Monthly Archives: November 2015

Irish Celebration. Music at the Heart of it.

Posted on November 28, 2015 by singersong

Maybe I live in an unreal world but I went to two events in the past week which have highlighted for me the hugely important place traditional Irish music has at the centre of Irish culture and celebration.

One was a funeral and one was a birthday party.

For a birthday party fair enough, but you may think ‘celebration’ is a strange choice of word for a funeral. Let me try and explain.

All of Ennis and the broader Clare and Irish Music communities were saddened by the untimely death of Dympna O’Sullivan. A noted concertina player and stalwart of the Ennis music scene, I met her briefly and played in a couple of sessions with her last year. You could not fail to like her and to be inspired by her playing. I attended her funeral mass at Lissycasey on Sunday 22^nd November. I had not been to a Funeral in Ireland and, though I knew they were a big part of the Irish fabric, I was unsure what to expect.

What I saw when I arrived was a village choked with cars and the spacious church filled to capacity. Family and friends included many musicians and many brought their instruments. The traditional mass was interspersed with not-so-traditional traditional Irish Music. And it made for a wonderful service at times moving and reverential and then stirring. This brings me back to the ‘celebration’ word. Yes it was truly a celebration of a wonderful joyous musical life and there was no incongruity in the long line of mourners queuing to pay respects to the relatives while friends and fellow musicians played spirited jigs and reels. At least thirty musicians played in the packed church and their contribution made for a unique send off. Later at the graveside a solo accordion player from the village played a haunting air which lingered in the cool crisp winter air. I can’t think of a better way to remember a life.

The other event was a 60^th birthday party for Christy Barry. Christy is one of Ireland’s most respected flute and whistle players. He spent much of his life in the States but for some time has lived back home in County Clare. His birthday party filled the function room in Fitz’s bar in the Hotel Doolin with family coming from all round the world. This was more than a birthday party though. The gathering was an excuse for a mighty session. The word was out and upwards of forty musician friends of Christy’s turned up. The music continued with hardly a break from around 8 until I left at 1.30 am. Christy was at the centre of it driving many of the sets whether he was on the flute, whistle or spoons. At the same time he found the time to welcome and embrace every new arrival. The session ebbed and flowed as musicians came and went. One minute Christy was leading a set with half a dozen whistles and flutes. Then the fiddles took over, including James Cullinan, Joe Rynne, Michael Kelleher and Paul Dooley, and then there was a duet with Christy and John King and then there were forty musicians belting out Lucy Campbell. There were songs interspersed and of course some impromptu dancing. This was true craic. Christy also formally received his delayed Lifetime Achievement Award from the Doolin Folk Festival to rousing applause. A well-deserved accolade.

As I said Irish music was at the centre of both events. This was not a pub session or a concert or something laid on for the tourists but this was real; an integral part of life and living.

I really don’t have the words this time to explain the connection adequately. Maybe these photos from Fitz’s will help. But you have to experience it to understand.

Categories: My Journey, Real Ireland, Stories, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Birthday Party in Ireland, celebration, Christy Barry, Clare, Doolin, Doolin Folk Festival, dympna O'Sullivan, Ennis, Funeral, Funeral in Ireland, Ireland, Irish music, Lissycasey, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | 1 Comment

Irish Sessions and the Hungarian Connection

Posted on November 16, 2015 by singersong

As those who follow my blog, or keep up with me on Facebook, would know I go out to listen to or play Irish music every night. I have missed a couple of nights in the past 18 months. To some that might sound dull and one dimensional but so be it. I have my regulars and favourite haunts and musicians I just love playing with and I try and get there every week. Why, you ask? Surely it would just be the same and get boring. Well I’m here to tell you that that is what is so wonderful about sessions in Ireland. Same musicians, same venue yes but totally different night each time. The tunes are never the same, the session dynamics are different with different visiting musicians, and the ambience is different with a different crowd.

An example. Last night at the Cornerstone in Lahinch. The session was led by Yvonne Casey and Brid O’Gorman two local Clare musicians. That is normally enough for me as I love the combination of fiddle and flute. Eoin O’Neill on bouzouki was missing so immediately it was different. Tonight there was no backing the tunes had to stand on their own. On a personal note these kinds of sessions bring out the best in my playing. There’s nowhere to hide. No offence meant Eoin!. Brid’s sister (fiddle) and her son (concertina) joined us for a while and that was great. Unfortunately another regular Severin had jammed her fingers and couldn’t play. The boy sung a lovely song about a set of leaky bagpipes which brought the house down. I sung a few songs to an attentive and appreciative audience. It was just a lovely session and normally that would have been enough. But you just never know what is around the corner in an Irish pub.

Sitting across from us and riveted all night were two couples. After initially refusing an invitation from Yvonne to sing, during a pause in the proceedings, two of them suddenly burst into song in a strangely familiar language. The man had a gorgeous trained baritone voice and the song was full of life and humour even though we didn’t understand a word, It was fantastic.

We got chatting. It was in Hungarian.

I should say here that I am of Hungarian descent! Judit and Gyula have been living in Dublin for seven years and were taking Hungarian friends Aliz and Tamas on a quick visit to the Cliffs of Moher. We got on like a house on fire. It was like meeting family. Maybe we were. Long distant cousins, who knows? I’m sure I will meet them again.

Anyway that’s what Irish music does. I see it all the time. It brings the most unlikely people together.

Can’t wait for tomorrow night.

Categories: Real Ireland, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Brid O'Gorman, Clare, Cliffs of Moher, Eoin O'Neill, Hungarians, Hungary, Ireland, Irish music, Lahinch, music, photography, Sessions, Yvonne Casey | 3 Comments

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Kilkee; November 2015 – A Review

Posted on November 14, 2015 by singersong

Winter has arrived on the west coast of Clare. After an unseasonal spell of sunshine and balmy weather, well into the second week of November, the wind from the Atlantic has now brought the rain, sometimes horizontal, and hail and with it the cold air. So situation normal really. But none of that matters. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill played at Kilkee on Thursday night 12^th November, about a half hour’s drive away and thanks to fiddling friend Yvonne, who solved my transportation problem, I found myself upstairs in Cultúrlann Sweeney staring with eager anticipation at two empty seats on the bare stage. Kilkee is not on the must-visit venues for international music stars but how lucky West Clare was to have enticed them this time. The theatre is located behind and above the local library and is a terrific space with capacity for 102 lucky patrons. The place was full of people and full of expectation.

I have heard Martin and Dennis a number of times in Australia but never in Ireland and never in such an intimate space. This was the perfect place for their music. You could almost feel it wash gently over us while almost in harmony with the rain and occasional rumble of thunder from outside.

A live performance of Martin and Dennis is truly a captivating, almost mesmerising, experience. He plays long sets which build slowly, generally with an air to start and then through a succession of slower tunes, which may be barn dances or jigs or slow reels, picking up the pace and the intensity, building excitement and usually finishing with feverish reels. An example from the first half started with the slow air, The Lark in the Clear Air and then a jig from Peter O’Laughlin (the name of which I missed) to Micho Russel’s version of The Boy in the Gap, which as Martin explained has had all the unnecessary notes stripped out, then Charlie Lennon’s Road to Cashel and finishing with Toss the Feathers and a truly wild, Wild Irishman.

All the way Dennis’ inspired accompaniment enhances the journey. He assists in creating texture and sometimes filling space and other times creating it. Always with great sensitivity. Less is more with Dennis and his ability to create mood and anticipation with a single chord or even one note and also to drive the tunes with a pulsating beat is extraordinary. At times you are not even aware he is playing as he just reinforces the internal rhythm that Martin’s virtuosic playing engenders.

I attended a workshop with Martin earlier this year at Feakle Festival and it was an experience I will treasure. His knowledge and understanding of the music is deep and he was more than willing to share his insights. I was particularly taken with the way he explained how he finds what he terms the ‘groove’. This was in ample evidence this night with both Martin’s feet moving in perfect synchronicity and creating an almost percussive base to the music. All the time his body sways and moves as the music appears to take him over. In contrast Dennis is a model of intense concentration. They sit angled toward each other and their eyes hardly ever leave each other reinforcing the extraordinary musical connection. Martin even joked about it on stage calling it telepathy. Indeed Martin announced what tunes he will do and then promptly does something else and unfazed, Dennis is there.

There were many familiar tunes to those aware of Martin’s body of work. It was especially exciting for me to see the links many of these have to Clare and to hear of the players that influenced him such as his father and Micho Russell and Patrick Creagh.

Martin was in a relaxed mood engaging the audience in a conversation, at times the sort of interchange you might have in the front bar of Peppers, in Feakle, between tunes. I loved his explanation as to how he ended up as a musician working for tough man Johnny Moloney from Carrigaholt which convinced him there was a better life. Dennis was quite happy to let Martin be the front man.

Audience response was vigourous. Excited cheers rang out after each number almost as a collective release of breath, which the audience held throughout the set. Perhaps the sound of breathing would put them off their music?

The lonesome touch that Martin is of course famous for was there however often his playing was feverish. But there was always that groove, that lilt and the ‘nyah’ in abundance. The playing of both was technically brilliant. Not one wrong note or one note out of place. This was as good as it gets and as a wannabe fiddle player truly an inspirational performance. He is constantly varying in particular with the bowing sometimes getting exquisite tone with just the slightest movement of the horse hair and then using long bows to provide dynamic variation. He is a magician.

A word on the sound. It was so good and so unobtrusive I was never conscious of the fact they were miked up. I really felt I was listening to a truly acoustic performance. That was quite an achievement.

The final set of the night kicked off with one of his signature tunes, Port na bPuca, played with intensity and passion with its invocation of the sounds of the wind and the ocean. This was followed a a haunting slow jig and then into another jig and then seamlessly into Lafferty’s Reel, but typical of Martin, almost unrecognisable at times, as he plays in unfamiliar keys and wanders in and out of the tune, and then another reel and then he brings it back with a slow march with a strong pulsating accompaniment from Dennis, then a slip jig with that lovely rolling rhythm and then he builds it up again into another reel and then into P Joe’s Reel, paying homage to his father, and then into Brendan McMahon’s Reel, an East Clare favourite, which he took into unknown places and then finished with yet another reel which I didn’t recognise, this time displaying full pyrotechnics. The crowd would not let them go and gave a prolonged standing ovation. A breathless Hayes returned for an encore asking what they would like to hear. Names came from all directions: “Sailor’s Bonnet”, “Morning Star”, “Farewell to Miltown”. So that’s what we got and a few others thrown in finishing, of course, with a spirited rendition of the Bucks of Oranmore. Another ten minutes!

And afterwards they mingled in the foyer making one lucky girl’s night by signing her pink fiddle. What’s left to say? A memorable concert that’s for sure.

All I could think of afterwards was that I had better get home and practice.

Categories: Concerts, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, concert, Dennis Cahill, fiddle, Ireland, Irish music, Kilkee, Martin Hayes, music, photography, traditional music, travel | 4 Comments

Ennis Trad Fest 2015 – The Last Three Days

Posted on November 11, 2015 by singersong

I have been remiss. Immersed as I have been in the Ennis Trad Festival I have just not found the time to sort photos and write my thoughts. Now it’s over and I have repaid some of my sleep debt I can give it some attention. Where do I start?

Facebook has been flooded with praise for the Ennis Trad Fest so there is probably little that I can add but as many of my blog followers are not on Facebook I will record my impressions here in my blog. And if you’re bored hearing how good the Festival was then just adopt the Playboy philosophy and skip these words and just look at the pictures. I think you will agree they tell a story just on their own.

As someone who has been to all the major schools and festivals over the last 18 months (and a lot of the minor ones) I am often asked what is my favourite Festival. I have avoided an answer. Really because I have found it almost impossible to answer. I have discussed this before in other blogs. but every Festival gives me something to take away. Indeed I have a love-hate relationship with many Festivals. I can’t stay away yet the session experience is often unsatisfying.

I am reminded of Sydney in 2000 when we staged the Olympic Games . The now disgraced Juan Samaranch proclaimed during the Closing Ceremony “I am proud and happy, to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever.” Well for what it’s worth, “Ennis – You have presented the Best Festival I have been to in Ireland”

There I have done it. I’ve said it. The Best Festival in Ireland!

I suppose I should give my reasons. Firstly it is the best location. Ennis in the heart of Clare is the spiritual capital of Irish Traditional music. Ah sure, there’s Donegal and Sligo and Galway and Kerry and I know not everyone will agree but nowhere have I seen music, song and dance so deeply ingrained as part of the culture. It bursts out everywhere, in young and old, in pubs and cafes, among visitors and locals and in players and listeners. So if ever a festival was going to work it was in Ennis. There are heaps of venues. Many of the pubs are widely recognised ‘music pubs’ outside festivals such as Faffa’s, Kelly’s, Brogan’s, Cruises etc and many are large enough to accommodate the inevitable giant festival session. There are hundreds of musicians resident in Ennis and the surrounding villages. While tourists go to Doolin, ‘real’ musicians come to Ennis. It is a mecca for many from overseas, some making it their home.

You can hear all kinds of music in this town. The classic ‘Clare-style’, whatever that is, to the fast, furious and wild. So much choice. In fact why not hold the Fleadh Cheoil here?

Ok so it has everything going for it but of course that’s not enough.. ..

This Festival is a special experience. It delivers on so many levels where the larger Summer Schools and Festivals and the small local ones can’t – It is a musicians festival! Whereas if you go to a Fleadh Cheoil the streets are packed with massive throngs of people. Many families and tourists. And that’s great but walk the streets of Ennis during Trad Fest and you will see crowds, but the great majority of people carry an instrument on their back.

The sessions here are at a different level. The core of each session is usually four musicians but up to 30 may join in. Virtually without exception the music is of the highest quality. Something that cannot be said of Willie week or the Fleadh or Drumshanbo. Yes there are ‘session wreckers’ of course but somehow they don’t seem to destroy the ambience. And you can always move on as there are so many sessions at the same time; scheduled and unscheduled. Just have a look at the pictures and you will see the quality of musicians you can hear.

And my pet hate… pubs so noisy you can’t hear yourself or the fiddler sitting next to you and patrons so disrespectful it becomes unpleasant. Just not a problem here. I love to watch people while I play and there are so often smiles; or listeners with their eyes closed and those chatting do so without disturbing. Yes there is sometimes tension as many don’t understand the unwritten rules around sessions but somehow it works itself out.

I reread my blog from last year and I’m going to repeat what I said then, Not because I am lazy but because what I observed then is confirmed this year and I can’t really add to it.

For me the fact that this was a ‘special’ festival was apparent from the very first session on Thursday to the last note played on Monday night. In my short time here in Ireland I have made many musical friends and this Festival made me realise how important that is to enjoying the musical experience to the fullest. A music festival is not just about the music you hear or make but how you fill the spaces between the music. There was such a sense of goodwill and around the place that it was so easy to make new friends and there was not the negative influence of the, shall we say, over-excited crowds of visitors seeking a different kind of craic, that was a feature of Miltown.

I made heaps of new friends again , John and Maureen from the States, Isabelle from Quebec, a contingent of 25 young musicians from Sweden, Etha from Bali, probably the only fiddle player in Indonesia, Ben from UK, Angela from Germany. And of course renewed contact with many in the real, rather than virtual, world such as Veronika, Steve, Sarah, Clare, John, Jim and Barbara, Tony and the rest of the Festival Family.

I didn’t get to many concerts this time because I wanted to play but I did see Beoga which inspired some of the most creative dancing I have ever seen, and I saw Dermot Byrne and Flo Blancke; beyone sweet! And there were some great music in CD launches – including the wonderful Claire Egan’s first CD.

But for me it was about the sessions. Of course I can only talk about the ones I was at. And you can’t be everywhere. But I have to mention the first with the Lahawns (Andrew MacNamara and Friends) in Ciarans and the last in the front bar of Queens with those still on their feet at 3am on Tuesday morning. In between my musical buttons were pushed by Yvonne Casey and Brid O’Gorman in Cruises, Yvonne and Eoin O’Neill and Damien Werner in Suas. Martin Connolly, Eileen O’Brien and Geraldine Cotter in The Old Ground. Blackie etc in the Diamond, the Clancy sisters in Copper Jug, and some sessions not in the programme such as Monday morning at Queens with a host of international visitors and in the Rowan Tree at 4am on the Saturday morning. And then there was time to let the hair down literally with the legendary Trad Disco and Paddy de los Pamas in Cruises.

It was the right move to get accommodation in Ennis and I really want to thank all those who made this possible for me with my current travelling limitations. Particularly Yvonne and Steve for the lifts in and out, Lorraine for her couch, when all the hotels were full, and the organisers for delivering the Best Festival in Ireland. You have something special here.

I particularly enjoyed photographing this event and I am very happy with some of my images despite my camera playing up and the really high ISO I needed for flashless photography. So here goes…

Farewell and Thanks to Ennis TradFest 2015

The final session at Queens

All too much for some

It starts here.

The Ennis Bard

Part of the International Brigade

Relaxing at Suas Cafe

Kieron, do you really think you can show the master?

Sweet

I love this photo

Part of the Swedish invasion

Tara Howley CD launch

Some running repairs

Bliss

When Quebec meets Ireland

Interpretive Dance 1

Interpretive dance 2

Beyond sweet

there you are Alistair. A serious shot

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Beoga, Blackie O'Connell, Claire Egan, Clare, concert, dancing, Dermot Byren, Ennis, Ennis Trad Fest, Ennis Trea, Festival, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, session, Sessions, Siobhan Peoples, traditional music, travel, Yvonne Casey | 2 Comments

Ennis Trad Fest 2015 Day 2

Posted on November 7, 2015 by singersong

Day 2. In full swing now. Sessions kicked off at 430 and by this time I was well in the mood for tunes. I popped in to the piper’s session in Dan O’Connor’s. Now I love the pipes, don’t get me wrong but I love the fiddle more so I continued my search heading to the Old Ground Here was Niamh O’Dea and Anne-Marie McCormack and friends. In the words of an onlooker “lively isn’t it?”

I won’t go into detail of every session but I dropped into a few, playing in most. There was Brogan’s with Carmel O’Dea, Murty Ryan and Seanie McGrath. Knox’s where Hugh Healy and friends were holding court and Martha and Geraldine Clancy in the Copper Jug. Oh and Mickey Kerin’s as a night cap. What a selection.

You have gotta love this Festival. There’s plenty for everyone. If you really want there are enough sessions to get a seat at the table and if you can’t well the quality of the sessions is so good that you are happy to just listen. And many come here just to do that. On Thursday I spotted Martin Hayes soaking up the Lahawns in Ciaran’s and last night I chatted with Daithi Gormley, this year’s All Ireland box champion and Aiofe Cunningham, All Ireland fiddle, just happy to sit in the corner and listen to the eclectic mix of tunes from the Clancy sisters.

This year there seem to be more people. I walked into Fawles and there was an unscheduled session with a dozen players none of whom I reconginsed. There are surprises around every corner. In the Copper Jug I caught up with Dave Garner, from Manchester who I had met in Australia nearly three years ago. A class fiddler. There is a group of young Swedish musicians here as part of a six month course on Irish music in Sweden. And I met lots of old friends and made plenty of new ones; including a lady who must be Indonesia’s only trad Irish fiddle player. She is passionate about the music despite there being no sessions there.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Categories: Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, Ennis, Ennis Trad Fest, Festival, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | Leave a comment

Ennis Trad Fest 2015 Day 1

Posted on November 6, 2015 by singersong

Thursday November 5^th. The opening day of the Ennis Trad Fest for 2015. I have decided this year to book a room at the Rowan Tree. To be in the thick of it. Ennis is ripe with anticipation. Like a rehearsal for the Fleadh. There are already sessions in the lounge of the Hostel when I arrive.

By the time the official opening gets underway at the Queen’s Hotel the front bar is packed. Mercifully short speeches from Blackie O’Connell, the Mayor and Ron Kavana who sang his wonderful song ‘Reconciliation’ and we were away. Two CD launches, first by Phillip Duffy and Liam Kelly. I had seen these guys play at Tubbercurry and bought the CD there so I headed off for some tunes. First stop Brogans. With Damien O’Reilly, Caoifhionn Ni Fhrighil and friends. This quickly built up to over twenty musicians. A great taster. Where to next? – the perennial problem. Tonight though I only had to choose between Siobhann Peoples at Faffa’s or the Lahawns. I chose the Lahawns this time – and they took the roof of Ciaran’s Pub. The line up was Andrew MacNamara, Joan Hanrahan, Anne-Marie McCormack, Eileen O’Brien, Jim Corry two pipers plus whoever could find a seat.

From the first chord on the piano the place was hopping. Their music was infectious and they were still going at half one when I left. A quick walk around town and there were sessions popping up everywhere. I spotted Tom Delaney and friends in Dan O’Connells. And way after 2am there were still tunes in the lounge of the Rowan Tree.

This is only day 1. Boy are we in for a cracker!