Posts Tagged With: Clare

Spancil Hill Again.

Posted on June 26, 2015 by singersong

It’s the 23^rd of June again. That means Spancil Hill Fair.

The day didn’t start too well. Sometime during the night I stubbed my foot into a chair and dislocated my little toe. Pain! It had a 90 degree bend in it and I didn’t sleep that night. I figured I would limp through the day and seek treatment later. The Show must go on.

But I didn’t count on the magic of the Fair. As I stepped onto the hallowed ground, dodging the horse pats, I was miraculously cured. The toe clicked back into place and the pain just disappeared instantly.

Should Spancil Hill become the new Knock? Conversion on the Road to Tulla?

Can’t believe it’s a year since I was here. I blogged on it then so I won’t repeat those thoughts here as they are still entirely apposite.

https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/spancil-hill-it-being-the-23rd-of-june/

Yet last time it was such a novelty. Now I feel more part of it. I was with Miriam and Linda, woofers from Germany, staying with Pakie and Irene, who have a farm near Mullagh, and they are both horsey people so they gave me more of an insight into what was going on.

And what was going on was, literally, horse-trading. This is so much a part of so many lives still here in Ireland. There was much to take in. Traveller girls dressed to the nines, men with sticks, so many sticks (and when a horse bolted in my direction I understood why), horses of all types, ponies, donkeys, carts, puppies, traders selling pretty much everything, the three-card-trick, drinking, hamsters and chickens, and more horses. I watched deals done and the apparently haphazard system results in buyers and sellers coming away happy. People, young and old, just stand there in the field with their pony or horse and potential buyers look them over and, if they like it, agree a price and take their purchase away. No spruiking or pressure. Horse traders from Britain in particular arrive in droves, buy them up cheap and take them back to sell to riding schools or wherever. It’s been thus for hundreds of years.

As the crowd thinned people gravitated to the Spancil Hill Inn where I was persuaded to sing. I sang half a dozen songs. That was a real buzz. Afterwards wind down sessions at the recently reopened Brogans and then Ennistymon on the way home. A day that started at 9am and finished at 1 am.

The Sunday before the Fair was a family fun day at Duggan’s Pub, with a donkey derby (bookmaker and all), tractor balancing, wellington boot throwing and musical chairs with donkeys and with bikes for the kids. You had to be there.

I decided to use black and white on many of these photos. Just thought it gives a more timeless aspect to the images.

Categories: Real Ireland | Tags: 23rd of June, Clare, Cross of Spancil Hill, donkey, fair, horse, Spancil Hill, travellers | 1 Comment

Doolin Folk Festival 2015. People.

Posted on June 16, 2015 by singersong

A festival such as Doolin is obviously about the music. But it’s also about the people.

That people of all ages and from all parts of the planet, enjoyed themselves at Doolin is beyond question. What has been created here is an atmosphere where everyone can be part of the festival on their own terms. Families, people who just want to listen, people who want to party. All the little spaces around the marquee create that ambience. You can curl up on the couch or sit around the fires or sit in the front row and hear and watch every note or just catch up with friends. Or make new ones. Or you can chat to the musicians that stay to listen.

When I wasn’t photographing musicians, I turned the camera in other directions. I think I have caught some of these moments.

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Real Ireland, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, craic, dancing, Doolin, Festival, Ireland, Irish music, music, people, photography, traditional music, travel | 14 Comments

Doolin Folk Festival 2015 Day 3

Posted on June 16, 2015 by singersong

Phew! How did I survive?

I was wrong the other day when I said the hardest gig was playing first up at the Festival. Sorry David, but Dingle-based Ríona had an even tougher job opening the Sunday. Clearly many had not yet got up after Aldoc and whatever after that, but this was a shame for them as they missed a great new voice with her own heartfelt songs and lovely understated guitar. How do you find these gems, Conor?

Then two of the real stars of Clare music got together to revisit their seminal album ‘Setting Free’ released over twenty years ago. Cyril O’Donoghue and Tola Custy. For Tola this was back to his roots and very different to recent explorations such as Guidewires and Tradivarious. But we were reminded what a good traditional fiddler he really is. And Cyril’s magic voice! we hear it so rarely these days in sessions around Ennis.

What a treat, the virtuosic mandolin of Brendan O’Regan. And the inspired combination with Floriane Blancke’s harp and Dermot Byrne’s exquisite box playing transported us from an Irish pub to a French café, to the drawing room of a stately home, to ‘Deliverance’ country and then back to Ireland. There is no other word for it – delicious!

Stone the Crows! (Aussies will know what I mean). Sligo boys, No Crows were a revelation. I had never heard them before, though I had heard of them during my visit to Sligo last year when I had the interesting experience of playing with Seamus Tansey at Shoot the Crows. With the amazing Steve Wickham and two other extraordinary fiddlers their music defies pigeon-holing. Celtic meets gypsy jazz with a dose of Jimmy Hendrix! I was absolutely blown away when I heard Steve sing. What an extraordinary voice. And his inspiring narrations of tales of the Aran Islands made for riveting listening. I almost forgot to take photos.

How could you beat that? You bring on Paddy Keenan and Daoiri Farrell. And then you get Paddy to invite his mates onto the stage: Eddie Lee (amazing bass player with No Crows), Katie Theasby, then Conor Byrne. Then you bring Flo and Dermot and Seamus back and you lift the roof off the tent. Great songs from Daoiri and those wonderful old favourite tunes such as Jenny’s Wedding and Craig’s Pipes and then Paddy on the low whistle with A Stór Mo Chroi seamlessly blending into The Boys of Tandragee.

Then we had Luka Bloom’s most recent carnation Oh! Sahara, a trio with Jon O’Connell and Quentin Cooper. Their set built up after a mellow start until by the end they were rocking and the audience was belting out the lyrics. I won’t say anymore as I reviewed them at a previous concert they gave recently at Kenny’s(https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/osahara-at-lahinch/). Was this their last gig?

The tent then swelled in expectation of Stockton’s Wing. Their wings were unfortunately clipped with the unfortunate absences of Maurice Lennon and Steve Cooney (speedy recovery guys) but the replacements who included Tara Breen on fiddle stepped into the breach magnificently. The light continued to shine in the western sky and the audience loved it. I reviewed their recent concert in Ennis in March. Check it out at https://singersongblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/stocktons-wing-concert-ennis/

And to finish the night and the Festival, and what a great choice, Arum. I know little about them but that mattered not. The crowd that was left after midnight did and they were all there to see the amazing flute of Conor Crimmins. Unfortunately I had hit the wall and left soon after 1 am. I have no doubt the party went on till the small hours became large.

Well done Conor, Lisa, Hana, Roisin and all the other nameless helpers that worked so hard to put on this Festival.

I have one more blog to come. Keep an eye out for it.

Categories: Concerts, Festivals, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, concert, Doolin, Doolin Folk Festival, Festival, Folk, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, Sessions, Stocktons Wing, traditional music, travel | 2 Comments

Doolin Folk Festival 2015, Day 2

Posted on June 14, 2015 by singersong

Only a few words today. I am going to let the pictures talk. I’ll just say that the full house yesterday was treated to an incredibly strong showing of what ‘Folk Music’ is today in Ireland.

We had solo singer-songwriters such as Fiach Moriarty, we had a dose of Sliabh Luachra with Brian O’Leary’s band and then the perfect hangover cure with Colm Mac Con Iomaire. This group deserves special mention. All eleven of them had made the trip to Doolin and their eclectic and extraordinarily beautiful arrangements of ‘trad meets trance’ was a real eye-opener.

We had ‘modern’ trad with the Four Winds reprising their gig of a couple of weeks ago at the Fleadh Nua in Ennis and if anything they lifted it a notch from that show. I especially loved Farewell to the Gold, a song I have been singing since the early eighties. We had the Lost Brothers, two guys who definitely weren’t lost. Two brothers, two voices and two guitars; lovely stuff. We had more brothers with We Banjos Three (who are actually four – explain that; oh sorry, this is Ireland!) , where ‘trad meets old timey’. Their extraordinary virtuosity makes them a standout wherever they play.

Then we had Cork man Mick Flannery and his band, another unknown to me. Not easy to follow the Banjos but they delighted their loyal fans.

The highlight of the day for me though was Fiddler’s Bid, four lads from Scotland and the Shetlands who, surprisingly, all play the fiddle. They were supported by some of the finest harp playing you will ever here and a rhythm section with guitar and bass and sometimes piano . But wow! Four fiddles, sometimes in unison, sometimes weaving in and out with harmonies and chords but always electric, energetic and enervating. I had heard them at New Year in Donegal a the most amazing Hogmanay and they certainly did not disappoint this time. Not much more to be said. Oh except the night was finished with Aldoc (for me at 1:30) with Alan Docherty’s amazing flute at the core, but with a lot more going on around him.

Today was another perfect gaggle of gigs. Not everything is to everyone’s taste. But as I said yesterday that’s what makes a great Festival.

One last thing. I met heaps of fantastic people yesterday. From all over Ireland and the world. I also took lots of shots of people of all ages enjoying the craic. I will put some of these up on my blog in the days to come. Without these wonderful people there would be not be a Festival.

Categories: Festivals, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, Donegal, Doolin, Doolin Folk Festival, Festival, fiddle, Fiddlers Bid, Fleadh Nua, Ireland, Irish music, music, photography, traditional music, travel | 4 Comments

Doolin Folk Festival 2015 Day 1

Posted on June 14, 2015 by singersong

From the moment I walked out the door and into the festival marquee it had an air of familiarity. There were the seats and fires in drums and hay bales and over to the right was the food area with my tongue already salivating for a pulled pork roll; the L-shaped marquee, everything was the same. And that great vibe that I only found here at this Festival, last year in my travels around Ireland.

But yet it was different. Lots of new music with only one band familiar from last year. This is remarkable that organiser, Connor Byrne could have managed this. But it is testament to the depth of music talent in this tiny country.

The hardest gig in a festival is to kick it off. People are still dribbling in and it takes a lot to grab attention. Clare man David Hope did this creditably with his guitar and self-penned songs. . The rapidly filling tent gave him a warm reception and by the time he handed over to Fiddle Case the crowd was well and truly in the mood. Musicians in this band are well known to people from this part of Clare. Eoin O’Neill (of West Wind fame and current recipient of the Mór Glor award for his contribution to Clare music), the multi-talented Quentin Cooper, Adam Shapiro and Jon O’Connell can be seen regularly in sessions at Doolin, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Lisdoonvarna or Ennis. This familiarity however did not take away from what was a fresh and vibrant set of tunes interspersed with songs from Jon. The mellow unhurried delivery suited the situation to a tee. It was especially nice to see a larger audience get to hear the wonderful voice of Jon and, in particular, Liscannor Bay, a song he has made his own.

The boys were joined by the legendary Christy Barry, who impressed with The Coolin on low whistle and then a duet of Paddy Fahey tunes with Adam Shapiro. Adam is one of those modest unsung fiddling talents of West Clare and brought the house down with his playing. The set was interrupted by Luka Bloom who announced Christy as the recipient of the Doolin Festival award for lifetime achievement. When an emotional Christy recovered his composure he delivered a fine speech. Modest to the end he thanked everyone, saying how grateful he was to get the award because it meant he didn’t have to play. He was profuse though in his praise of Doolin. ‘There is no theatre in the world like Doolin’. And Christy is a huge part of that. We had a cameo dance piece from Tess McGovern and then it was time for Sharon Shannon.

Sharon and her band burst onto the stage and gave us everything we wanted. This was a very different Sharon to the one I remembered way back in Fremantle maybe 15 years ago at the Fly by Night Club. Here she engaged the audience, chided them for not dancing, there was banter and there was fun and she was clearly happy to be back home in Clare. There were all those familiar favourites mixed in with some classical, some slow airs, some mouth music turned beat boxing and some out-there electric guitar. Particularly memorable was Black Betty morphing into the Mouth of the Tobique. A deserved encore gave us, of course, Galway Girl. All through it there was Sharon’s infectious smile and sense of joy and you couldn’t help but go along for the journey.

Mea culpa time now. I have to admit I hadn’t heard of Declan O’Rourke before. Shame on me as he actually started his music in Australia and his first album (Since Kyabram) referenced that time. I was soon brought up to speed. The largely female audience thronged to the front as the seats were removed. A deep gravelly voice one moment and then falsetto the next. Declan is a unique talent. I recognised the song Galileo and the audience joined in enthusiastically with Love is the Way. Here is a real musician, a singer songwriter with a unique talent and a similarly unique soulful voice. This is what Festivals should be about – discovering new music that touches you.

In the Main Arena Moxie were given the party spot starting at 12 and keeping a large crowd there until after 1:30 when I called it quits. I remembered them from last year and this bunch of young guys deliver a distinctive energetic, sometimes frenetic, instrumental Celtic-based music. I say Celtic-based because while the instrumentation is familiar to the trad heads (banjos, accordions) the sound is not. A great way to finish the night.

Meanwhile in the Whitehorse Sessions there was some fantastic music on display. I only caught bits of it but was blown away by The Evertides, three Dublin girls, with gorgeous harmonies and Marc O’Reilly and his band. A great innovation.

What a start! Talk tomorrow.

Categories: Festivals, Trad Irish Music | Tags: Clare, concert, Declan O'Rourke, Doolin, Doolin Folk Festival, Eoin O'Neill, Irish music, moxie, music, photography, sharon shannon, travel | 1 Comment

Fleadh Nua 2015 Day 9

Posted on May 26, 2015 by singersong

Phew! After 9 days Fleadh Nua 2015 is over.

I really hit the wall last night – totally Fleadhed Out! No formal events, just quiet (?) sessions, firstly in the afternoon at The Diamond with Siobhann Peoples, Murty Ryan. Cyril O’Donoghue, Caroline Keane, Niamh Parsons and the few remaining foreign stragglers (sorry Steve, Juan, Tony etc – just a figure of speech).

Then to Knox’s for a couple of hours with Eric Healy, Tom Delaney, Caroline Keane, Brian O’Laughlin, Seamus MacMahon and Anita Broderick. Despite the many continuous days of music for all these musicians there was still energy and lift and the (now much smaller) crowds enjoyed it thoroughly.

Then I finished up at Ciaran’s with the mighty Joan Hanrahan and Andrew MacNamara and Bríd Long. And there was a bit of Breton dancing (!), singing (!!) and guitar playing (“*?) thrown in. We were joined at the end by the irrepressible Tony Cullinan but by 1.30am fatigue set in and, with the Gardai hovering outside, with a rousing rendition of that old traditional Irish waltz, the Yellow Rose of Texas, I sadly said goodbye to an amazing week of music, song and dance.

See you next year.

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

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?