Festivals

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 8

Posted on May 25, 2015 by singersong

Sunday. A late start.

Got to town about 3pm and managed to catch the last of the session at Knox’s with the Healeys, Tom Delaney, Derek Hickey, Caroline Keane, and heaps more, but there was a long wait for a seat. And when I did get one it finished. C’est la vie. Nice to listen though for a change. Lovely rousing version of Black is the Colour from Niamh Parsons.

So off to the CD launch at The Old Ground for Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha’s new recording. She had enlisted Eoin O’Neill, Jack Talty and Michael Hynes to help out and then we were progressively joined by flutes and fiddles from the floor until there were maybe 30 musicians. This was something else. It was a Who’s Who of Clare music with a number of welcome visitors from other counties and other worlds. Richie Dwyer, Danny Meehan, John Carty, Tony Smith, Denis Liddy; and that’s just the fiddle players. To hear Lord McDonald played by so much talent was a special experience. There was some great dancing and a wonderful recitation from Oliver O’Connell who was the host for the event. I could have stayed and listened all day and it was all I could do to stop myself running back to the car to get my fiddle and join them!

Downstairs the music continued with Eileen O’Brien, Mary MacNamara, Sorcha Costello and Geraldine Cotter, But I had to drag myself away from there for the Bobby Casey Tribute concert and CD launch. A four hour extravaganza with an incredible array of musicians who knew or were influenced by Bobby. I won’t list everyone but check out the photos. I am sure you will see many familiar faces.

On the way home I popped into Cruises for Los Paddys de las Pampas and they had the crowd bopping as usual and then it lifted a notch when three quarters of the Four Winds joined them on stage. A fitting way to end the day.

The Festival is winding down. Monday brings Recovery Sessions and time to reflect on what has been a wildly successful Festival. It augurs well for the Fleadh Cheoil next year. I kept visualising the streets pedestrianised and packed with thousands and music coming out of every pub. Good luck Alan and the team! Ennis is definitely the right place!

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Bobby Casey, Clare, Comhaltas, concert, dancing, Ennis, Festival, fiddle, Fleadh Nua, glor, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | Leave a comment

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 7

Posted on May 24, 2015 by singersong

It’s Saturday and the Festival is in full swing. Ennis is buzzing. People everywhere. So much choice. For me the day kicked off with another Café session. Rowan Tree is an amazing location on the river with bay windows and high ceilings and music led by Eoin O’Neill and Joan Hanrahan. The usual Fleadh Nua Family were there and it was great to catch up with some old friends. I left early so missed a song from Luka Bloom on his birthday. You can’t be everywhere.

Off to the CD launch where Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh delighted us with their fiddle and concertina and of course the effortless and extraordinary sean nos dancing of Caitlin. This is dancing fit for a President (she has).

In contrast an hour later we were rocking to the sounds of Four Winds at the launch of their cd. They are Caroline Keane on concertina Daoiri Farrell on bouzouki and vocals, Tom Delany on pipes and whistles and Robbie Walsh on the bodhran. A band without a fiddle? How could I possibly like that? But these guys nailed it.l The explosive energy of Tom’s pipes and the driving rhythms of the bouzouki and bodhran carry the music forward. Surprisingly Caroline’s concertina does not get lost and merges perfectly with the pipes. It reminded me a bit of Moving Hearts…..

Then the session search began and I found a few beauties. There were quiet tunes in Queens with Eileen O’Brien, Martin O’Connor and Thierry Masur, a cracking session at Faffa’s with Blackie O’Connell, Damien O’Reilly and Cyril O’Donoghue and great tunes at Knox’s with Kevin Finucane, Martha Clancy, Kieran Kissane with, Nicole, Maureen, Steve, Fu, and the lovely Cliona and Abby from Cork. A couple of great dance sets and some sean nos from Suzanne Leahy. Didn’t want it to finish. How on earth do you beat that?

Well, you go to Kelly’s. I’ve raved about this pub before. I go every Saturday night I am in town and just love playing with the regulars there. This night it felt like a giant party to which the whole of Ennis were invited. Kelly’s is Irish for “good time”. Coming a bit late there was already no space and I was surprised to see Eileen O’Brien with Andrew MacNamara and Jack Talty on piano rather than the usual. Great tunes indeed but not what I expected. Then there was a shift change. Eileen left for another gig and Joan Hanrahan and Brid O’Gorman joined us. And then Carmel O’Dea and then Geraldine Cotter. Let the party begin. Just a few lucky visitors were there to experience this including Tony Illanes, Steve Brown and Beannie O. The session ebbed and flowed from one glorious set to another. Impromptu dancing from the omnipresent Suzanne Leahy, and then when you thought it was all over, a singing session that went to 2.30 am led by Alan Hogan and the inimitable Hanrahan sisters. You knew it was a good night when they started singing Scottish songs! This was another of those magic moments I spoke of in an earlier blog. I could write a book on the nights at Kelly’s alone.

I heard the craic was continuing at O’Keefe’s so I headed there but a frustrated doorman wouldn’t let me in saying they were closed and he was trying to get rid of everyone. Fat chance! A sneak look in the door and the place was packed. Oh well there’s always tomorrow. You can’t be everywhere.

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, concert, dancing, Ennis, Festival, Fleadh Nua, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | 1 Comment

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 6

Posted on May 23, 2015 by singersong

Friday and the Festival proper has begun. A struggle after getting to bed at 4am but I made it to the Café session at Bia Agus Caife. This is a great spot tucked around the back near the Abbey but Yvonne Casey and Eoin O’Neill really gave us a treat. It was more like a big house party or a family reunion than a session. And in many ways it was. The tune selection was brilliant ensuring that everyone could play along and the joy was evident everywhere, dare I say even among the session leaders!

On then to the Sanctuary for some terrific music from Conor Keane, Johnny Ringo, Kevin Finucane and Dave Harper. The Riches of Clare concerts continue to be packed out. Excellent move to relocate it to the Queens.

Then sessions. And there were some beauties. Just caught the end of some tunes at Fawls with Cormac Begley, Jack Talty and Claire Egan. Wow. I would walk across hot coals to hear these guys. Too short. Then stayed at Fawles with Moya Fitzgerald and Dave Harper.

After dinner I ended up at Knox’s for the early session. Hugh Healy, Brian O’Lauglin and Johnny Kelly among others. Love playing with these guys. And so did the audience. In fact this tall Texan (I’m assuming here) dressed in black and with a black Stetson threw $200 on the table as a tip. There was a stunned silence! No one had ever seen a tip of this size. God bless Americans.

Then I took a break and had a wander, popping in to sessions at Ciaran’s, Faffas, Old Ground, Fawls and Temple Gate, Check out the photos.

Today (Saturday) promises a lot with three cd launches, wall to wall sessions and a concert. Some hard choices coming up.

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 5

Posted on May 22, 2015 by singersong

Thursday. Every festival has its magic moments. Today was one of the magicest!. More about that later. I decided to take the day off so I can’t report on the Café concert or the lunchtime concert. Sorry about that. Instead I took friend Maureen from Australia on a road trip that included the Cliffs, Poulnabrone and the Sheela-na-gig at Kilnaboy. The Cliffs were a complete white out with just the occasional glimpses through the cloud. Ah well ! that’s Ireland.

Back to Ennis to catch the last of the Fionn Seisun with Frank Custy and then an impromptu session at Cruises with visitors from Czech Republic, Wales, Germany, USA, France, Spain. You get the picture. I had the choice of staying there with Brian Mooney and friends or going to Ciaran’s or Faffa’s. How am I going to be when there are 20 sessions to choose from at the weekend?

I decided to go to Cairan’s, got myself a prime seat and soaked up the sound. Andrew MacNamara was accompanied by Nuala Hehir and Paolo Cerato. Three boxes!. And Brendan Hearty on guitar. It was truly great music with rhythm and lift and I so enjoyed playing along. And there was a guest appearance from Sean Smyth from Lunasa. I was in my element. Andrew was in top form which augurs well for the Dungarvan Festival next weekend where Boruma Trio are headlining. See you there!

I popped in to Faffa’s briefly where Siobhann Peoples and Blackie O’Connell were in full flight but there was no chance of a seat in the tiny space in the window. So I took some photos instead. No real surprise there I suppose.

Back at Ciaran’s it wound up soon after midnight and when I thought it was all over I was packed up and almost out the door, when a friend whispered in my ear to stick around as Tony Cullinan was going to play. The name meant nothing to me. I had never heard of him but minutes later the fiddle exploded in the hands of one of the great characters of Ennis. Here was as unorthodox a fiddler as you will see. He holds the fiddle vertically and almost behind his head. The hand leaves the fiddle regularly. He may not be a fiddler’s fiddler but there is passion and there is ‘nyah’. As my friend said “it is like he’s not playing the fiddle, it’s playing him”. I could see what she meant. Along with the small crowd that remained I heard him accompanied by Nuala and Brendan and then solo. I was so happy just to listen but then he called me up to join him. It is funny how I had no nerves and playing with him lifted me to a level I didn’t think I was capable of. It was a special experience. I drove back to Caherush in the fog getting home totally exhausted at 3 am. Like I said every festival has its special moments, I make no apology for including quite a few photos of Tony. He is a dream to photograph and has a huge variety of expressions. Hope you see it the same as I did.

Just an afterthought. We sometimes think the world revolves around music (well, I do!) but there are a lot of other facets to Ennis. I’ve included a few photos at the end that show some different sides of Ennis on Thursday. Party town?

Categories: Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, Ennis, Festival, Fleadh Nua, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | 3 Comments

Fleadh Nua Ennis Day 4

Posted on May 21, 2015 by singersong

Wednesday and struggling to get myself up early enough to get to the Café session at 11.00 am. Glad I did though. Eamonn and Geraldine Cotter at the Tea Cosy. Just brilliant. With the sun streaming (occasionally) in the front window and just a lovely atmosphere with free tea and scones. A lunch time concert at the O’Connell statue by kids from a local school. So much music. And what was also brilliant was seeing these kids dance. Many of them are of obvious non-Irish extraction but they were throwing themselves into it with enthusiasm. What a wonderful way to feel part of your adopted homeland.

A bit of a break for me then until the evening at Knox’s again for a reprise with the Healys and Brian O’Loughlin. Just great driving tunes. Joined for this one by friend Maureen just arrived from Perth. A great introduction for her to the music scene in Ennis. Finished the night with some tunes with Siobhann Peoples, Murty Ryan and Desi Kelliher at a packed Dan O’Connells.

What will tomorrow bring?

Categories: Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, Ennis, Festival, Fleadh Nua, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | 1 Comment

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 3

Posted on May 20, 2015 by singersong

A much brighter day Tuesday with the storms and freezing wind of the day before somewhat abated. So off to the Café session at Food Heaven. This is a large modern café with plenty of room for the musicians, today led by Murty Ryan and Desi Kelliher. These sessions continue to be well received by the punters.

The Riches of Clare concert was moved to the Sanctuary Night Club behind the Queens Hotel due to overcrowding at the Museum. I had misgivings about how an acoustic gig would work in this cavernous space but the sound was great. It certainly helped having musicians of the quality of James Devitt, Christy Barry, Conor McCarthy & John Faulkner. It really was lovely music with two terrific songs from John. Great to hear Christy play Christy Barry Nos 1 and 2.

I skipped the Fionn Seissun today but there was an early session at Knox’s with Hugh and Eric Healy, Brian O’Laughlin and Caroline. Brilliant stuff. Clogher Road got yet another airing! Then it was on to Cruises again to finish the evening with Quentin Cooper and Eoin O’Neill and the usual mob of reprobates.

You can feel the build up to the weekend as more musicians arrive every day.

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, concert, Ennis, Festival, Fleadh Nua, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel | 1 Comment

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 2

Posted on May 19, 2015 by singersong

It’s Monday and the day kicked off with a brunch session at Cafe Aroma. You had to get there early to get a seat even though no one knew who the musicians would be. What a nice surprise to get Blackie O’Connell and Cyril O’Donoghue. The foreign contingent lapped it up and Blackie made everyone feel welcome.

I missed the lunchtime Riches of Clare concert with Niamh O’Dea, Anne Marie McCormack and friends but my spy on the ground tells me it was brilliant high energy entertainment.

Another permanent feature of Fleadh Nua is the afternoon Fionn Seissun. The venue has moved but the format remains the same. Frank Custy and his friends lead the beginner’s session and everyone gets a go at starting a tune or song. I even sung; giving the Clogher Road an airing.

The evening concluded with tunes at Cruises led by Yvonne Casey and Brid O’Gorman, with musicians from France, Japan, UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Wales, USA, and Australia and hardly an Irishman to be seen. Lovely to see an ovation from the appreciative audience at the end.

All roads lead to Ennis.

Baltimore Fiddle Fair

Posted on May 13, 2015 by singersong

Baltimore lies in the very southwest corner of Ireland in one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland – West Cork. It is a very pretty town nestled on a protected harbour with a strong maritime heritage. Very popular with the yachty set but for one weekend a year the sound of clinking gins-and-tonic is replaced by fiddles and pipes. That is the Baltimore Fiddle Fair and that’s where I headed for the last Festival of my first year in Ireland, which is rapidly coming to a close. And a fitting way to end the year it was.

Four days of music centred on the fiddle and covering many genres. We heard Old Timey, Cape Breton, Bluegrass, Swedish, Gypsy Swing, Scots and a variety of traditional Irish. There were fiddlers of the class of Gerry O’Connor, Zoe Conway, Liam O’Connor, Danny Diamond, Dermot McLaughlin and Shane Cook. The core of the festival was the concerts though I have to admit I only attended one, so I can’t really comment on them but the one I did attend was a show stopper. Warmed up by the fiddle and pipes of Liam O’Connor and Sean McKeown the crowd was blown away by Swedish superband Väsen. I had never heard of them (shame on me) but I know them now. Slick and professional and as tight a sound as you will ever hear, with five string viola, nyckelharpa and guitar combining effortlessly. This music was a revelation with its dynamic range and variations in tempo and rhythm. I was truly ‘polskafied’.

I attended five workshops. A big stretch but I was able to get exposure to Donegal style, Old Timey and Cape Breton as well as picking the brains of Gerry O’Connor and Zoe Conway. I never tire of these workshops. Every time I learn something.

But of course as always it was the sessions that kept me occupied. Every day from around 1 pm there was continuous music in the venues around the Square and in the evenings, after the concerts, Casey’s Hotel raged with as many as four sessions until at least 4am every night. There were visitors from all over the world and I met some wonderful new people including John from Wales, Patrizia and Angelica from Austria, Julie from Denmark, who is cycling around Ireland (https://www.facebook.com/TourdeFolk), Liam from Queensland, Kathleen from Boston, Larry from Tipp, the delightful, Joleen, Karen and Lorna who make up the Henry Girls from Donegal and caught up with old friends again such as Trish from Dublin, Clare from Cork and Aina from France.

You meet all kinds at a festival such as this and for me that is what makes travelling to them worthwhile. Every evening, we were joined at Casey’s by Jeremy Irons. Self-effacing and just happy to sit in on the edges of the session and find his way in and out of tunes. Clearly revelling in the craic and a world that is a long way from Hollywood.

And I had the great pleasure to meet renowned Danish artist Claus Havemann. I chatted to him outside Bushes Bar as he stood there having a cigarette and staring across to Sherkin Island where he has had a home for thirty years and spends his time when not in Denmark. He told me of his journey in art over the last forty years which took him from Surrealism to Realism to Modernism to Minimalism to his current works which reinterpret the masters. He told me that he once painted a picture during his Minimalist period called ‘Yellow’ which was essentially dozens of layers of blue paint. The title made perfect sense to me when he explained that yellow is opposite blue on the colour wheel. I have included a couple of his paintings. I especially like the Velazquez ‘copy’, one of a series in which he paints in the style of the master but puts in modern references such as a Picasso and Miro on the wall and his interpretiaon of the Vermeer as a portrait of his daughter. See more at http://www.claushavemann.com/

Speaking of Sherkin Island, one of the highlights of the Festival was a session at the Island Rest Hotel. Sherkin is only a few minutes by boat and has about 90 residents. I met many of them that night as they lapped up the seriously good music from the visiting musicians shipped over (literally) for the event. There were some great contributions from locals also including songs and some impromptu dancing from Mary and her artist friends. I have never been to a session where I was picked up and delivered back by boat and the memory of this one will stay a long time.

I was intrigued by the Algiers Bar where I also played, having spent quite a bit of time in Algeria during my geology days. Turns out this pays homage to the notorious event in 1631 known as the Sack of Baltimore when Barbary pirates (comprising Dutch, Algerians and Ottomans) attacked Baltimore and captured 108 English settlers who were transported back to North Africa as slaves. Funny how we think of slavery in terms of Africans being sent to the new world, but in the century from 1580 to 1680 there were up to a million Europeans taken as part of the Barbary slave trade. Baltimore was abandoned and the village deserted for generations.

The face of the festival is Declan McCarthy. It was his brainwave back in 1992 and he is still running it. And what a trooper he is. Everything (well nearly everything) ran smoothly. The venues, the workshops and the support of the town. Hat’s off to him! Speaking of the venues some of the workshops were held at the magnificent stately home Inish Beg and at the famous Glebe Gardens. Along with the church, sailing club and a specially erected marque they really got it right with, of course, the fabulous location. And unlike many other festivals where you’re lucky if you can buy a bucket of chips there were great food options with the Glebe Café a standout.

I was absolutely shattered at the end of this week. Workshops every morning and some afternoons, sessions all day and surviving on just a few hours sleep. To fiddle a bit with the words of Richard Thompson in Beeswing “you wouldn’t want it any other way”.

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Sessions, The Fiddle, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Algiers, Baltimore, Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Barbary, concert, Cork, Festival, fiddle, Glebe Gardens, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, session, Sessions, Sherkin Island, traditional music, travel, West Cork | 3 Comments

Super Sunday

Posted on May 4, 2015 by singersong

What a Sunday.

After a very late night at the Cuckoo Fleadh in Kinvara in Galway I was slow to get started but discovered the perfect antidote at Byrnes Restaurant in Ennistymon. Yvonne Casey and Jon O’Connell. This was as close to pure as you could hope for. It was a sublime combination of music and place. Outside after the night’s heavy rain the Ennistymon falls were gushing. Inside a fiddle and guitar melted together in the hands of two world class players. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t all Irish. At times the small but appreciative audience were mesmerised. I came away enervated but and itching to play.

So off to Kinvara again for the Cuckoo Fleadh. There were sessions everywhere by the time I arrived. The highlight for the day was a session with Brid Harper and eight fiddles. At least until the noise from the local lads became too much. Hope I dont offend anyone but I am a fiddler, and for a change to hear eight of them with only a whistle, flute and concertina was heaven. Great to catch up for tunes with with Moya and Sandra in the back bar of Connollys and with Bridge and Siofra. On top of 11 hours of music the previous day (including a madcap session with Andrew MacNamara and Eileen O’Brien and meeting and playing with Eilish O’Connor again, after 33 years!) I was well satisfied

Then off for a session at the Blacksticks Pub at O’Callaghan’s Mills. It lies somewhere between Feakle and Tulla and is one of those rare gems of pubs. It only has music on holiday Sundays and the session in the kitchen, led by Pat O’Connor and John Canny and attended by locals from Feakle and Tulla was a real little window into East Clare. I will talk more about this in another place but I got home at 3.30am, after pretty much circumnavigating Clare, tired and satisfied.

Categories: Festivals, Sessions, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Blacksticks, Byrne's Restaurant, Clare, Cuckoo Fleadh, Ennistymon, Feakle, Festival, fiddle, Galway, Ireland, Irish music, Jon O'Connell, Kinvara, music, O'Callaghan's Mills, photography, Sessions, traditional music, travel, Tulla, Yvonne Casey | Leave a comment

Corofin Traditional Festival, Co Clare

Posted on March 10, 2015 by singersong

The festival at Corofin is the 25th festival I have been to in Ireland since I arrived in May 2014. Is it the best? Hard to answer but for me it had everything. Some festivals have better workshops, bigger concerts, more variety, but this one to my mind gets the balance just right. Let me tell you about it.

The festival committee headed by the dynamic O’Reilly brothers have developed a tried and true formula and know better than to tinker with it. In fact the Festival won the MórGlór award last year in recognition of its contribution to music in Clare and the efforts of the organisers to put on a consistent and high quality festival.

Corofin is a small village on the edge of Clare’s spectacular Burren (see my blogs at https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-burren/ and https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/the-burren-again/) about 14 km from Ennis. The festival was held over the week 2nd March to 8th March 2015. It kicked off on the Monday night and there were events every night until the weekend when the festival proper got into full swing. I didn’t attend the opening by Eoin O’Neill on Monday (I was still enjoying the final session of the Russell Weekend in Doolin (https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/russell-weekend-doolin-co-clare/) so I can’t comment on that but Tuesday and Wednesday saw two more free events in the Teach Ceoil. This is an intimate venue where there is a great connection between the artists and the audience. On Tuesday we heard Mick, Donal and Conor McCague launching their album of mainly Mick’s original compositions. It was lovely music, a highlight for me being; yes you guessed it, the fiddle playing of Donal. Wednesday was a tribute night to the irrepressible Joe Rynne from Inagh who has had such a big influence on music in North Clare As recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award, we were treated to some wonderful cameos from members of his family, from renowned flute players, Christy Barry and Brid O’Donoghue and then finishing with an all in session comprising 25 of Joe’s friends, many of them legends themselves and some previous members of the Corofin Hall of Fame. Their playing of the ‘Tulla’ set was something to behold.

Then there were three concerts on Thursday Friday and Saturday. One can’t be everywhere so the only one of these I saw was on Friday with the Yanks, a group of yes, you guessed it, Americans, led by 2014 All Ireland Senior Fiddle Champion Dylan Foley and the most gorgeous flute from Conal Ó Gráda with Colm Murphy backing on bodhran. I had never heard flute playing quite like that of Conal. It was light, full of energy and spirit and I was mesmerised. Performers at the other concerts included Angelina Carberry and Dan Broudar, Noel Hill and Liam O’Connor and Jesse Smith and Colm Gannon, and while it was disappointing not to see everyone, I was able to catch up with some of these at the various sessions.

I attended the fiddle workshop and in the allocated three hours we had an hour each from Jesse Smith, Dylan Foley and Conor McEvoy. This was nowhere near enough time and in particular Jesse Smiths’ insightful perspective was particularly helpful to me.

This festival however very much revolves around the virtually continuous sessions that take place from Friday night to the death on Sunday evening. It is a musicians’ festival and quality players turn up in droves and this brings a big contingent of international trad followers. It felt at times a bit like Willie Week without the baggage, if you know what I mean. Of course there were some sessions that didn’t deliver, just as in any festival – too much noise, too big, whatever; but there were so many that did. I played on the Saturday (not counting the workshop) from 2:30 to close at around 2am (after three hours sleep the night before) and again on the Sunday for twelve hours, exhausted but satisfied. There were both large sessions such as at Crowley’s on Saturday where despite there being possibly forty musicians, the music was fast and tight and had a good strong pulse, and there were small intimate sessions, such as with Stefan and Paolo at the Anglers Rest on Sunday or on Saturday where I had the great pleasure of playing with the incredibly talented Sarah, Ellen and Seamus O’Gorman, All Ireland champions from Waterford and the future of fiddle playing in Ireland. Great stuff. And I have to mention the Sunday evening session at the Angler’s Rest, with Derek Hickey, Claire Egan, Eoin O’Neill (box), Liam O’Brien, Dan Brouder, Angelina Carberry and Geraldine Cotter among others. This was sublime music played at a gentle pace and with wonderful restraint and despite the number of boxes you could hear each instrument clearly. It became almost hypnotic at times and a largely silent and appreciative crowd were treated to a memorable evening and a great finale to a weekend of wonderful music. Great to be part of it.

I caught up with a host of overseas musicians, some regular visitors to Clare who include Corofin on their must-visit list along with Willie Week and the Tradfest in Ennis and judging by the variety of inter-county number plates jostling for parking space there were visitors from all over Ireland drawn to this celebration of the best of Irish music. And as usual I made many new friends. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the traditional music scene?

There was not a bed to be had in Corofin as I discovered when my car was locked inside the Centra Car park, but that’s another story!

I only had one issue, and I mention it as something for the organisers to think about next time. There was a fantastic session going at Bofey Quinn’s on Saturday evening and the place was packed and buzzing. At 10pm the musicians who play at the regular scheduled session arrived and virtually mid-tune the session came to an abrupt end. As the regulars took over, the pub quickly cleared both of musicians and drinkers. This was not in the best interests of the Festival or the pub. I don’t know what the answer is but, like I say, I just mention it as something to think about.

Fair play to the O’Reilly brothers who seem to be the driving force behind this festival (I hope that’s not being unfair to others who contribute), while at the same time appear in the concerts, do MC’ing and turn up at sessions all over town as well as being at the end of the phone to answer requests for lost caps. Thank you.

So is it the best? Let me just say if it was a restaurant I’d give it three hats!

See you there next year.