I was in Ennis today, for the second time this week, on a non musical mission. Walking around the town there was no sense at all anything unusual might be going on, no posters, no programmes in the shops, no leaflets and with the exception maybe of the nice woman in the red raincoat who was taking a picture of the Guinness add outside Ciaran's Bar (who gave me a lovely smile when I walked into the frame) there were no lost looking tourist types with instruments wandering around town. Even the usual loudspeakers flushing the streets with a comhaltas digest of Ceilibands and accordeon music weren't there.
Milltown on sunday was similar, outdoor events were cancelled due to the death of Brendan McMahon and the Senator's photo opportunity was in the Resource centre but all the same there was no sense at all in the town the Fleadh Nua was being launched, ion fact the only excitement came from the Clare 250 Mile Cycle passing through.
With the usual figureheads of the Chamber of Commerce bleating in the local press how many millions the Fleadh means to area one has to wonder if that is really all it is now, of interest to the moneygrabbers.
hi......this is what i meant, in our prior discussion about the general population vis-a-vis the music. both my observation meandering around, and what i was told by various and sundry. nothing meant about how great the music is in clare or how devoted clare's true music fans are, but observation, as well as conversation, about the wider population. perhaps including the general traveling population. i have no idea what it means, except that in my experience the "moneygrabbers" are happy to trumpet anything to the skies if they think customers want it, so.....? a year or so back there was a thread on here about sessions being stopped by ennis pubs that had been mainstays of the music because the nightclub-type stuff brought in most customers, or something.
i just finished reading the noir mystery series set in galway written by ken bruen. he is very musically literate and also a lover of the history and culture of "old" galway, yet in five books rife with references to rock, country, blues, etc, the only allusion to traditional was a joke in one book by visitor from london teasing the main character about "where's the diddley?" i personally don't care so long as the music is there for those who seek it out.......the only reason i haven't been back for as much more as i can get is that i have been out of work for over a year. once i can pick up the pieces of my shattered life, i will be back for more, hope it isn't in secret underground hideouts by then........
There are different angles to look at it I suppose, you were hinting at a general disinterest when we had a little run in a while ago, especially in the western end of the area. I still don't believe that's true. I do believe that a lot of these 'festivals' are taken over and hyped by tourist interests and in general I won't go near them as they are mainly built around organised music put in place with the sole intention to get drinkers in the pubs.
A while ago I observed something similar in Corofin, with the exception of a guy walking around with a fiddle there was no sign of anything going on during the afternoon at the height of the 'festival'.
What you shouldn't do is mistake the disinterest in going to festivals for a general lack of interest in music.
What I do see happening is festivals more and more happening for tourists and the general drinking population, the local musicians only coming in 'on the job', when they are hired to play a session in some pub or other.
The 'Humours of Tulla' went through a development from a nice intimate festival where you could meet people and have a few quiet tunes to organised sessions to band gigs to oblivion in rapid succession and I think you will see that happen more often in the future if the organisers only aim to arouse the interest of visitors who bring in money for their businesses.
Friel's was packed last saturday, John Lyons, Lillis O Laoire, Sean Corcoran and Tim Dennehy sang for us when we took a break from playing. That, to me, is a better indicator of the degree how much music is alive in West Clare.
Anyhow, the Fleadh's 'celebrity concert ' is on tonight, we'll see how that goes.
Looking at the line-up, no doubt tonight's concert will be great but what about last night's Aos Óg (youth) concert in Glór! Three big groups (20 or so in each) of young trad musicians (Barefield, Corofin and Ruan) each performed a varied programme of music interspersed with guests from farther afield, dancers and singers. For me this was magic and in itself justified the existence of a festival such as Fleadh Nua. However, ignoring the lack of decorated shop windows, blaring loudspeakers and lost tourists, we had some great moments during the week. The free lunchtime concerts in the Council Chambers were well attended and allowed overseas (and Irish) visitors to enjoy local trad performers (Vincent Griffin, Tony Cullinan, Claire Griffin and Garry Shannon just to name a few) in an informal and intimate setting - to me the real face of trad! The daily Foinn Seisiún workshops in the Temple Gate Hotel also worked very well and many of the participants were able to showcase some of their new tunes on the Friday gig-rig performance. Today's (Saturday) gig-rig offerings ran non-stop from 12.30pm to 6.00pm and provided a veritable feast of music, song (including Séamus MacMathúna singing Mo Gile Mear) and dance. Sorry must stop here or I'll be late for a mammoth session in the Queen's tonight with the Dublin gang - there's also a great session in prospect at the Temple Gate Hotel at 11.00pm where the Laichtín Naofa CD will be launched but unfortunately one can't be in two places at the one time!
i heartily agree it's alive and well in west clare, particularly as compared to elsewhere, but sights and conversations with sundry did leave me feeling that among the larger population it is a minority or even marginal interest. but....others may have different experiences. i remember the opener on that thread was a very sincere poster whose own experience was that many travelers were "sorely disappointed." that wasn't my emotion or that of anyone i know who has gone over, so experiences can differ, i guess. .....
i agree about festivals, but there is a rub for music-devoted travelers with limited time, namely, that festivals if chosen carefully can be a place to enjoy numerous specially-admired musicians in that limited time....though that setting has its limits. two miltown musicians urged me to start coming when festivals weren't on, and i had begun attaching non-festival time to festival time, and liked the nonfestival experience so much better that the next step was going to be to shoot for at least a month per year nonfestival tiime.......future plans will depend on unpleasant practical considerations.....lillis is a particular favorite of mine, and it is lovely that he is teaching in galway now....
oh, and i had wondered what happened to the tulla festival. people told me there was a period where it was a really nice one. that is too bad. well, perhaps the upcoming tulla comholtas anniversary weekend will be less commercial?
oh, i had wondered what happened to the tulla festival. people told me there was a period where it was a really nice one. that is too bad. well, perhaps the upcoming tulla comholtas anniversary weekend will be less commercial?
Irish music has always been and will always be a minority interest and that's fine but if you want to go to a place where more people than anywhere else are interested West Clare would be it. Which is probably the reason I reacted so strong to your assertion that out of season there would be no interest found in Miltown Malbay and came up with the examples of how music is supported in the area.
It seemed half the audience in Glor last night had travelled up from Miltown by the way, to see their children, friends and neighbours play.
Anyhow, I doubt Comhaltas weekends will fare better but then I am not a Comhaltas person, in fact the senator's appearance at the concert last night repulsed me to no end.
Tom Munnely recently summed it up on the IrTrad list: you can't have but great respect for the people working at root level but repulsion for the top of the tree, my feelings exactly. But we're drifting.
hearty agreement as to the root and the top of the tree....i am not a comhaltas person either, but wondered to myself if that weekend, being perhaps a one-offer, might offer concerts and sessions in a less worked-up atmosphere....not that i can make it over, probably.
Fleadh Nua?
Fleadh Nua?
I was in Ennis today, for the second time this week, on a non musical mission. Walking around the town there was no sense at all anything unusual might be going on, no posters, no programmes in the shops, no leaflets and with the exception maybe of the nice woman in the red raincoat who was taking a picture of the Guinness add outside Ciaran's Bar (who gave me a lovely smile when I walked into the frame) there were no lost looking tourist types with instruments wandering around town. Even the usual loudspeakers flushing the streets with a comhaltas digest of Ceilibands and accordeon music weren't there.
Milltown on sunday was similar, outdoor events were cancelled due to the death of Brendan McMahon and the Senator's photo opportunity was in the Resource centre but all the same there was no sense at all in the town the Fleadh Nua was being launched, ion fact the only excitement came from the Clare 250 Mile Cycle passing through.
With the usual figureheads of the Chamber of Commerce bleating in the local press how many millions the Fleadh means to area one has to wonder if that is really all it is now, of interest to the moneygrabbers.
# Posted on May 25th 2007 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski
Re: Fleadh Nua?
hi......this is what i meant, in our prior discussion about the general population vis-a-vis the music. both my observation meandering around, and what i was told by various and sundry. nothing meant about how great the music is in clare or how devoted clare's true music fans are, but observation, as well as conversation, about the wider population. perhaps including the general traveling population. i have no idea what it means, except that in my experience the "moneygrabbers" are happy to trumpet anything to the skies if they think customers want it, so.....? a year or so back there was a thread on here about sessions being stopped by ennis pubs that had been mainstays of the music because the nightclub-type stuff brought in most customers, or something.
i just finished reading the noir mystery series set in galway written by ken bruen. he is very musically literate and also a lover of the history and culture of "old" galway, yet in five books rife with references to rock, country, blues, etc, the only allusion to traditional was a joke in one book by visitor from london teasing the main character about "where's the diddley?" i personally don't care so long as the music is there for those who seek it out.......the only reason i haven't been back for as much more as i can get is that i have been out of work for over a year. once i can pick up the pieces of my shattered life, i will be back for more, hope it isn't in secret underground hideouts by then........
# Posted on May 26th 2007 by ceemonster
Re: Fleadh Nua?
There are different angles to look at it I suppose, you were hinting at a general disinterest when we had a little run in a while ago, especially in the western end of the area. I still don't believe that's true. I do believe that a lot of these 'festivals' are taken over and hyped by tourist interests and in general I won't go near them as they are mainly built around organised music put in place with the sole intention to get drinkers in the pubs.
A while ago I observed something similar in Corofin, with the exception of a guy walking around with a fiddle there was no sign of anything going on during the afternoon at the height of the 'festival'.
What you shouldn't do is mistake the disinterest in going to festivals for a general lack of interest in music.
What I do see happening is festivals more and more happening for tourists and the general drinking population, the local musicians only coming in 'on the job', when they are hired to play a session in some pub or other.
The 'Humours of Tulla' went through a development from a nice intimate festival where you could meet people and have a few quiet tunes to organised sessions to band gigs to oblivion in rapid succession and I think you will see that happen more often in the future if the organisers only aim to arouse the interest of visitors who bring in money for their businesses.
Friel's was packed last saturday, John Lyons, Lillis O Laoire, Sean Corcoran and Tim Dennehy sang for us when we took a break from playing. That, to me, is a better indicator of the degree how much music is alive in West Clare.
Anyhow, the Fleadh's 'celebrity concert ' is on tonight, we'll see how that goes.
# Posted on May 26th 2007 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski
Re: Fleadh Nua?
Looking at the line-up, no doubt tonight's concert will be great but what about last night's Aos Óg (youth) concert in Glór! Three big groups (20 or so in each) of young trad musicians (Barefield, Corofin and Ruan) each performed a varied programme of music interspersed with guests from farther afield, dancers and singers. For me this was magic and in itself justified the existence of a festival such as Fleadh Nua. However, ignoring the lack of decorated shop windows, blaring loudspeakers and lost tourists, we had some great moments during the week. The free lunchtime concerts in the Council Chambers were well attended and allowed overseas (and Irish) visitors to enjoy local trad performers (Vincent Griffin, Tony Cullinan, Claire Griffin and Garry Shannon just to name a few) in an informal and intimate setting - to me the real face of trad! The daily Foinn Seisiún workshops in the Temple Gate Hotel also worked very well and many of the participants were able to showcase some of their new tunes on the Friday gig-rig performance. Today's (Saturday) gig-rig offerings ran non-stop from 12.30pm to 6.00pm and provided a veritable feast of music, song (including Séamus MacMathúna singing Mo Gile Mear) and dance. Sorry must stop here or I'll be late for a mammoth session in the Queen's tonight with the Dublin gang - there's also a great session in prospect at the Temple Gate Hotel at 11.00pm where the Laichtín Naofa CD will be launched but unfortunately one can't be in two places at the one time!
# Posted on May 26th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: Fleadh Nua?
i heartily agree it's alive and well in west clare, particularly as compared to elsewhere, but sights and conversations with sundry did leave me feeling that among the larger population it is a minority or even marginal interest. but....others may have different experiences. i remember the opener on that thread was a very sincere poster whose own experience was that many travelers were "sorely disappointed." that wasn't my emotion or that of anyone i know who has gone over, so experiences can differ, i guess. .....
i agree about festivals, but there is a rub for music-devoted travelers with limited time, namely, that festivals if chosen carefully can be a place to enjoy numerous specially-admired musicians in that limited time....though that setting has its limits. two miltown musicians urged me to start coming when festivals weren't on, and i had begun attaching non-festival time to festival time, and liked the nonfestival experience so much better that the next step was going to be to shoot for at least a month per year nonfestival tiime.......future plans will depend on unpleasant practical considerations.....lillis is a particular favorite of mine, and it is lovely that he is teaching in galway now....
# Posted on May 27th 2007 by ceemonster
Re: Fleadh Nua?
oh, and i had wondered what happened to the tulla festival. people told me there was a period where it was a really nice one. that is too bad. well, perhaps the upcoming tulla comholtas anniversary weekend will be less commercial?
# Posted on May 27th 2007 by ceemonster
Re: Fleadh Nua?
oh, i had wondered what happened to the tulla festival. people told me there was a period where it was a really nice one. that is too bad. well, perhaps the upcoming tulla comholtas anniversary weekend will be less commercial?
# Posted on May 27th 2007 by ceemonster
Re: Fleadh Nua?
Irish music has always been and will always be a minority interest and that's fine but if you want to go to a place where more people than anywhere else are interested West Clare would be it. Which is probably the reason I reacted so strong to your assertion that out of season there would be no interest found in Miltown Malbay and came up with the examples of how music is supported in the area.
It seemed half the audience in Glor last night had travelled up from Miltown by the way, to see their children, friends and neighbours play.
Anyhow, I doubt Comhaltas weekends will fare better but then I am not a Comhaltas person, in fact the senator's appearance at the concert last night repulsed me to no end.
Tom Munnely recently summed it up on the IrTrad list: you can't have but great respect for the people working at root level but repulsion for the top of the tree, my feelings exactly. But we're drifting.
# Posted on May 27th 2007 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski
Re: Fleadh Nua?
hearty agreement as to the root and the top of the tree....i am not a comhaltas person either, but wondered to myself if that weekend, being perhaps a one-offer, might offer concerts and sessions in a less worked-up atmosphere....not that i can make it over, probably.
# Posted on May 29th 2007 by ceemonster