Irish Music Magazine - Annual 2019 issue

COVER STORY

HEART OF THE HOME
Anne Marie Kennedy met with Joanie Madden, the powerhouse of professional and radiant energy, behind the success of Cherish the Ladies that is now thirty-three years in existence.

FEATURES

THE WILLIS CLAN : SPEAK MY MIND
The Willis Clan are back with a new album; its title tells a hard story. Seán Laffey talks to Jenny Willis McDowell.

THE GREEN FIELDS OF AMERICA
Mick Moloney’s Green Fields of America’s trajectory spans a Nashville folklore convention in the 1970s to Dublin’s TradFest in the right now. Deirdre Cronin has the story.

DAMIEN DEMPSEY
Just as he is about to release his new album, Union and on his return from a tour of Australia and New Zealand, Damien Dempsey looks forward to new gigs and new ventures in 2019. Lar Flynn catches up with Damo.

CELTIC WOMAN’S ANCIENT LAND
Seán Laffey talks to Mairéad Carlin, Éabha McMahon, Tara McNeill and Megan Walsh, the current principals of Celtic Woman.

IMRO’S VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Seán Laffey chats to the Chair of IMRO, Eleanor McEvoy.

BRINGING BALANCE TO THE MUSIC
Grainne McCool in conversation with Pauline Scanlon and Niamh Dunne about the FairPlé initiative.

MÁIRÉAD NESBITT
Millions of people know her as the fiddler from Celtic Woman. Now she is settled in Boston and immersed in a number of musical projects she tells Seán Laffey.

THE LAST GOODBYE
Seán Laffey talks to Hermione Hennessy about her father and the making of The Last Goodbye.

DON STIFFE WRITES FROM THE HEART
Anne Marie Kennedy met up with Don Stiffe to chat about the latest recording.

FÉILE KÍLA
Who do you think would win if you got the whole Kíla gang and put them in a boxing ring and let them at it? Hard to imagine, isn’t it? More into cracking open minds than skulls, this lot, writes Derek Copley.

OUT OF TIME : THE WHISTLE BLOWER
Cormac Juan Breatnach recalled some dark days when he spoke to Derek Copley about the album The Whistle Blower.

MUSIC NETWORK’S JANUARY TOUR 2019
Grainne McCool caught up with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh to hear all about Music Network’s New Year early venture.

MABON AT TWENTY
Seán Laffey puts a call into the Isle of Man to talk with Jamie Smith of Mabon, who are celebrating twenty years on the road in 2019.

SOPHIE & FIACHRA’S ATLANTIC BRIDGE
Mark Lysaght discovers a crossover between Quebecois and Irish music.

EMMA LANGFORD
Lar Flynn catches up with Emma as a busy year for her comes to an end, to chat about starting out, live work, new projects, the RTE Radio Folk Awards and what 2019 might bring.

TUNED INTO THE SAME WAVELENGTH
Derek Copley talks to Cormac Crummey & Benedict Morris on the release of their debut recording.

HIGHLAND LIFE
Highland-based traditional musicians and singer-songwriters Fiona Mackenzie and Brian Ó hEadhra in conversation with Deirdre Cronin.

MICK BRODERICK’S MUSIC ACADEMY
Slide’s bouzouki player has a new life and career in the USA. Seán Laffey discovers more about Mick Broderick’s journey from Dublin, Ireland to Dublin, Ohio.

THE HEART OF CAVAN AND ITS MUSIC
Musician and events producer, Martin Donohoe, talks to Aidan O’Hara.

BEN MARCH BODHRÁNS HANDCRAFTED IN CLARE
Storm Calum was battering the slates in Miltown Malbay when Seán Laffey called Ben March to talk about the world of bodhrán manufacture.

ASSOCIATION OF IRISH CELTIC FESTIVALS (AICF)
Seán Laffey quizzes Mike Mitchell about the AICF and the value of collaboration with Irish Festivals from around North America.

DON “BANJO” SMITH
John Karr talks to veteran folk singer Don “Banjo” Smith and takes the pulse of Folk in New Jersey.

CLAREEN BANJOS
For more than 35 years Tom Cussen has been making banjos in the small town of Clarinbridge, County Galway. Seán Laffey talks to Tom and Fintan Cussen about the beginnings, the development and the future of Clareen Banjos.

CEOLTÓIR
Mark Lysaght talks to Paul McGrattan about the Ceoltóir Course at the Ballyfermot College of Further Education.

FESTIVALS

A selection of wonderful Festivals and Summer Schools from Ireland and abroad.

CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF THE GATHERING TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL
This year’s Gathering Traditional Festival is one of the most richly diverse programmes we have had in years, and runs from February 27– March 3, 2019.

IMBOLC 2019
Derry City Music Festival connects through the global scope of music, dance and culture.

TRADFEST 2019
What better way to beat off the January blues than a five-day festival celebrating the wholesome and eclectic sounds of traditional Irish music, Celtic rock, folk, nufolk and world music.

CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2019
Donald Shaw, Creative Producer for Celtic Connections gives us a thumbnail guide to the UK’s biggest Celtic Festival. Seán Laffey reports.

REGULARS

STORIES FROM IRISH AMERICA
Aoife Clancy shares her upbringing with Reidin O’Flynn.

MUSIC TUITION
– Piano Accompaniment in Irish Traditional Music with Stephen Markham
Brought to you in association with the Online Academy of Irish Music (OAIM).

GREAT INFLUENCES ON THE TRADITION
George Petrie (1790-1866). Aidan O’Hara provides the historical background.

LEGENDS OF IRISH MUSIC
Delia Murphy (1902-1971). An appreciation of the late Delia Murphy by Aidan O’Hara.

WALTONS TUITION
Another selection of tutorials brought to you in association with Waltons Music. You can now listen to these online at www.waltons.ie

TUNE STORY – THE GALWAY FARMER
As Gerry Flynn told us, this is the song that gave him the idea of creating Costa Del Folk. Seán Laffey asks its writer Steve Knightley to fill us in on the background to this race-day winner.

CD REVIEWS

Another selection of CD Reviews from the International World of Folk and Traditional Music.

LIVE REVIEWS

COSTA DEL FOLK PORTUGAL
October 9th – 15th, 2018. Seán Laffey travelled to Albufeira to a folk festival that was inspired by an Irish song.

BOOK REVIEWS

THE ROSE IN THE GAP
Dance Music of Oriel from the Donnellan Collection, Gerry O’Connor, Lughnasa Music 2018 writes Seán Laffey.

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