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Musical history to be made at Catskills Irish Arts Week

PAUL KEATING

Catskills Irish Arts Week Artistic Director

Published Thursday, July 9, 2009, 10:44 AM

Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:36 PM

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Read more: Culture and Lifestyle, Irish Culture, Catskill Mountains, Irish Ancestry, Andy McGann, Paddy O'Brien, Brendan Dolan, Joe Madden, Entertainment, Music

Gavins listening room session at the CIAW

Photo by Timothy Raab

The Catskilll Mountains will once again ring melodically with the sound of Irish music as the 15th edition of the Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) unfolds in all its abundance next week in the tiny hamlet of East Durham, N.Y.

Even in a very tough economic environment, especially in an area that has known hard times for a long while, over 1,000 people will make the pilgrimage to the Irish-American resort town to take in the very best traditional music and dance that North America has to offer.

Seamus Connolly, the esteemed Irish music director at Boston College Irish Studies Program, dubbed the CIAW the “Willie Week of the West.” As a veteran of many a music or fiddle camp -- including his own highly respected Gaelic Roots Week at BC -- he wouldn’t use the approbation without merit.

People will come from the very western extremities of the U.S. like Hawaii and Alaska because they can have their fill of the pure drop from morning to -- ah well -- morning in the 24/7 environment during the week, and meet many others who share that devotion to traditional Irish music.

Having been involved in the formation and evolution of the CIAW over its 15-year lifespan, I still continue to be amazed at its accomplishments and resiliency in the face of so many obstacles that fate metes out each year.

Transition and change and challenging economic realities do make it anything but a sure-fire prospect despite its notoriety around the world as a hell of a good week and good time, even if it brings you to the brink of exhaustion by week’s end. But like the underdog boxer with the heart of a lion, it roars back up off the canvas and continues to make history every year.

And the opportunity not only to study history and make it as new bonds in the nomadic community are forged every year, and links established that are renewed in many places around the world motivates many people to keep returning.

Because so much of the activity takes place in very historic – yes dated to some – resorts or roadhouses every summer, one can almost see and hear the ghosts of the past savoring every note along with the attendees.

Celebrating Paddy O'Brien

One of the people coming over this year to celebrate the life of her late father, Paddy O’Brien, is his daughter Eileen O’Brien Minogue as she launches a new book about her father’s wonderful legacy, much of it while in New York in the 1950s.

Paddy O’Brien composed many popular tunes as well as popularized the B/C button accordion in Irish music. She has the opportunity to trace some of his steps and play in some of the places he would have played in over 50 years ago.

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Irish folk music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the entire island of Ireland. Collections of Irish folk music date from the 18th century, but ballad printers were not established in Dublin until the 19th century. By the mid-20th century, Irish folk music had fallen out fashion. Festivals such as the Fleadh Cheoil exposed people to folk. The English folk music scene also gave Irish musicians the chance to find new audiences. With the success of the Clancy Brothers in the US in 1959, it became trendy again to listen to Irish music. Later, the international success of the Chieftains made the folk music of Ireland a global brand. In the 1980s, the Pogues helped fuse Irish folk with punk rock, giving a whole new audience a chance to listen to songs influenced by the folk tradition. Enya achieved international success with New Age/Celtic fusions. Irish music also contributed a subgenre of folk metal known as Celtic metal with exponents of the genre including Cruachan, Geasa and Waylander. Audiences do not just listen to Irish music in concert halls or arenas, but in much more informal settings as well. In recent decades, patrons can listen to Irish folk musicians at pub sessions. Many fans don’t just listen to Irish music &emdash; they dance to it at weddings and saint’s days. When you listen to Irish folk music, one instrument you are likely to hear is the fiddle. The fiddling tradition of Sligo is perhaps most recognizable to outsiders, due to the popularity of American-based performers like Lad O'Beirne, Michael Coleman, John McGrath, James Morrison and Paddy Killoran. Other instruments to listen for include the flute, tin whistle and Uilleann pipes.

Musical history to be made at Catskills Irish Arts Week

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