Final day of a fabulous three day Festival saw an enthusiastic crowd wowed by Gavin Moore, Siobhan Peoples, Murty Ryan and Pat Marsh, Lisa O’Neill, the New Road, The Unwanted, Dezi Donnelly and Mike McGoldrick, Damien Dempsey and Blackie O’Connell and friends.
Well it just gets better! Highlights today were the talented Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello, the delightful and inventive Twin Headed Wolf, the amazing Mick O’Brien and Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, the beautiful Whileaways, the energetic and dynamic Moxie and The Bonny Men, the unbelievable Mairtin O’Connor, Cathal Hayden and Seamie O’Dowd, the sensational Solas, a guest appearance from Luka Bloom and the captivating and charismatic Kila.
Cascade on the Inagh River at Ennistynmon
The Inagh River at Ennistymon
Another view of cascades on the Inagh River at Ennistymon
The Inagh River and the Falls Hotel.
Reed beds on the Inagh River at Ennistymon
Detail from the wall of a stone bridge on the Inagh River at Ennistymon
Lonely foxglove in the forest near Ennistymon
Creek near Ennistymon
Creek near Ennistymon
Foam traces of swirls and eddies in the Inagh River Ennistymon, after heavy rain
Tranquil Inagh River just below the falls at Ennistymon
Another view of the Falls at Ennistymon
Here I am in the village of Ennistymon. Or is is Ennistimon? They can’t seem to make up their minds. Most of the shops including the Post Office (who you’d think would know) spell it with a ‘y’. Pretty much all the road signs spell it with an ‘i’. This confusion about spelling of the town names in Clare is everywhere. Is it Lahinch or Lehinch, Corrofin or Corofin, Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan. Maybe it’s all over Ireland and not just Clare. I don’t know. I’ll report back on this another time. Anyway I digress.
The Humours of Ennistymon is one of my favourite jigs and as I say I am here in Ennistymon. There seems to be some confusion about the definition of the ‘Humours’ common in numerous tune names referring to places. I like the definition that it relates to the ‘vibe’ of a place and in particular the waters as they refer to the medieval concept of ‘humours’ or fluids, the balance of which make up life. I spent a few hours yesterday experiencing the ‘vibe’ or the ‘Humours’ of Ennistymon.
Sisters and fiddle players, who live locally, Yvonne and Caroline Casey, both independently said I must do this walk. So when there was a sufficient break in the weather I headed for Ennistymon. There had been torrential rain earlier in the day so this meant there was plenty of water flowing in the Inagh River on the banks of which the pretty town is situated.
“Just head past the bridge, through the arch and past the Falls Hotel” so that’s what I did. I was rewarded with a lovely vista as the river cascaded over giant flat steps eroded from the interbedded sandstone and shale. I followed the trail through a dripping rainforest with moss covered banks, occasional giant trees, thick lush scrub (as we would call it), some of which I recognised such as holly and ivy (they do grow together as in the song), ferns, epiphytes and flowering plants such as daisies, buttercups, lilies and foxglove. The swirling waters generated a froth which when it hit the calmer water spread out and formed thin lines which traced the eddies and swirls in the now calm river. I have not seen this before. The river flowed gently past the Falls Hotel, a Resort and Spa Hotel built around a Georgian Mansion from the 1740s and run as an hotel since the 1930s. The forest opened out as the river entered a thick reed bed. I turned to follow a path up a tributary with its water bubbling over rocks from its source deep within the forest.
I spent hours experimenting with my Canon 5D looking for the perfect shot of, first the falls, and then the creek, taking care not to ignore the many photographic opportunities of the surrounding forest. Of course there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ shot but I am happy enough with the results. I have attached some of what I think are my better shots. Hope you like them.
How many ways can you photograph the Eiffel Tower and make it look interesting or original? This is the problem I had the other day at the Cliffs of Moher. I had resisted going because I took lots of photos last time and wanted to avoid the crowds, but the day was fine with patches of sunshine so I headed out there one afternoon about 3.00, It was a memorable afternoon. I walked past O’Briens tower and around the cliffs towards Doolin getting perspectives that were unfamiliar.
The Cliffs are a special place. I love the way you can walk out unrestricted onto overhanging rock platforms and stare down at the swirling ocean hundreds of feet below. Back home we would have railing fences preventing you getting near the cliff edge but here there is just an incomprehensible pictogram which seems more concerned with the welfare of the grass and the birds and the phone number of a suicide help line. I love the lush green blanket that drapes over the cliff edge sometimes going half way down the slope until the alternating bands of sandstone and shale eventually assert their dominance, And as at Loop Head sea birds nesting precariously on tiny rocky ledges where along with a dozen others they seem to have reached a harmonious arrangement.
The light was iffy and didn’t help the photography but I stayed until 8pm. At this time I was pretty much on my own. The evening chill meant the tourists were back in their B&Bs though it would be still light until 10.30. I should have stayed but unfortunately I had a session to go to!
Dolphin at Loop Head
Loop Head
Loop Head
It was only by chance that I ended up here. Loop Head is the most westerly point of Clare and is not far from the town of Kilrush. I went to Kilrush one day last week (an hour away from Ennis) because the Internet said there was a session on Tuesday nights at Crotty’s. We always believe what we read on the Internet don’t we? Well when I enquired of the publican the response was “Oh that only happens in the Summer”. Apparently June does not count as Summer. “Anyway since you’ve come this far” he says “why don’t you go out to Loop Head”. So I did. There was light rain (what the locals here call mist) but not unpleasant. There was a light house but they charged to see that so I just explored the cliff edges and was rewarded with breeding colonies of seabirds, dolphins playing in the water around the precipitous cliffs, carpets of fluffy pink flowers, squishy bog like mosses and only the odd German tourist. Here are some photos I took. They don’t really do the place justice.
Session at The Diamond with Blackie O’Connell, Siobhan Peoples and Cyril O’Donoghue
Siobhan Peoples and Cyril O’Donoghue Fleadh Nua 2014
Blackie and Siobhan
Yvonne Casey and Josephine Marsh at Brogan’s Fleadh Nua
Siobhan Peoples and Tola Custy at Faffa’s. Final session at Fleadh Nua 2014
Yvonne Casey and Josephine Marsh
Mary and Scorcha
Session at Brogan’s with Tom Delaney and Eric Healy and friends
Session at the Old Ground with Mary MacNamara and her daughter Scorcha and Geraldine Cotter.
Blackie O’Connells pipes at the Diamond Bar Ennis
Session at THe Copper Jug Ennis with Andrew MacNamara and Tara Breen
The momentum of the Fleadh and the buzz around Ennis built as we approached the weekend. The crowds got bigger and the sessions got better. I went to 24 sessions during the 8 days and I can honestly say I didn’t go to one I didn’t enjoy.
The Fleadh Nua has been a terrific way to start my Ireland journey. I have been overwhelmed by the people and the music and it is everything I had expected or hoped for. I have played with most of Clare’s top musicians and others less heralded but just as good. I have met a lot of interesting people from Europe and the US (Hi Veronika and Holger, Thomas, Thierry, Sally Ann, Caroline, Kieran, Jessica) all with a singular passion for Irish music and all keen to learn more in their own individual way. I have been welcomed by most her who are happy to share the music. I have met some wonderful Irish people who drive from all over to listen to the music for the Fleadh. They are so knowledgeable and like it that you are interested. I have watched my fiddle playing grow. The nerves are still there when asked to start a tune but a week ago I never dreamed I would be playing alongside the likes of Siobhan Peoples, Tola Custy, Blackie O’Connell, Josephine Marsh, Mary MacNamara or Eamonn Cotter and holding my own. Or listening to some wonderful singing from Niamh Parsons and Noirin Lynch and many others. Or the impromptu dancing of the gorgeous Lenka. The variety of approaches to the music is incredible From the driving pipes and fiddle of Blackie and Siobhan to the gentle flowing pace of Mary Mac and Geraldine Cotter and the sweet tones of Yvonne Casey’s fiddle with Josephine’s exquisite box playing.
After this concentrated week the music is starting to get into my head. I am recognising tunes and playing along (well sort of) after a few hearings. Whether they stick is another matter but the process of learning by ear, something I have struggled with for many years is beginning to happen for me. What helps is that they play tunes here often five or six times, sometimes more. It is not until the third or fourth time that you can really feel the groove and the intensity builds and the music suddenly lifts. This is lost when the tune is only played twice. As Josephine said when I discussed this with her during a break after a particularly satisfying set “Why stop if you’re enjoying it?”
The way music is weaved in and out of the fabric of the culture in this part of the world is revealed every night and day. One strikes up a conversation and it soon gets to “you here for the Fleadh?” And they will proceed to tell you where the best music is.
The pleasure that musicians get playing with each other is obvious as is the respect that they seem to hold for each other. This is reflected in the multitude of different collaboration in the many different locations. For example I have seen Siobhan Peoples play with Murty Ryan, with Blackie O’Connell and Tola Custy at different times.
The Café sessions where the music is taken out of the pubs and away from the constant pub noise reveals its soul and demands undivided attention have been an unsung highlight.
I continue to be inspired.
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