Irish Trad Music Blog

Image via Wikipedia "TRADATHY, Athy’s traditional Irish music festival has been deemed a big success attracting a huge crowd from Athy, Kildare and further afield. The festival was held over the May Bank holiday weekend and attracted bands and musicians from Clare, Galway and more, as well as traditional Irish dancers which all culminated in a free weekend of ceol agus craic. As Emma from Clancy’s Pub described it, “there were instruments all over the pub throughout the weekend” with open sessions on during the day and special performances on the nights. 2011 celebrates 45 years of the weekly Clancy Trad session in Athy, making it the longest running free music session in Ireland. Emma said: “We wanted to make it as big as possible to put Athy on the map for traditional music.” James Mahon of Athy Town Council officially opened the event. Local acts like Daurus, from North Kildare, Brian Hughes, the well-known tin-whistle player and Athy band The Clancy Group took to the stage ...

Cover of Joe Derrane Within a couple years of their immigration in 1980 to Portland, Ore., I saw former Bothy Band members Kevin Burke on fiddle and Micheal O Domhnaill (1951-2006) on guitar and vocals in concert together at the Alternative Museum on White Street in lower Manhattan. Surrounded by avant-garde art and perched not far from a subway whose low rumble added periodic percussion, I sat with about 200 others to see and hear one of the greatest duos in the history of Irish traditional music . It was the first time I saw Micheal sing “Lord Franklin,” one of two songs to which he’ll be forever linked (the other is “The Death of Queen Jane”). During intermission, the crowd sipped wine, gazed at the art, and chatted about the music. On another occasion at the Alternative Museum, I marveled at the music and laughed at the banter from another famous duo, brothers Johnny Cunningham (1957-2003) on fiddle and Phil Cunningham on piano accordion, members of the popular Scottish tradition...

Irish music workshops, August 2011 - Tradschool Summer Workshops : "Tradschool Summer Workshops 2011 Monday 22 - Sunday 28 August 2011 Centre de Vacances les Méliades, Lanau, 15260 NEUVEGLISE, FRANCE Workshops in Irish flute, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran and concertina with accommodation (full board) Stephen Ducke: Irish flute and tin whistle Daniel Gourdon: Fiddle Louisa Bennion: Concertina Willie Walsh: Bodhran Places strictly limited - reserve early. For more information contact Steve at 0033 6 16 23 46 64 or info@tradschool.com"

Irish Traditional music royalty, including Clannad’s Moya Brennan and Mairead Ní Mhaonnaigh from Altan , visited Derry last week to lend their support to the “Bring the Fleadh to Derry” campaign, prior to their sell out show at Derry’s award winning Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin. Moya Brennan, formerly with the Donegal based band Clannad, Mairead Ní Mhaonnaigh, one of Ireland’s leading fiddle players and the lead vocalist for the Irish super group Altan, and Triona Ní Dhomhnail and Maighréad Ní Dhomhnail, both of whom performed with the highly respected Skara Brae, took part in a photo shoot to celebrate and promote Derry’s bid for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2013. Speaking at before the gig Mairead Ní Mhaonnaigh said: “This is great news for Derry and I wish the bid well, if we can do anything to assist the bid we will all be delighted to help.” Organisers said the Bring the Fleadh to Derry campaign is going from strength to strength, with the passing of each month heralding mor...

Flying fiddles, furious fluting, and the sound of Irish singing and step-dancing return to Milwaukee's Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., when Andrea Beaton and Nuala Kennedy make a repeat appearance there at 7:30 p.m. May 21. The pair bring the traditions of Canada, Scotland and Ireland to their shows. Kennedy combines original material from Ireland and Scotland on her flute. Beaton's fiddle "attack" technique won her the 2010 East Coast Music Award in the Instrumental Recording of the Year for her most recent album, "Branches." Tickets are $19 in advance and $23 day of show, at (414) 345-8800 and www.ichc.net. 'Attack' flutes and fiddles coming to Irish cultural center - JSOnline

Set dancing : " tradschool.com "