July 29th – August 5th, 2013
www.ocarolanharpfestival.ie

The dates for the 35th O’Carolan Harp and Traditional Music Festival in Keadue, Co. Roscommon have been announced.

The Festival which is held under the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend from July 29th–August 5th.
Included in the programme of events are Concerts, Céili’s, International Harp Competition, Lectures, Harp Recitals, Music sessions, craft exhibitions and demonstrations and Art exhibitions.The official opening of the festival takes place on Sunday August 4th.
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July 27th – August 3rd, 2013
www.scoilacla.com

The annual Scoil Acla summer school takes place on Achill Island, Co. Mayo. Scoil Acla is Irelands oldest summer school, originally founded in 1910 and re–launched in 1985. Scoil Acla follows the usual format of daily music classes which run from Monday to Saturday on the following instruments, accordion, banjo, flute, concertina, fiddle, harp, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán with beginners, intermediate and advanced students being catered for on all instruments. Other workshops available are creative writing, basket weaving, dancing and a course on Gaeilg’ Acla, the Achill dialect of Irish. Throughout the week they have recitals, poetry readings, creative writing readings, indoor and outdoor concerts, sessions, walks, talks and much more.
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July 21st–28th, 2013, Rostrevor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
www.fiddlersgreenfestival.co.uk

2012 was an excellent year for this International Festival. Thousands of people attended the eight day event enjoying artists such as The Sands Family, The Mac Connell Brothers. John Sheahan, Eleanor Shanley, Seamus Begley, Steve Cooney, Frankie Lane, Mick Hanly, Paul Kelly, Zoe Conway, John McIntyre, Kevin Doherty, The Henry Girls and a host of other artists local and international.
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July 20th – 27th, 2013
www.joemooneysummerschool.com

Twenty five years a–growing and now in full bloom. The story of its growth is both interesting and amazing. It began in 1989 when a small seed was sown in a small town in Co. Leitrim by a small group of people who set out to promote the unique style of Leitrim music and traditional culture.
From small beginnings, it has organically grown from year–to–year and has become widely–known and highly regarded on the traditional calendar. It now provides traditional music workshops, singing and set dancing for over 1000 students. The list of traditional tutors, more than fifty at this stage, consists of the crème de la crème such as Pat Murphy, Joe and Ann Conroy Burke, Neillidh Mulligan, Noel Hill, John Wynne, Michael Hurley, Rosie Stewart, Paddy Ryan, John Daly, Síle Denvir, Deirdre Chawke, Michael McCague, and talented younger generation tutors – Dónal McCague–TG4 Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana 2013, Dave Sheridan, Padraig Mc Govern, Lisa Ward, Martin Howley, Fiachra Ó Regan, Lorcán Mac Mathúna and many more.
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July 14th – 20th, 2013
www.sssschool.org

The South Sligo Summer School of Traditional Music, Song & Dance takes place in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, from July 14th – 20th, 2013. Now in its 27th year and firmly established on the traditional music summer calendar, the whole community in Tubbercurry look forward once again to welcoming friends old and new for a week long total immersion in all that is positive and life affirming about our wonderful traditional music.
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Earagail Arts Festival June 21st – July 21st, 2013
www.eaf.ie / www.donegalgathering.com / www.thegatheringirleand.com

The annual bilingual Earagail Arts Festival is celebrating is 25th year of artistic programming in Co. Donegal. The festival is renowned for hosting the very best of music, theatre, visual arts and literature and this year will be no different. Paul Brown, Festival Director with the Earagail Arts Festival commented…“We’re really looking forward to this year’s festival, shows like Clannad & Altan and Josh Ritter which reflect the local and international flavour of the festival and which we announced at the end of last year are selling really well already, so we’re well under way in making this a real birthday party”.
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Gweedore, County Donegal, June 21st – 23rd, 2013
www.voicesandharps.com
Now in its third year, Clannad’s Moya Brennan and harp maestro, Cormac De Barra’s exclusive Voices & Harps workshop takes place on the weekend of June 21st – 23rd. The appeal has spread wide and this year the workshop will host visitors from Germany, France, Japan and the UK – as well as a number of homegrown enthusiasts. Places are limited in order to ensure personal attention to all participants but there are still a few places left.
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June 28th–30th, 2013
www.celticfusion.co.uk

The Celtic Fusion International Musical Arts Festival 2013 returns to Castlewellan in County Down, Northern Ireland for its twelfth incarnation. Celtic Fusion will take place over the weekend from Friday June 28th until Sunday June 30th.

This year the main event is launched on Saturday May 18th at 8pm by a Celtic Fusion Showcase concert in the fabulous Lodge Cultural Centre with Breanndán Ó Beaghlaoich and Laoise Kelly supported by The Grainne Holland Band.

Check out www.celticfusion.co.uk for full details.
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June 17th – 23rd, 2013
www.galwaysessions.com

This week–long annual festival hosts a packed programme of events across the historic city of Galway including concerts, recitals, parades, street entertainment & oodles of sessions in the city’s many famed traditional music pubs.
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Felix Dolan, one of the true gentlemen of the tradition passed away at home in Scarsdale, New York on April 7th aged 76 years. Felix Dolan was noted for his stylish and very sensitive piano playing and his album A Tribute to Michael Coleman with Andy McCann and Joe Burke is one of the seminal recordings of Irish’ American music of the twentieth century.

A busy musician, he began playing the button box in the 1940’s. Known for his live performances and his mentoring of young talent, although he has not left us a large legacy of recorded work, but what he did commit to vinyl and CD was of the highest quality. Never what we now call a full–time professional musician, he was employed for over thirty years by IBM, rising to their head of security. He took a break from the music whilst he raised his family and returned to playing after his retirement. Dolan was a hugely influential and well–liked figure both in New York, North America and in Ireland. We extend our sympathies to his family and many friends on both sides of the Atlantic.