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June 16th - 19th, 2011
For the third successive year, the Co. Clare Fleadh Cheoil will be held in Kilfenora, one of Ireland’s villages most famed for its music. This year we also celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
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GWEEDORE, CO DONEGAL, IRELAND
JUNE 10-12 2011
www.voicesandharps.com
Imagine an opportunity to develop your vocal and harp playing skills among the mountains, lakes and endless Atlantic beaches of Donegal!
To coincide with the June 10 release of their new album, Voices & Harps, Moya Brennan and Cormac De Barra are holding an exclusive weekend workshop in voice and Irish harp.
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www.knockaneannationalschool.com
The latest fundraising project from Knockanean National School in the parish of Doora-Barefield, Co Clare is the launch of their CD titled “Starlings”. This is described as “A fledgling flight of music from our school musicians & special friends”. Knockanean have a long and wonderful musical tradition led by their inspiring music teacher, Joan McNamara. 15 years ago Joan set up the Music Club and invited all children who wish to play music & learn new tunes to come together once a week during lunch breaks. This developed into their annual Band Spectacular which they take part in, along with 3 other primary schools, in venues such as Thomond Park, Bunratty Folk Park & Shannon Airport.
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Tuesday 7th June 2011
Supported by The Arts Council
Traditional Music Recital
The Cobblestone Bar, 77 North King Street, Dublin 7
Starting at 9:30pm (Doors 9.00pm)
Admission: €12.00 (concession €8.00)
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www.clancybrothersfestival.org
Paul Brady will headline The Clancy Brothers Music and Arts Festival 2011 with a concert at The Strand Theatre on Sunday, June 5 in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.
Paul Brady, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is one of Ireland’s most enduringly popular artists. Born and raised in Strabane, Northern Ireland, learning to play the piano pretty much by ear, trial and error, his early heroes were Jerry Lee Lewis, Winifred Atwell and Fats Domino. By the age of eleven he had begun to play guitar, spending hours of his school holidays learning every tune the Shadows and The Ventures recorded, every lick Chuck Berry played. Mid-teens saw him take summer jobs playing piano and guitar in Bundoran in nearby County Donegal. But it was around 1965 in Dublin, at college, that he began to develop as a singer and performer joining a succession of R’n B / Soul bands including The Inmates, The Kult and Rootzgroop , covering the songs of Ray Charles, James Brown, Junior Walker and blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Chuck Berry.
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www.tyrrellglackinbrowne.com
A national tour, scheduled for this May & June, 2011, will harvest the talents of three of the most highly respected musicians within the Irish traditional/folk scene.
The CD:
Seán, Kevin and Ronan have been playing together socially and for tours and shows since the 1980s but are only now (after major hounding by their fans) releasing a CD of songs and tunes. The CD is nicely balanced between gentle and wild, without suffering from that dreadful modern ailment, over-production – just warm, friendly music and singing. ‘and so the story goes…’ will be released by Cló Iar Chonnacht (www.cic.ie) in May 2011 and the three artists are looking forward to bringing it around Ireland in May and June.
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The American Civil War began on April 12th, 1861; the conflict would last four years and cost a total of 600,000 lives. Song was an important part of the war, songs were written to canvass support, shape opinion, make political statements and honour courage. This year Smithsonian Folkways have released two CD’s to mark the start of hostilities 150 years ago. One is Civil War Songs a re-issue of the 1973 album from the late Tom Glazer, the other is Civil War Naval Songs. The latter is the brainchild of IMM’s Dan Milner and includes a number of Irish American musicians. Both CD’s are accompanied by fascinating and superbly researched liner notes, running to over 60 pages of information.
“Fréamh; Root”
www.gerwolfe.com
Ger’s newest CD Fréamh;Root will be available at the website: www.gerwolfe.com and from selected record stores. This exciting new CD is bi-lingual and contains songs and traditional tunes Ger composed as part of a project in Spring 2009 (ó Béal guth Bhéál) where he worked in the Múscraí Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) area of Cork, gathering anecdotes and stories from older people in the community as material for newly composed songs. (more…)
“destined to stand with the great Scottish fiddlers” (folkwords)
“performed exquisitely…soaring, sonorous, ringing & richly textured” (fRoots)
Known for her breathtakingly beautiful and expressive fiddle and Hardanger fiddle playing, Sarah-Jane Summers was brought up steeped in the old Highland style. Taught by the late Donald Riddell – who learnt his fiddling from a relative of hers - Sarah-Jane recently released the tuition DVD, Highland Strathspeys for Fiddle, containing 5 progressive lessons for lower intermediate to advanced players.
Running at 82 minutes long, it takes an in-depth look at how to bow, ornament and phrase 5 Highland strathspeys, and includes beautiful scenery, old photographs, Gaelic song, and dance.
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Traditional meets classical to showcase Suite in Cork & Galway
Legendary traditional fiddler Kevin Burke (Bothy Band, Patrick Street, Celtic Fiddle Festival) along with his musical partner; guitarist, composer and arranger Cal Scott will be travelling from their hometown in Portland, Oregon to perform the Irish Session Suite next month. The Suite is featured on their latest release of the same name and contains well-known traditional tunes arranged in the classical style.
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