Irish Trad Music Blog

One hundred and twenty balloons were released in different locations around Ireland on Sunday afternoon, including Eyre Square, as part of special Irish-language Spraoi sa Phobal family days which officially launched Bliain na Gaeilge 2013 and started the year-long festivities to celebrate 120 years of the revival of the Irish language. The revival of the Irish language began in 1893 with the founding of The Gaelic League, or Conradh na Gaeilge as it is now known. Two million people on the island of Ireland claim to have Irish today and the Bliain na Gaeilge festival aims to provide these people with thousands of different opportunities to use Irish throughout 2013.

PANAMA CITY — The music, language and traditions of Ireland are being passed on to younger generations in downtown Panama City through dance. “I love passing on the traditions and love of Irish dance that I had growing up,” Teresa Kane said. “The love of the music and sometimes in class I’ll speak the Irish language, so they know a little bit of the language. I’m so far from home; I miss it. … It makes me feel connected to home.” Kane has been teaching Irish dance to children and adults for 10 years at the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance, Panama City, and she’s not the only one happy to share the knowledge. Bobbi Lindsey said you don’t have to be Irish to appreciate the dance or the music, but for her, it’s heritage. “Up north you have neighborhoods defined by nationality, and here we’re such a military town; people come and go,” Lindsey said. “This keeps our traditions and our nationality alive through the music. It’s important to me that she can keep and learn...

Peri Leighty-fiddle, Sami Suplee-fiddle, Patrick Armstrong-flute, Mikey McComiskey-accordian, Austin Smith-pipes, Conor Hearn-guitar. At Billy McComiskey's Irish Family Thanksgiving Extravaganza, Nov. 24, 2012 Related articles Martin O Connor, Liz Carroll, Dave Flynn & Peadar Ó Riada Tin Whistle Tutor Book: Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available Beginner Concertina Lesson with Edel Fox An Irish Christmas in Connecticut - StamfordPlus.com News Scoil Cheoil na Botha 2012

Milwaukee Irish Fest will present a special holiday concert featuring local Irish band, Tallymoore on Saturday December 15, 2012 at 8 p.m. at the Irish Fest Center, located at 1532 Wauwatosa Avenue in Milwaukee, Wis. The event will bring the Celtic Christmas spirit to life while benefiting the Wauwatosa Food Pantry. “Irish culture has many unique traditions – and that includes holiday tunes,” said Barry Stapleton, director of the Ward Irish Music Archives at the Irish Fest Center. “The Tallymoore Christmas Concert is another example of how we continue to share the Irish experience with the Milwaukee community.” Tallymoore will entertain guests with seasonal songs bridging both American and Irish holiday traditions. The five members that make up Tallymoore began as a local Irish a cappella group with some instrumentation. They have since become a modern Irish folk band, putting new twists on traditional favorites.

The Paddy Killoran Monument now under construction at the Gurteen Road entrance to the Ballymote Town Park, is to be unveiled on Sunday 2nd December by Master Fiddler Kevin Burke (Bothy Band, Patrick Street) at 12.30pm All Welcome

 The Frankie Kennedy Winter School 2012 will be officially launched on the Rónán Beo@3 programme on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta on Thursday 29 November, broadcast live from Queens University Belfast. The public is welcome to attend the programme, which will include excellent traditional musicians and singers, and will be broadcast from the Students Union Building in Queens form 3pm – 5pm. Rónán Beo @3, normally broadcast from Raidió na Gaeltachta’s studios in Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, will relocate to Belfast for this very special event. Piper Robbie Hannan will officially launch the school, and there will be a host of other guest musicians and singers performing live including Dermot McLaughlin, Úna Monaghan, At First Light, Tara and Dermie Diamond, Conor Byrne, Gearóid Ó Maonaigh, Réalta, and musicians from Queens including Dr. Martin Dowling, Christine Dowling, Nollaig Casey, Conor Cadwell agus Úna Monaghan.

Cover of Cherish the Ladies From the dancing notes of the fiddle to the lilting tones of the flute, traditional Celtic folk music continues to delight audiences with both sweeping ballads and dizzyingly fast reels. Local music lovers will have a chance to get a taste of this type of traditional Irish music through an upcoming concert at the Fox Historic Theatre in Newton. The Irish musical group “Cherish the Ladies” will be presenting “A Celtic Christmas” concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 3. General admission tickets are $27 and are available through SelectASeat.com, Dillons outlets (South Dillons in Newton), or at the Fox Theatre Box Office (cash or checks only) from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 24 and Dec. 1.

Cover of Jerry O'Sullivan The Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University celebrates the season with An Irish Christmas. This is Ireland at its best featuring a group of legendary performers bringing to life all aspects of Irish culture under one roof for One Night Only on Saturday, December 8 (2012) at 8pm. The performers featured in An Irish Christmas include Ciaran Sheehan, Eilin O’Dea, John V. Shea, and The John Whelan Band featuring Kathleen Parks, Flynn Cohen, Liz Simmons and Tom Wetmore. Also performing on Uilleann pipes is the legendary Jerry O'Sullivan with fiddler Marie Reilly. One doesn’t have to be Irish to thoroughly enjoy an authentic look into life in Ireland at Christmas when friends and family gather to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is inevitable that many of those celebrants, if not all, would play an instrument, sing a song or tell a story creating memories that last forever.

Maurice Egan (Accordion), Martin Mc Cormack (Uilleann pipes), Sean Mc Elwain (Guitar). Follow Irish Music Bar Tour on Facebook or book on www.IrishMusicBarTour.com Related articles Irish Traditional Music Archive in Ennis, Co. Clare Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy Tin Whistle Tutor Book: Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available Martin Fay obituary | The Guardian

Related articles Music of Clare Online Archive at Clare County Library The Ace & Deuce of Piping Planxty -- Raggle Taggle Gypsy O (1973 RTE) Tin Whistle Tutor Book: Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available The McCarthy Family play Sligo Live

The legendary Planxty in concert at the national stadium in 1973, with Raggle Taggle Gypsy O, & "Give me your hand", is Tabhair Dom do Lámh. And Three Drunken Maidens. Planxty was an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitars), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), and Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle). Subsequently, Johnny Moynihan, Matt Molloy (flute), Bill Whelan (keyboards), Nollaig Casey (Fiddle) and, briefly, Paul Brady were also members. The band was formed in 1972, and quickly revolutionized and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim. The band broke up twice, first in 1975 and again in 1983. The band re-united again in 2003. Their final performance (to date) was in 2005. Related articles Patrick Street - Live at Earagail Arts Festival, Ionad Cois Locha 2008 Tin Whistle Tutor...

Patrick Street was formed in Dublin in 1986 with Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on bouzouki and vocals, and Arty McGlynn (Van Morrison) on guitar. McGlynn later left the group, and other members were added: Ged Foley (The House Band, Battlefield Band) on guitar, and Declan Masterson on uilleann pipes and keyboards. They have also played with Donal Lunny, Bill Whelan and Enda Walsh. Jackie Daly left shortly after recording "On the Fly". Related articles Guitar Workshop With Arty McGlynn, The Anglers Return Country House Traditional Irish Musicians for Hire Tin Whistle Tutor Book: Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available Irish Rendez Vouz, Tremeven, Brittany 2012 Last Night As I Lay Dreaming

Martin Fay, who has died aged 76, was the original fiddle player with the Chieftains, the band that has done more than any other to popularise Irish traditional music globally. Led by the charismatic piper Paddy Moloney, the Chieftains collaborated with musicians from a wide range of genres and cultures – from bluegrass to Chinese and Mexican music – and brought in guest performers such as Mick Jagger, Van Morrison and James Galway. Yet traditional tunes lay at the heart of the band, with Fay's fiddle a vital part of their distinctive sound.

Cover of The Chieftains Traditional musican Martin Fay, a founding member of The Chieftains, has died aged 76. The fiddler, a native of Cabra in Dublin, had been ill for some time and had not performed regularly with the group for over a decade. A statement from the group said "his memory and music will be with The Chieftains always. He will be dearly missed", Mr Fay was best known for his interpretation of slow air, demonstrating emotion and tranquility. He helped found The Chieftains in 1962, but in 2001 he decided to retire from touring.

The Tune Makers - Martin O Connor, Liz Carroll, Dave Flynn, Peadar Ó Riada at Cork Folk Festival, Triskel Christchurch, Ireland. 06.10.12

(Photo credit: hober ) ‘Last Night As I Lay Dreaming’ explores the life of traditional singer Robbie McMahon from Spancilhill in Co.Clare who is credited with bringing the folksong ‘Spancilhill’ to a worldwide audience. The film documentary charts the huge contribution Robbie McMahon has made to the world of singing down through the years, both through his own compositions and his unique interpretation of traditional songs. Set against the backdrop of community life in rural Ireland, ‘Last Night As I Lay Dreaming’ features captivating performances from ‘The King Of Spancilhill’ himself along with contributions that set his achievements in a wider context, highlighting the important role the singer and songwriter has traditionally played in their local communities, recording significant events and keeping that memory alive for future generations.

A CD-ROM edition of Tradschool's Irish whistle tutor is now available. The data cd contains the pdf ebook and the 429 audio mp3 files that make up the tutor, and comes with a full-colour DVD cover. Shipping is direct from the US; shipping times are from 2-5 days (US) and 7-14 days (Europe) The price is 35 euros, including shipping anywhere: Tin Whistle Tutor Book: Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available Related articles Parts 1 & 2 now available A Complete Guide to Playing Irish Traditional Music on the Tin Whistle Tin Whistle Tutor CD-Rom Edition Available

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Midlands Simon Community are delighted to announce that the 1st Annual “A Song for Simon” song writing contest is now accepting entries for 2013. Submissions will be accepted from Wednesday November 7th until December 14th 2012. Boasting an impressive prize package, this is one song contest you cannot afford to miss! This is the perfect opportunity for both budding artists and seasoned professionals to get your original piece out there, any style, any genre, any age. On offer to the overall winner is;

Tara Breen, fiddle, Clare Francis Ward, Keyboards, Antrim Tommy Fitzharris, Concertina/Flute, Laois Dermot Sheedy, Percussion, Clare Stephen Rooney, Guitar, ? James Mahon, Pipes/Flute, Wicklow Robert Harvey, Flute, Laois Related articles Comhaltas Tour of Ireland arrives at Longford's Backstage Theatre - Longford Leader Traditional Irish Musicians for Hire Breton Set - Alan Kelly Gang Irish Rendez Vouz, Tremeven, Brittany 2012 Scoil Cheoil na Botha 2012