It’s been so long since I blogged and so much has happened. The really big news for me which I got today is that I have approval to stay in Ireland for the next 12 months. The journey which I started three months ago is not over. I can now plan for the future. Buy a car and rent a house for starters. And see if Ireland is really for me. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) tells me I won’t be able to handle the winter. We’ll see.
In the last six weeks I have been on the Festival trail. A journey that has taken me through Clare (Willie Week, Tulla and Feakle Festivals and the Clare Fleadh at Kilaloe) to Galway (TradPhicnic at Spiddal), Sligo (Fleadh Cheoil and Tubercurry), Leitrim (Drumshanbo) and Mayo (Achill Island summer school). I have attended concerts, lectures, workshops, recitals and of course sessioned relentlessly. Indeed every day for the past 97 days! Is there a Guinness record for that?
It has been a wonderful experience but the festival season has come to an end. I haven’t dared look until I knew what my visa status was but I am sure there will be some fantastic events ahead of me. Perhaps more space in between them now!
It just occurred to me that the reason I have come here is to learn fiddle and while I have played fiddle every day, sometimes for 10 hours in a day I have not done any ‘practice’. Playing in sessions is not practice. I have hundreds of hours of recordings of workshops, sessions and concerts to sort. Great material for new tunes.
Of course I ’learnt’ heaps of new tunes at the Schools, from James Kelly, Paddy Ryan, John Daly, Liam O’Connor, Tola Custy, Siobhan Peoples, Martin Hayes, Eileen O’Brien and Yvonne Kane, but am having trouble recalling any of them. So there’s a lot of work there for me. Likewise I have literally thousands of photos to sort from the Festivals and from my travels through Mayo and Connemarra as well as here in Clare.
I have met some wonderful people and have some great stories to tell, so bear with me and I will start posting again when I can.
A quick thankyou to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me in what I am doing over here. I won’t name you all but you know who you are. I have been warmly accepted into the musical and broader community here in Clare and am really looking forward to the year(s) ahead.
In the meantime with my mind firmly on where I might live for the next year I have identified a few likely properties. The views can’t be faulted!
Stay Tuned…..
Castle near Mullaghmore, Sligo
House on Inishbiggle, Achill. Co Mayo
House in Connemarra
Benbulben, Sligo
Connemarra, Co Glaway
Keel, Achill Island. Co Mayo
Achill Island Co Mayo
Achill Island. Co Mayo
Co Sligo
Innisheer, Co Galway
Cottage, Connemarra, Co Galway
Connemarra, Co Mayo
Singersong Blog 
Sound great. Are the pics potential rentals? ?!!
Ha Ha. They are all abandoned houses which dot the countryside everywhere you go. I am sure you could buy a fixer upper for 30,000 euros but it would cost you hundreds of thousands to do up. No I’ll be looking for something more comfortable !