Hi everyone, I first popped in here a while ago asking about flute shopping etc (won't bore you with my bio again), & have mostly been lurking & practicing since then, but here is a quick update.
I bought a Casey Burns blackwood flute which I have been playing for over a month... I adore it, it's like breathing when the instrument disappears, you know? It's like being in love with a new boyfriend with a really big.... heart (see other discussion haha sorry for being tasteless). During a trip back East a few weeks ago, I played my first public session in a pub without music, & kicked butt! Except I knew they were throwing me softballs which I didn't know, & I have pledged never to walk into a pub again without knowing Harvest Home dangit. I have over 30 tunes committed to memory (next on the list is Banish Misfortune per Paddy Moloney haha) & the tunes are starting to come really easily, esp by ear without music, a major leap forward for me.
So enough about being self-congratulatory. I'm seriously considering attending Willie Clancy Week this summer, but checked out their website & am very nervous that I am too much of a beginner to attend. I think my cuts & rolls sound too much like trills, i worry my classical training will stick out like a sore thumb!
So obviously it's a summer away, what do you think? Have you been? What steps do you think I should pursue before next summer to prepare? Any other workshops I may consider? I will probably do the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp next summer as well.
Any helpful anecdotes or info re: Willie Week welcome. Looking forward to responses!! Thanks!!
Hi Emily, I took a week long harp class in Ireland a few years back. The biggest hurdle was keeping up with the pace of how quick everyone just breathed the information in and then-presto-right out of their finger tips! I do beleive the word beginner is defined differently here (the U.S.) than it is in Ireland.
However, if you have the opportunity to study in Ireland, you should take it--it may not come again! Of course you will put all the lessons on tapes--when you get home you will have the rest of your life to use them and learn what eluded you the first time.
For preparation until next summer--take some workshops in your area; do you have an Irish Center near you? Can you find a teacher? Even a teacher on a different instrument can be helpful, especially with getting you to hear those rolls and cuts, etc. Don't worry about sounding too classical, that will dissolve away as you listen and play more and more. And who cares about sticking out like a (classical) sore thumb--you are there to learn not to be an expert before the first lesson begins!
Imagine--summer in Ireland learning music and meeting people form Ireland and around the world who share your passion! What a precious and magical experience it will be!
My wife took a flute class at Willie week last year, and the good news is that beginner classes are available (but not generally advertised). Typically, they'll line everyone up and have them play a tune just to judge the students level, then assign the student to the appropriate instructor. A bit intimidating, but they only want the best instructor for the student...
Still, the school itself (while important), is only a wonderful excuse to be in Ireland, have a drink, listen to the best musicians around, and re-evaluate exactly where you are going and where you want to be musically.
Hopefully, someone will have a recommendation for a 'technique oriented' flute teacher. A lot of teachers will simply give you tunes, and frankly, you can learn tunes just about anywhere. We do not need more tunes as beginners; We need more technique! The tunes will come on there own.
I have been playing my concertina for almost 3 years now, I take lessons, have attended Noel Hill's summer school, and know dozens and dozens of tunes. I don't know Harvest Home, and never will...life is too short to practice tunes I don't care to learn. There's my two cents, and I probably owe you change.
LOL great advice so far, but I live on the Navajo Indian reservation, not a teacher nor Irish center for about 200 miles. (nor a pint of Guinness sadly) I'm lucky to have found a great fiddler & guitar player here in my town of 3,000 to have small sessions with.
I go into Flagstaff (2 1/2 hours away) to play contra dances with a group there, but i worry I'm picking up contra habits & tunes that may be frowned upon in ITM circles, although they frown on me for wanting to play just Irish tunes.
Anyone have any success with distance learning or internet based music lessons?
emily_az: I was among the Dine' (thats the Navajo everyone) on the Rez myself during 2000. Sorry I didn't run into you then! The only session time I got (besides playing for my students in Elementary school once or twice) was trips to Albuquerque and Phoenix. (Write me individually if you want to trade stories.)
I've been to Willie Week just the year before that, and my impression was if you know where the notes are on your instrument and can play some tunes they'll find a spot for you. There were lots of Irish kids in the fiddle classes, some of them quite young. Even with their genetic advantage many of them couldn't have been _that_ advanced! Sounds to me like you are more ready now than some of the folks I met there.
Why not start off with Irish Arts Week in the Catskills, NY. It's a week long music festival with classes all day and concerts & sessions all night. This was my first festival (been playing for almost 2 years now) and I had a blast. There's something for everyone. Plus a lot of the instructors and performers are from Ireland!
I may do Gaelic Roots in Boston next summer. I've heard nothing but great things about this festival. I think when I have more tunes under my belt and more experience with the music, I'll venture out to Willie Week. Right now I don't feel ready for that. But everyone is different.
As a West Texan, I share your sense of isolation from ITM. I am very happy with my experience with Scoiltrad
distance learning on the web. The personal response to your playing is invaluable. Check them out.
I doubt very much your playing will be frowned upon at Willie Week, because it is a summer school and hundreds of people go there to learn, at all different levels. I have attended tin whistle classes there three years running, and have come across many players with a classical background who wish to learn to play in a more 'Irish' style and lose some of their 'Classical' habits. I can't speak for the flute classes, but I imagine 6the same would be true. If you are good at playing by ear, and have a considerable level of technique then just being around more experienced players and hearing 'how it's done' should help you tighten up your cuts, rolls etc. (with the aid of practice, of course).
You'll be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of music there. If you go, have a helluva time, and you might even bump into me there.
You know, I've been reading other older archived comments about Willie Week, it seems like it can almost become a Mardi Gras like atmosphere with throngs of ppl & mass consumption of alcohol with little attention paid to the music itself. As a Yank, & a novice, I would be mortified to think I helped contribute to that reputation of a great music festival, & additionally, that's just the kind of scene I would normally avoid anyway. I like to think of sessions & music in general as very intimate, while this sounds like it can be a mob scene. I think I'll let the winter & spring unfold before I set my heart on it. Thanks for all your comments!
I went to some fiddle workshops during Willie Clancy week a couple of years ago and, like you, was a bit worried that I was too much of a beginer. Don't worry though, they all seem a friendly lot and, if the flute workshops are anything like the fiddle ones, as long as you can put a couple of tunes together you will be fine.
Emily, Miltown does get absolutely mad in the *evening - but there are lots of sessions going on in nearby villages; I will refrain from saying which ones, as I don't want to jinx things, but you'll easily be able to find out by asking! I stayed in a village 7km from Miltown, and there was great music there every night, and a bit of breathing space, for the most part. I don't like crowds at all, but I had the best time ever at Willie Week. Go!
(*Don't stay in Miltown on the Saturday night, particularly - all the youth of West Clare come out to party, you can't even get a taxi out of the place...)
I already make plans to be at next years willie week ..... but how will
TheSession members meet and recognize each other? Ok, it is a couple of weeks ago and we will find something....
Emily, while reading your post about the remote area you´re living at I started wondering where that is. Must be somewhere arround Page and Tuba City.....
if everyone wants to meet up next year at the Willie Clancy week, we should agree on a particular day and meet in the café/restaurant section of the Central Hotel during the afternoon; you're pretty much guaranteed to get a seat and it's a decent place for some grub and a chat, as the music doesn't start there until later. There's usually a session from 12.30 onwards in the front bar section....
It might be an idea to put a small sign on the table where we are to notify other members, rather than have them wander around aimlessly asking people.
btw thank you for all the encouragement. There's a lot in my favor to go, ie I will come into some money next summer, & was hoping to celebrate my 30th birthday with a 2-week trip to Ireland & Scotland. I used to live in Belgium (& Thailand for that matter) but somehow never made it to the Emerald Isle despite all my family connexions. I think this may be the window I've been waiting for. But a lot can happen between now & then (9 months!) so I'll file all of this away & continue to work hard & learn tunes.
Crannog, I'm in Chinle, AZ, heart of the Navajo Nation, near Canyon de Chelly. I'm an obstetrics nurse in a *very* rural & underserved hospital so basically I help deliver Navajo babies all day. It's totally fabulous, & I mean that in all sincerity.
Helen's talking about the Ennis trad festival, 6-12 November this year. Thankfully I've booked my place in a hostel and flights with Ryanair. Apparently there are over one hundred musicians staying in our hostel; the owner was telling me that last year there were sessions every night in the place which lasted until 5 and 6 the next morning. Can't wait! Hope to be heading off to Northern Spain afterwards, (Galicia via Bilbao) so if anyone knows of any sessions in that part of the world would they be so good as to post them here! Or if the session isn't strictly Irish trad, maybe you could contact me directly so as not to annoy the purists ;¬)
After hearing all sorts of wonderful things about Willie week for years I fnally made the journey - what a disappointment!
1. Far too many people about
2. The pubs hiked the price of the drink!
3. Crowds of complete lunatics all thrown out on the street at 2 in the morning resulting in the inevitable riot with the Garda.
4. Treated like shit in the hotel after playing tunes and dining there over the weekend.
5. Loos in the bars like infested swamps with not a bit of paper to wipe your a**e.
6. I think that's enough!
emily - I should mention that there are loads of other festivals and fleadhs all over Ireland during the summer that are absolutely fantastic - so please do come over to visit. If you get anywhere near County Down in the north then drop me a line and I can guarantee some great music for you!
Thank you Conan & Breandan for your comments & insights! November is a bit too soon for me but sounds wonderful... as for County Down, now that's another gem of info I shall file away. Thanks B!
Emily
You could try the Feakle Festival in early August It's much less crowded than Miltown and more friendly. I know the official festival is only Thursday to Sunday but normally the sessions run Wednesday to Wednesday, Starting and finishing with the usual Peppers session.
I second Bernie on that. I'm just afraid of telling too many people about the Feakle festival, for fear that it might get overcrowded like Willie Week.
Despite what some people say about Willie Week (true, it attracts a certain contingent who are there for the drink more than the music), I still think it has a lot going for it. There's a lot of good music to be heard and played there, and I don't think any other music summer school has quite such a range of teachers. As for friendliness, I've been there four years in a row and i know a lot of the locals and regular visitors by face.
I was at the Willie Clancy week in July and have to say I had a very different experience from Breandan. Let me give you my thoughts on the points he raised.
1 - Yes , it is busy, and many of the evening sessions in particular are far too big. However I heard and participated in several sessions with 6 to 8 musicians as well as a few "orchestras". Emily, if it is "small, intimate" sessions your heart is set on , then a smaller festival may be better, and don't even think about the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil !
2- Wasn't aware of this Breandan, and don't really think there's much we can do about it. Other festivals in Ireland do this as well, so I don't think it fair to single out the pub-owners of Miltown
in this respect. Prices seemed comparable to what I'd pay in Aberdeen, and the Guiness is a hell of a lot better.
3- I've been to the Willie Week 8 or 9 times now, and have never seen any trouble of any kind - was it really a "riot"? Again, I'd rather walk the length of Miltown at 2 in the morning than many of the Scottish Folk Festivals, or the Fleadh, come to that.
4- Can't comment on this, except to say if the hotel you're referring to was the one opposite the Bank (is it the Malbay ?) I'm not surprised. It's the one place in Miltown best avoided.
5- Didn't have this problem myself. I have a real horror story from a Munster Fleadh on this subject, but I'm not posting it on the Internet!
6- I'm very sorry you were so disappointed with the Willie week, and if things were as bad as you say, I couldn't blame you for not going back.
One thing not mentioned in your reply was the MUSIC .
Didn't you manage to hear or play in any good sessions?
I played in two or three sessions every day, and if I wasn't playing I'd be listening, or having the "craic".
I played in sessions with musicians of all ages and abilities, some far better than myself, which I find really pushes you and lifts your playing. Some sessions were not so good for various reasons, most were very enjoyable, and several were as good a standard as I will ever be able to join in with.
I also was able to hear sessions by PJ Crotty & James Cullinane (their new CD is highly recommended) along with James Kelly, Tom Doorley and some of his buddies from "Danu",
Joe Burke being serenaded by Cathal McConnell, Gavin Whelan and about 6 or 7 others,and the "Session's" own Harry Bradley duetting with Tara Diamond (just the 2 of them and a bodhran player- lovely stuff ,Harry).
I should say though that I didn't stay late in Miltown any night - we were staying in Mullagh - if Miltown was as bad as Breandan says, all I can say is that it wasn't like that where I was.
Hope to meet some of you there next year.
Wow! Out of curiosity, I can't find a website announcing the dates for next year. Do you know when they will become available so we can start requesting time off work, eyeballing flights, etc? Thanks Kenny for the defence!
While I'm here, you've heard my experiences, and Breandan's.
Some of the rest of you contributers were there. What did you like or dislike about the Willie week?
Emily, I should also have said not to worry about being not good enough for the classes. If you can only play a basic tune,they will find a class to suit you - as several other contributers have confirmed.
Oh, and this year it actually stopped raining for the week!
Willie Week was my first time over the pond, so I figure I would have loved it no matter what.
Air Lingus on the other hand, wasn't exactly the 'friendly skies'. Not exactly rude, but a bit more firm with the passengers than I thought was needed. However, I did get to see my fair share of American tourists, so I suppose I can't blame them.
I didn't find the bathrooms in terrible shape. I've seen worse anyway. Saw no riots that I can report. Beer was reasonably priced (I'm used to paying nearly 5 bucks here). The Belbridge hotel was having no less than four different sessions in the lobby and bar with some of the best musicians around, which made it difficult to decide where to stay put. Matt Cranitch and Slieve Notes sessioned in the bar until the sun was about to rise. Saw James Kelly at a local pub playing with friends. Fiddle, Flute, Whistle and Singing recitals were all fantastic!
On the other hand...
The travelling troop of dredlocked panhandlers who delighted in butchering the music outside the pubs raised some hackles with me (and with the locals too, I understand). I couldn't beg or borrow enough ice for a decent coke (I guess only American's top off the glass with ice before pouring the soda). In the evening it was hopeless to attempt to squeeze inside the pubs, yet I saw people take deep breaths and dive right in as if it were only normal.
Overall, it was a very positive experience. Met lovely people from all over Europe and Ireland. Learned a lot about the music and the technique and had a great time doing it. I've forsaken all other CD's for the moment in favor of listening to all the music we recorded.
Willie Week q
Willie Week q
Hi everyone, I first popped in here a while ago asking about flute shopping etc (won't bore you with my bio again), & have mostly been lurking & practicing since then, but here is a quick update.
I bought a Casey Burns blackwood flute which I have been playing for over a month... I adore it, it's like breathing when the instrument disappears, you know? It's like being in love with a new boyfriend with a really big.... heart (see other discussion haha sorry for being tasteless). During a trip back East a few weeks ago, I played my first public session in a pub without music, & kicked butt! Except I knew they were throwing me softballs which I didn't know, & I have pledged never to walk into a pub again without knowing Harvest Home dangit. I have over 30 tunes committed to memory (next on the list is Banish Misfortune per Paddy Moloney haha) & the tunes are starting to come really easily, esp by ear without music, a major leap forward for me.
So enough about being self-congratulatory. I'm seriously considering attending Willie Clancy Week this summer, but checked out their website & am very nervous that I am too much of a beginner to attend. I think my cuts & rolls sound too much like trills, i worry my classical training will stick out like a sore thumb!
So obviously it's a summer away, what do you think? Have you been? What steps do you think I should pursue before next summer to prepare? Any other workshops I may consider? I will probably do the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp next summer as well.
Any helpful anecdotes or info re: Willie Week welcome. Looking forward to responses!! Thanks!!
Emily
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
Hi Emily, I took a week long harp class in Ireland a few years back. The biggest hurdle was keeping up with the pace of how quick everyone just breathed the information in and then-presto-right out of their finger tips! I do beleive the word beginner is defined differently here (the U.S.) than it is in Ireland.
However, if you have the opportunity to study in Ireland, you should take it--it may not come again! Of course you will put all the lessons on tapes--when you get home you will have the rest of your life to use them and learn what eluded you the first time.
For preparation until next summer--take some workshops in your area; do you have an Irish Center near you? Can you find a teacher? Even a teacher on a different instrument can be helpful, especially with getting you to hear those rolls and cuts, etc. Don't worry about sounding too classical, that will dissolve away as you listen and play more and more. And who cares about sticking out like a (classical) sore thumb--you are there to learn not to be an expert before the first lesson begins!
Imagine--summer in Ireland learning music and meeting people form Ireland and around the world who share your passion! What a precious and magical experience it will be!
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by Andee
Re: Willie Week q
My wife took a flute class at Willie week last year, and the good news is that beginner classes are available (but not generally advertised). Typically, they'll line everyone up and have them play a tune just to judge the students level, then assign the student to the appropriate instructor. A bit intimidating, but they only want the best instructor for the student...
Still, the school itself (while important), is only a wonderful excuse to be in Ireland, have a drink, listen to the best musicians around, and re-evaluate exactly where you are going and where you want to be musically.
Hopefully, someone will have a recommendation for a 'technique oriented' flute teacher. A lot of teachers will simply give you tunes, and frankly, you can learn tunes just about anywhere. We do not need more tunes as beginners; We need more technique! The tunes will come on there own.
That's my two cents (and worth every penny!)
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by Caoimghgin
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Re: Willie Week q
I have been playing my concertina for almost 3 years now, I take lessons, have attended Noel Hill's summer school, and know dozens and dozens of tunes. I don't know Harvest Home, and never will...life is too short to practice tunes I don't care to learn. There's my two cents, and I probably owe you change.
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by woman of the house
Re: Willie Week q
LOL great advice so far, but I live on the Navajo Indian reservation, not a teacher nor Irish center for about 200 miles. (nor a pint of Guinness sadly) I'm lucky to have found a great fiddler & guitar player here in my town of 3,000 to have small sessions with.
I go into Flagstaff (2 1/2 hours away) to play contra dances with a group there, but i worry I'm picking up contra habits & tunes that may be frowned upon in ITM circles, although they frown on me for wanting to play just Irish tunes.
Anyone have any success with distance learning or internet based music lessons?
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
emily_az: I was among the Dine' (thats the Navajo everyone) on the Rez myself during 2000. Sorry I didn't run into you then! The only session time I got (besides playing for my students in Elementary school once or twice) was trips to Albuquerque and Phoenix. (Write me individually if you want to trade stories.)
I've been to Willie Week just the year before that, and my impression was if you know where the notes are on your instrument and can play some tunes they'll find a spot for you. There were lots of Irish kids in the fiddle classes, some of them quite young. Even with their genetic advantage many of them couldn't have been _that_ advanced! Sounds to me like you are more ready now than some of the folks I met there.
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by KenC
Re: Willie Week q
Excellent, Ken, I can't wait to hear about your experiences in Phoenix & Albuquerque! Real sessions!! woo hoo
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
Emily,
Why not start off with Irish Arts Week in the Catskills, NY. It's a week long music festival with classes all day and concerts & sessions all night. This was my first festival (been playing for almost 2 years now) and I had a blast. There's something for everyone. Plus a lot of the instructors and performers are from Ireland!
Here the Link:
http://www.east-durham.org/
I may do Gaelic Roots in Boston next summer. I've heard nothing but great things about this festival. I think when I have more tunes under my belt and more experience with the music, I'll venture out to Willie Week. Right now I don't feel ready for that. But everyone is different.
Good luck,
Joyce
# Posted on October 15th 2002 by JMH
Re: Willie Week q
Emily,
As a West Texan, I share your sense of isolation from ITM. I am very happy with my experience with Scoiltrad
distance learning on the web. The personal response to your playing is invaluable. Check them out.
Joe
# Posted on October 16th 2002 by Carrmuse
Re: Willie Week q
I doubt very much your playing will be frowned upon at Willie Week, because it is a summer school and hundreds of people go there to learn, at all different levels. I have attended tin whistle classes there three years running, and have come across many players with a classical background who wish to learn to play in a more 'Irish' style and lose some of their 'Classical' habits. I can't speak for the flute classes, but I imagine 6the same would be true. If you are good at playing by ear, and have a considerable level of technique then just being around more experienced players and hearing 'how it's done' should help you tighten up your cuts, rolls etc. (with the aid of practice, of course).
You'll be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of music there. If you go, have a helluva time, and you might even bump into me there.
# Posted on October 16th 2002 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Willie Week q
You know, I've been reading other older archived comments about Willie Week, it seems like it can almost become a Mardi Gras like atmosphere with throngs of ppl & mass consumption of alcohol with little attention paid to the music itself. As a Yank, & a novice, I would be mortified to think I helped contribute to that reputation of a great music festival, & additionally, that's just the kind of scene I would normally avoid anyway. I like to think of sessions & music in general as very intimate, while this sounds like it can be a mob scene. I think I'll let the winter & spring unfold before I set my heart on it. Thanks for all your comments!
# Posted on October 16th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
I went to some fiddle workshops during Willie Clancy week a couple of years ago and, like you, was a bit worried that I was too much of a beginer. Don't worry though, they all seem a friendly lot and, if the flute workshops are anything like the fiddle ones, as long as you can put a couple of tunes together you will be fine.
# Posted on October 16th 2002 by Casey
Re: Willie Week q
Emily, Miltown does get absolutely mad in the *evening - but there are lots of sessions going on in nearby villages; I will refrain from saying which ones, as I don't want to jinx things, but you'll easily be able to find out by asking! I stayed in a village 7km from Miltown, and there was great music there every night, and a bit of breathing space, for the most part. I don't like crowds at all, but I had the best time ever at Willie Week. Go!
(*Don't stay in Miltown on the Saturday night, particularly - all the youth of West Clare come out to party, you can't even get a taxi out of the place...)
# Posted on October 16th 2002 by Nell
Re: Willie Week q
I already make plans to be at next years willie week ..... but how will
TheSession members meet and recognize each other? Ok, it is a couple of weeks ago and we will find something....
Emily, while reading your post about the remote area you´re living at I started wondering where that is. Must be somewhere arround Page and Tuba City.....
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by crannog
Re: Willie Week q
if everyone wants to meet up next year at the Willie Clancy week, we should agree on a particular day and meet in the café/restaurant section of the Central Hotel during the afternoon; you're pretty much guaranteed to get a seat and it's a decent place for some grub and a chat, as the music doesn't start there until later. There's usually a session from 12.30 onwards in the front bar section....
It might be an idea to put a small sign on the table where we are to notify other members, rather than have them wander around aimlessly asking people.
Just a thought
Conán
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Willie Week q
Good thinking, Conan.
Anyone else here going to Ennis in November, by the way?
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by Nell
Re: Willie Week q
Ennis?
btw thank you for all the encouragement. There's a lot in my favor to go, ie I will come into some money next summer, & was hoping to celebrate my 30th birthday with a 2-week trip to Ireland & Scotland. I used to live in Belgium (& Thailand for that matter) but somehow never made it to the Emerald Isle despite all my family connexions. I think this may be the window I've been waiting for. But a lot can happen between now & then (9 months!) so I'll file all of this away & continue to work hard & learn tunes.
Crannog, I'm in Chinle, AZ, heart of the Navajo Nation, near Canyon de Chelly. I'm an obstetrics nurse in a *very* rural & underserved hospital so basically I help deliver Navajo babies all day. It's totally fabulous, & I mean that in all sincerity.
# Posted on October 17th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
Helen's talking about the Ennis trad festival, 6-12 November this year. Thankfully I've booked my place in a hostel and flights with Ryanair. Apparently there are over one hundred musicians staying in our hostel; the owner was telling me that last year there were sessions every night in the place which lasted until 5 and 6 the next morning. Can't wait! Hope to be heading off to Northern Spain afterwards, (Galicia via Bilbao) so if anyone knows of any sessions in that part of the world would they be so good as to post them here! Or if the session isn't strictly Irish trad, maybe you could contact me directly so as not to annoy the purists ;¬)
All the very best
Conán
# Posted on October 18th 2002 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Willie Week q
After hearing all sorts of wonderful things about Willie week for years I fnally made the journey - what a disappointment!
1. Far too many people about
2. The pubs hiked the price of the drink!
3. Crowds of complete lunatics all thrown out on the street at 2 in the morning resulting in the inevitable riot with the Garda.
4. Treated like shit in the hotel after playing tunes and dining there over the weekend.
5. Loos in the bars like infested swamps with not a bit of paper to wipe your a**e.
6. I think that's enough!
1st and last time for me!
# Posted on October 18th 2002 by breandan
emily - I should mention that there are loads of other festivals and fleadhs all over Ireland during the summer that are absolutely fantastic - so please do come over to visit. If you get anywhere near County Down in the north then drop me a line and I can guarantee some great music for you!
# Posted on October 18th 2002 by breandan
Re: Willie Week q
Thank you Conan & Breandan for your comments & insights! November is a bit too soon for me but sounds wonderful... as for County Down, now that's another gem of info I shall file away. Thanks B!
# Posted on October 19th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
Emily
You could try the Feakle Festival in early August It's much less crowded than Miltown and more friendly. I know the official festival is only Thursday to Sunday but normally the sessions run Wednesday to Wednesday, Starting and finishing with the usual Peppers session.
# Posted on October 19th 2002 by Bernie
Re: Willie Week q
I second Bernie on that. I'm just afraid of telling too many people about the Feakle festival, for fear that it might get overcrowded like Willie Week.
Despite what some people say about Willie Week (true, it attracts a certain contingent who are there for the drink more than the music), I still think it has a lot going for it. There's a lot of good music to be heard and played there, and I don't think any other music summer school has quite such a range of teachers. As for friendliness, I've been there four years in a row and i know a lot of the locals and regular visitors by face.
# Posted on October 21st 2002 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Willie Week q
Interesting. More excellent info to file away! I really appreciate the comments!
# Posted on October 21st 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
The case for the defence........
I was at the Willie Clancy week in July and have to say I had a very different experience from Breandan. Let me give you my thoughts on the points he raised.
1 - Yes , it is busy, and many of the evening sessions in particular are far too big. However I heard and participated in several sessions with 6 to 8 musicians as well as a few "orchestras". Emily, if it is "small, intimate" sessions your heart is set on , then a smaller festival may be better, and don't even think about the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil !
2- Wasn't aware of this Breandan, and don't really think there's much we can do about it. Other festivals in Ireland do this as well, so I don't think it fair to single out the pub-owners of Miltown
in this respect. Prices seemed comparable to what I'd pay in Aberdeen, and the Guiness is a hell of a lot better.
3- I've been to the Willie Week 8 or 9 times now, and have never seen any trouble of any kind - was it really a "riot"? Again, I'd rather walk the length of Miltown at 2 in the morning than many of the Scottish Folk Festivals, or the Fleadh, come to that.
4- Can't comment on this, except to say if the hotel you're referring to was the one opposite the Bank (is it the Malbay ?) I'm not surprised. It's the one place in Miltown best avoided.
5- Didn't have this problem myself. I have a real horror story from a Munster Fleadh on this subject, but I'm not posting it on the Internet!
6- I'm very sorry you were so disappointed with the Willie week, and if things were as bad as you say, I couldn't blame you for not going back.
One thing not mentioned in your reply was the MUSIC .
Didn't you manage to hear or play in any good sessions?
I played in two or three sessions every day, and if I wasn't playing I'd be listening, or having the "craic".
I played in sessions with musicians of all ages and abilities, some far better than myself, which I find really pushes you and lifts your playing. Some sessions were not so good for various reasons, most were very enjoyable, and several were as good a standard as I will ever be able to join in with.
I also was able to hear sessions by PJ Crotty & James Cullinane (their new CD is highly recommended) along with James Kelly, Tom Doorley and some of his buddies from "Danu",
Joe Burke being serenaded by Cathal McConnell, Gavin Whelan and about 6 or 7 others,and the "Session's" own Harry Bradley duetting with Tara Diamond (just the 2 of them and a bodhran player- lovely stuff ,Harry).
I should say though that I didn't stay late in Miltown any night - we were staying in Mullagh - if Miltown was as bad as Breandan says, all I can say is that it wasn't like that where I was.
Hope to meet some of you there next year.
Kenny
# Posted on October 21st 2002 by Kenny
Re: Willie Week q
Wow! Out of curiosity, I can't find a website announcing the dates for next year. Do you know when they will become available so we can start requesting time off work, eyeballing flights, etc? Thanks Kenny for the defence!
# Posted on October 21st 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: Willie Week q
Always the first week of July.
While I'm here, you've heard my experiences, and Breandan's.
Some of the rest of you contributers were there. What did you like or dislike about the Willie week?
Emily, I should also have said not to worry about being not good enough for the classes. If you can only play a basic tune,they will find a class to suit you - as several other contributers have confirmed.
Oh, and this year it actually stopped raining for the week!
# Posted on October 22nd 2002 by Kenny
Re: Willie Week q
Willie Week was my first time over the pond, so I figure I would have loved it no matter what.
Air Lingus on the other hand, wasn't exactly the 'friendly skies'. Not exactly rude, but a bit more firm with the passengers than I thought was needed. However, I did get to see my fair share of American tourists, so I suppose I can't blame them.
I didn't find the bathrooms in terrible shape. I've seen worse anyway. Saw no riots that I can report. Beer was reasonably priced (I'm used to paying nearly 5 bucks here). The Belbridge hotel was having no less than four different sessions in the lobby and bar with some of the best musicians around, which made it difficult to decide where to stay put. Matt Cranitch and Slieve Notes sessioned in the bar until the sun was about to rise. Saw James Kelly at a local pub playing with friends. Fiddle, Flute, Whistle and Singing recitals were all fantastic!
On the other hand...
The travelling troop of dredlocked panhandlers who delighted in butchering the music outside the pubs raised some hackles with me (and with the locals too, I understand). I couldn't beg or borrow enough ice for a decent coke (I guess only American's top off the glass with ice before pouring the soda). In the evening it was hopeless to attempt to squeeze inside the pubs, yet I saw people take deep breaths and dive right in as if it were only normal.
Overall, it was a very positive experience. Met lovely people from all over Europe and Ireland. Learned a lot about the music and the technique and had a great time doing it. I've forsaken all other CD's for the moment in favor of listening to all the music we recorded.
Rewind, Play, Rewind, Play, Rewind, Play!
# Posted on October 22nd 2002 by Caoimghgin