chicago Records. He decided it was a story he needed...

0 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Galway Arts Festival and the Róisín Dubh have announced that Christy Moore will perform a rare stand-up gig at the Festival Big Top on Friday July 20. Joining Christy on the night will be high energy, vivacious trad group 4 Men and A Dog. The show is Moore’s only gig in Galway city in 2012 and promises to be a massive music highlight at this year’s festival. Christy Moore is one of Ireland’s most prolific singer songwriters infamous for his iconic songs Lisdoonvarna, Don’t Forget Your Shovel and Ride On. His acclaimed new album Folk Tale, produced by Declan Sinnott sees the latest result of Christy and Declan’s unique musical alliance. Their long collaboration has gained a loyal and ever increasing following. Other players featuring on the album include Gerry O’ Connor, Tim Edey and Neil Martin with The West Ocean String Quartet. The Kildare singer rates his performance with headliners Coldplay at Oxygen last year as a memorable experience, when hearing...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) MÁIRE MHAC an tSaoi, one of the most significant Irish poets of the 20th century, and the most important living poet working as Gaeilge, will be celebrated in NUI Galway. NUIG will host The Miracle of the Parish: Máire Mhac an tSaoi Symposium on Wednesday May 23 from 9am in the university’s Moore Institute. Along with Máirtín Ó Direáin and Seán Ó Ríordáin, Máire Mhac an tSaoi revolutionised the practice of poetry in Irish in the 1940s and 1950s and paved the way for a new generation of women poets, working as Gaeilge agus as Bearla in the 1970s and 1980s. Máire Mhac an tSaoi also gave voice to the intimate and subversive aspects of women’s experience in poems that challenged the moral orthodoxies of the time.

 On Sat 12th May 2012 RTE 1’s Ceilli House will be broadcast from the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol. Performers include well known Comhaltas members, tutors for Music Generation Louth and traditional music students from DKIT

Maryland (Photo credit: Dougtone ) Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), has announced the musical lineup at the 2nd Annual Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival. The free Festival—an interactive, family-friendly celebration of traditional arts and foods from across the state—happens rain or shine, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., June 16 at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson. The 2012 musical lineup boasts an array of master musical chops, from Rock N' Roll Hall of Famer doo-wop group The Legendary Orioles to the extraordinary Khmer classical musicians who arrived in Maryland in the 1970's as Cambodian refugees. The broad range of musical genres featured at the Festival—including Himalayan music, South African and Mexican dance, Bluegrass, Irish and Gospel music, a big band orchestra and more—showcases the remarkable richness and diversity of musical traditions happening in Maryland today.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Traditional Music Concert - Tra Mhor Tuesday May 22nd, 2012 is the date of the much-anticipated annual Irish traditional music concert which will take place in the Coastguard Station, Tramore, at 7:30pm. The concert will be held by the musicians who attend the weekly Irish traditional music classes at the CBS in Tramore. Do come along and enjoy a very special evening of beautiful Irish traditional music in a stunning venue, with glorious views over Tramore Bay. All welcome. Tickets are 5 euro per adult with complimentary admission for accompanied children. We would also like to particularly thank Tommy Keating from the Butterfly Band for all of his hard work in teaching our classes during the year, passing on his excellent skills and his deep interest in Irish music to his students. If you would like any further information, please call (087) 640 0184. Rath Dé oraibh go léir."

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Irish Repertory Theatre and Gingold Theatrical Group open a co-production of George Bernard Shaw's complete four-act Man and Superman — his 1903 comedy set in England, Spain and Hell — on May 6 at Irish Rep's Off-Broadway home on West 22nd Street. Tony Award nominee Brian Murray is among cast members. The production began previews April 26. It's directed and adapted by David Staller, curator of the monthly Manhattan reading series Project Shaw. The play is performed with its rarely utilized philosophical "dream act" known as Don Juan in Hell, which is usually cut in production. The play about Jack Tanner's determination to not marry his ward, Ann Whitefield — and how she pursues him, even to Hell, in the famous fantasy sequence — features Janie Brookshire as Ann, Will Bradley as Octavius, Jonathan Hammond as Mendoza, Laurie Kennedy as Mrs. Whitefield, Max Gordon Moore as Jack, Paul O'Brien as Malone, Margaret Robinson as Viole...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In New York City, we’re privileged to have strong institutional support for traditional music. Organizations like Irish Arts Center, Glucksman Ireland House and the New York Irish Center, for example, each do myriad things for the advancement of the traditional arts in New York City and their work is of great benefit to the community at large. Another such entity doing great work is the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, led by Consul General Noel Kilkenny and his wife Hanora O’Dea Kilkenny. Since arriving in New York in 2010, the Kilkennys have shown an unusual commitment to Irish music and dance by opening wide the Consulate’s doors to the community countless times. One such moment occurred at the Consulate on April 25, when they hosted the launch of Consulate Protocol Officer Marie Reilly’s new CD, “Anvil.” The drew people from all over the tri-state area, including Reilly’s friends and family and a phalanx of musicians. People like Tom Dunne,...

(Photo credit: Creap ) The Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has urged Irish artists not to give in to “cultural fascism” by signing up to a boycott of Israel. Mr Shatter said the sole focus of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) was to intimidate Irish artists into not going to Israel. He accused the group, who targeted Dervish last week and forced the band to cancel their three date tour of the country, of an “utter lack of respect for the constitutional rights of Irish citizens”. Mr Shatter said he had been called a “Zionist pig” by a person protesting outside the Fine Gael Ardfheis who he had recognised from various anti-Israeli protests.” “They are willing to talk to the Minister of Justice like that. I have broad shoulders, but to target a group of musicians like Dervish is totally unacceptable,” he added. “I say to others that they should not be intimidated. It encourages a continuation of this type of behaviour and intimidation,” he said.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A few years ago Dervish were representing Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, the first Irish traditional group to take centre-stage in the event. But that shouldn't be held against them. Neither should we hold against them their decision to finally yield to an orchestrated campaign to force them to reverse their decision to travel to Israel in order to play a few concerts with friends there. Especially when this campaign was characterised by a torrent of "negativity and venom" on Facebook and Twitter and a caution, that the band would lose all credibility if they travelled. Who could blame musicians for yielding to relentless pressure from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSG), a lobby group which has recruited more than 200 of their musical and artistic colleagues to this unique cultural boycott of Israel.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) MINISTER FOR Justice Alan Shatter has urged Irish artists not to give in to “cultural fascism” by signing up to a boycott of Israel. Mr Shatter said the focus of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) was to intimidate Irish artists not to visit Israel. He accused the group, who targeted traditional music group Dervish last week and forced the band to cancel their three-date tour of the country, of an “utter lack of respect for the constitutional rights of Irish citizens”. Mr Shatter said he was called a “Zionist pig” by a protester outside the Fine Gael Ardfheis who he knew from anti-Israeli protests. “They are willing to talk to the Minister of Justice like that. I have broad shoulders, but to target a group of musicians like Dervish is totally unacceptable,” he added. Dervish had pulled out of a tour of Israel, citing an “avalanche of negativity” and “venom” directed at them on social media outlets. IPSC founder Dr Raymond Deane de...

Irish Music (magazine) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A special performance as part of the Green Note Folk Fest, featuring special guest Lorraine Jordan. www.londonlasses.net www.greennote.co.uk The London Lasses and Pete Quinn celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2010 with the release of their fourth album, By Night & By Day. Reviewing the album in Irish American News, critic Bill Margeson called the band “the best female group in Irish music”. Earle Hitchner in The Irish Echo commented that “ten of the 13 tracks are superb and will undoubtedly enhance the already strong reputation of the band.” Highlight performances to support the release included the London album launch at LSO St Luke’s, an album launch tour of Ireland, plus sell-out shows at the Liverpool Irish Festival, Return to Camden Town festival and the Leeds Gathering Festival. Over more than a decade, the band has brought its unique sound to some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls. These ...

RTÉ Concert Orchestra performing in the National Concert Hall (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Bill Whelan’s music features in a concert by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Crash Ensemble on 17 May The concert takes place in the National Concert Hall at 8pm and features an entire programme of Bill Whelan’s music with guest artists including singer Eleanor McEvoy and fiddle player Zoë Conway. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra with conductor David Brophy will perform a selection of Whelan’s works for orchestra, including the world premiere of the composer’s Symphonic Suite from Riverdance. The Grammy Award-winning composer’s work Jazzical Cyclebike will be performed by the Crash Ensemble. The work, which was originally written in 2007 for chamber strings with violin and cello duets, was composed in Paris and inspired by many cycling trips around the city. The work was adapted for the Crash Ensemble in a version for piano and string quartet in 2011.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) As one of the many PECO Multicultural Series' events, the Irish Festival is the most vibrant Irish culture event celebrated on the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street. The festival of music, dancing, food, and entertainment will be held on Sunday, June 3rd from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The 14th annual Irish Festival is a family event that features well-known Irish musical performers. The gates will open at Noon on Sunday and admission is free. Guests can enjoy the music of Jamison, Blackthorn and the Hooligans on the main stage. Irish dance schools including Celtic Flame, Emerald Isle, Cummins, Coyle, Campbell, Rince Ri, McDade, Cara, McHugh, Christina Ryan Kilcoyne, Gibson, Timoney, 2ndSt. Irish Society will perform throughout the day. For a complete schedule, visit www.philadelphiastpatsparade.com.

Cover of Sharon Shannon DkIT enthusiastically embraced Irish language and culture this week as students and staff participated in various activities throughout the campus for Seachtain Na Gaeilge, promoting the Irish language as well as Irish music and dance. Seachtain na Gaeilge is an annual two-week celebration, with schools, communities and organisations all over the country organising and taking part in events covering all aspects of Irish culture and arts. Events in DkIT kicked off on Monday, as students took part in various "tradathons" throughout the campus. The money raised from the traditional Irish music sessions was put towards "HelpSergio", a charity set up in aid of Dublin-born Sergio O' Connor, who was born with an incomplete oesophagus. Sergio's condition prevents him from eating, drinking and swallowing, as his digestive system cannot function correctly. The foundation aims to raise funds to enable one-year-old Sergio and his family to tra...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The annual Joe Heaney Commemorative Festival of Traditional Singing and Music will take place in Carna, Connemara over the May Bank Holiday weekend. This annual event celebrates the life and musical achievements of the legendary singer who died in Seattle, US, and is buried in his native parish. Pride of place at the festival is given to Sean Nós and traditional singing in any other language, but instrumental music and dancing are also catered for. Cilian Fennell will be guest speaker at the official opening in Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim, Roisín na Mainiach on Friday 4 May at 7.30pm. A series of photographs captured at last year’s festival by established Norwegian music photographer Knut Utler will be on display also on the night. On Saturday 5 May, singing workshops will be tutored by Saileog Ní Cheannabháin (Gaelic Sean Nós) and Rosie Stewart (English Ballads). Local champions, Róisín Ní Mhainín and Proinsias Ó hIarnáin, will both teach their individ...

Musical Compositions (Photo credit: Julia Folsom ) The Irish Composition Summer School returns in 2012 for it’s annual week-long course in contemporary composition, taking place from July 4th to 13th at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Rathmines, Dublin. This year’s Summer School will be directed by Irish composers Martin O’Leary, also a lecturer at NUI Maynooth, and Kevin O’Connell, who lectures at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The week’s tuition in the major aspects of composition – harmony, rhythm, structure, technology and instrumental writing – is divided into two discrete courses: the intermediate level, aimed at undergraduate composition students or musicians with similar compositional experience, and the advanced level, aimed at graduate or post-graduate composition students. The course will involve both group seminars and one-on-one tuition, and will focus on writing a work for an ensemble of clarinet, accordion and percussion, to be workshopped and recorded by...