From The Hob
by Paul KeatingRecent Posts
- Derry chosen for the 2013 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann - VIDEOS
- Temple Bar wows with TradFest 2012 - VIDEOS
- From the Hob - 'The Companion to Irish Traditional Music' - not to be missed
- From the Hob - Upcoming traditional Irish music event in the NYC area
- Irish owning the road ahead
Archives
-
February 2012
(2 entries)
-
January 2012
(6 entries)
-
December 2011
(6 entries)
-
November 2011
(6 entries)
-
October 2011
(8 entries)
-
September 2011
(7 entries)
-
August 2011
(2 entries)
-
July 2011
(6 entries)
-
June 2011
(5 entries)
-
May 2011
(6 entries)
-
April 2011
(7 entries)
-
March 2011
(6 entries)
-
February 2011
(4 entries)
-
January 2011
(3 entries)
-
December 2010
(5 entries)
-
November 2010
(2 entries)
-
October 2010
(3 entries)
-
August 2010
(2 entries)
-
July 2010
(1 entry)
-
June 2010
(6 entries)
-
May 2010
(5 entries)
-
April 2010
(5 entries)
-
March 2010
(3 entries)
-
February 2010
(4 entries)
-
January 2010
(3 entries)
-
December 2009
(10 entries)
RSS 
Most Recent Tags
Derry chosen for the 2013 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann - VIDEOS
The media was also full of the impact that a modern day fleadh can have on those towns that undertake the challenge of hosting one, with Cavan drawing well over 300,000 people over 10 days and a possible yield of
From the Hob - 'The Companion to Irish Traditional Music' - not to be missed
There are some people who view traditional Irish music as a thing of the past rather than an ever-changing and living aspect of Irish life.
There is a proper balance between respecting the music and where it came from and those who passed it on, and for those zealous aficionados of the art form a natural inclination to preserve it while allowing innovation in as well. It lives and breathes with the times that are in it.
And when one undertakes the challenge of trying to chronicle and categorize important people and elements in the Irish music realm it can certainly be a daunting task.
Irish owning the road ahead
At the annual winter confab known as APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) Conference held in New York City that concluded last weekend, the overarching theme was “owning the road ahead.”
It brought together almost 4,000 delegates throughout the U.S. and many from abroad, including a robust delegation of 70 Irish artists under the Culture Ireland banner to meet and mingle in hopes of providing work and new audiences for those who actually make a living through the arts.
Queens Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann honor Jack Whelan
Usually we are talking about sizable financial capital, but sometimes human capital is worth more than its weight in gold.
Christmas Cheer at the Irish Arts Center New York
They present an Irish Christmas and solstice over multiple days and weekends that will peak at 14 performances this year between December 7 and 18. The creative alliance relies on the strengths of both parties as the IAC provides a supportive and intimate atmosphere for the show to develop and thrive, and Moloney unleashes his vast rolodex and fertile imagination to produce a highly entertaining and varied seasonal show that is bound to produce the unusual each evening and never commonplace.
--------------
Read more:
More news on the Irish arts from IrishCentral
Certificate of Irish Heritage is now available for Americans of Irish ancestry
Top ten Christmas jokes guaranteed to make the cat laugh
Sir James Galway supports the Irish National Concert Hall - VIDEO
When the National Concert Hall (NCH) in Dublin wants to make an impression on some American donors in a fundraising effort, it is nice to be able to call on Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway to provide a musical interlude to compliment a supper soiree held last week.
Looking back at set dancing memories
Willie Week had a profound influence on my life because Muiris and company there in Miltown Malbay decided with great wisdom in its 10th year in 1982 that a summer school in West Clare should and could expand its mission by opening up set dancing classes to revive the great quadrille dance tradition that had ebbed in rural communities with the diminution of the house dance customs.
Cork dancing master Joe O’Donovan took on the challenge that first year to teach basic sets like the North Kerry and Sliabh Luachra while also recruiting some great local tutors in the Clare sets in keeping with the Banner County theme underlying in the school.
For more complete details visit
Upcoming events: A look at what’s going on in Irish traditional music
We are talking about sean nos dancing (old style step dancing) where spontaneity and individual creativity form a close union with live Irish music playing at normal tempos in the manner that one would have discovered in Connemara or other pockets deep within the well of tradition long ago.
You can find it at all the festivals and workshops for people of all ages, and this year it even became a competition as part of Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Cavan for the first time.
The dance form has migrated to the U.S. where there are now practitioners from coast to coast teaching sean nos steps like Kieran Jordan, Malden Meehan and Shannon Dunne for instance.
The Festival inside the Cavan Fleadh Cheol - VIDEOS
One of the more important vehicles for the preservation and promotion of traditional music, which was at very low ebb when Comhaltas or CCE as it is commonly known got its start in Mullingar in 1951, was an annual music competition to encourage learning and standards that could ensure a future for the music.
This event would bring people from all over Ireland to a central place to share and celebrate the rich legacy of traditional Irish music before it disappeared due to general disinterest in the land and the loss of many of its most ardent fans through emigration.
Fiddle player Martin Hayes a maestro of tradition
It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this column that I seek out traditional music festivals with a distinctive or regional flair that are curated by artistic directors who care deeply about what they are presenting in any given year, and have great reputations among musicians.
Having visited and enjoyed the Baltimore Fiddle Festival in May the past two years, I was lured to come along to another West Cork trad fest on the shores of Bantry Bay. So last week I was drawn to the popular Cork town of Bantry to visit the Masters of Tradition Festival which was celebrating its ninth year under the curious eyes and ears of the East Clare musician Martin Hayes, who has been the artistic director since its inaugural year in 2003.
A Tribute to the Great Coleman
Towne Crier shows - Pawling, New York
Up in Pawling, New York there is a outpost for folk, jazz, blues, roots and world music called the Towne Crier (130 Route 22) which we have mentioned quite a few times over the years in this column as a wonderful place to hear live music while imbibing on fine food and drink and luscious desserts.
And there is Celtic tide flowing up the Hudson over the next few months starting with this weekend as the Tannahill Weavers, one of Scotland’s great folk acts, perform there on Friday night, July 10 at 8:30 p.m.
Summer starts to heat up - Irish music events in New York
When you are immersed in the field of entertainment either for business reasons or cultural ones, it is very easy to overlook people who fly under the radar for getting ink, airwave or digital attention for their efforts, but on closer examination things would not succeed without them.
For my purposes I would like signal out just a few here on my periscope on the cultural side of things because of a timely nature.
I’m just down from the Catskill Mountains from the first harbinger of the summer season in East Durham, that being the 34th annual East Durham Irish Festival over the Memorial Day Weekend.
34th annual Memorial Day Irish Festival gearing up in the Catskills
Two full days of entertainment including popular acts like the Whole Shabang, Black 47, the Prodigals, Celtic Cross, Shilelagh Law, Jameson’s Revenge, Andy Cooney and Kitty Kelly will appear. Visit www.irishvillageusa.com or call 518-634-2286 for more info.
And stop by and take a look at the Blackthorne Resort’s brand-new restaurant/bar and hotel complex risen from the ashes which had its official ribbon-cutting last Saturday, marking its phoenix-like reappearance in just four months time. Hats off to the Handel Family and good luck with the upcoming season.
Laoise Kelly and Michelle O’Brien release new CD 'The Wishing Well'
Considering the historic site went back to the 13th century and one of the instruments was the national symbol of Ireland, the harp, it was notable for that alone.
But even more memorable was the superb dual playing of harpist Laoise Kelly and fiddler Michelle O’Brien on the day which touched me as much if not more than other of the other concerts on the weekend as it was all the more haunting in the main hall of the restored castle.
Most Popular Blog Posts
Most Popular Entertainment Stories
Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account
or sign-in directly
Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account
Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US
Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.
Additional Information:
Subscribe to our newsletters:
| The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter |
| Special Offers from our sponsors |
or
Skip
You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.
