Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Hi
Am going to the Irish Arts Week this July w/out a car. Can someone recommend a decent place to stay that will be somewhat accessible on foot to the lessons?
I'm taking fiddle in the morning and flute in the aft, are the locations for these far apart?
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
You will need to talk to the Arts Week coordinators, as many of the lesson sites are a good distance apart-different lessons are taught at different pubs and hotels in the area. Unless you are very lucky, you will probably be able to get a room near where one of the lessons is being taught, but have to find someone to give you a ride to the other. The only good news is that folks are pretty friendly at the Arts Week, and you will probably be able to find a classmate who can give you a ride to class each day.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
A good place in the middle of everything is the Shamrock house, which has a variety of rooms and a meal plan (breakfast and dinner). I've been there for several years and have enjoyed it, been able to walk to some classes and hitch rides for others.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
they don't have the lesson venues posted yet, but try Blackthorne Resort.
www.blackthorneresort.com .
518-634-2541
Its located close to most of the lessons and is very reasonable.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
I'm amazed the organizers haven't arranged for some sort of shuttle service to get people from place to place. It seems dodgy to have people driving to and from pubs at night as well.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
IIRC, the Blackthorne is east of the center of town (such as it is) by a few miles. When I took two classes in 2005, my morning class at the Blackthorne was literally several miles from my afternoon class at the west end of town. You either need a car or be willing to hitch rides (which isn't hard).
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
First of all there is a shuttle bus in the evening to take people to the daily evening concert and to the scheduled sessions. though admittedly it is a limited service but adequate for the number of people who utilize it. Rides home can often be arranged through other students or teachers. It is not practical to provide rides to all the classes which increasingly are spread out over a 5-7 mile range according to class size, suitability and accessibility. People have been driving back and forth on the quiet country roads for twelve years without major incident so I expect they would behave responsibly this year as well. We deal with the environment we find there as best we can and accept that we won't be able to satisfy everyone, If there were reliable cellular phone service (mobile to some of you, we could probably work out a better transport scheme for non or wary drivers.
But somehow we manage to satisfy most of the 1,000-1,500 people who swell the town for the week's activities and most come in knowing that it would be easier if you had your own car and transport. With over 60 classes to site and some 500 students who have the luxury of taking different classes each day, it is impossible to locate them by accommodation site anymore.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
I would echo what Mike said, the Shamrock house has a nice central location, and the meal plan is a good option for someone who doesn't have a car. Now that he has refreshed my memory, I recall that is where I stayed when I went to the Arts Week some years ago. Accomodations, especially the smaller rooms, are far from posh, but adequate. Also, some of the best sessions were at a place across the street (I think it was Furlongs).
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Seems everyone ends up getting where they need to, and on time. Quite a few are carless and people with cars are very accomodating in giving others lifts. You can let the staff know when you are at registration and they may be of help in telling you who is in your classes and has a car and would drive you. I wouldn't lose any sleep at all over it, it will all work out fine. Just go, and you will get rides. It's a very friendly week!
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Yup
Every year I usually have a crew in the car with me after class and I drop off here and there (I also do pickups!) There are quite a few carless folks (or families with one car and their classes are in different places) at this week and they always manage to get a lift to where they want to go. That is something you won't even be worried about after day 1! I'm sure you'll have a great time like the rest of us. Check out the photos on the website
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Furlongs is indeed within walking distance of the Shamrock, which is where I stayed in 2005.
Speaking of the Shamrock: They have a low-cost option called the "boarding house." Think very low-grade, run-down motel ... then go down several notches. You've been warned.
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
The CIAW has always said that it models itself on the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, and this holds true even down to the accomodation and transport options that are offered. WCSS offers little help for obtaining a room other than providing a list of possibilities for you to call until you're able to find one. WCSS does not publish the class locations in advance; indeed sometimes they are not known until minutes before the class is to start at 10 am on the Monday. (I myself once stood around outside a house in Miltown - thankfully , on a rare sunny day - while the organizers figured out whether it was my flute class or the whistle class that was standing next to us that was supposed to be meeting in the back room. The front room was already taken by a third class. It all got sorted out quickly enough, and meanwhile we were entertained by Cathal McConnell doing his trick of playing two whistles at once. The educational value of weeks such as this does not lie solely in the classroom.) WCSS also offers no help on transportation, either to/from or around town. At Wille Week, you see folks with the thumb out or riding a bike with a fiddle strapped to their back at all hours of the day and night. I'm surprised that I haven't seen many bikes around East Durham, as it seems that would be a good option for getting to far-flung classes in the daytime. (Night riding around there would be more dodgy, though, but they do have the shuttle van for that time - something that willie Week doesn't have.)
Yet despite these many limitations, both CIAW and WCSS are highly successful and quite popular. Why? Because they have the best teachers available, and more of them than anywhere else. Multiple classes in virtually every instrument, not just fiddle. If this is what you're after, and you don't have a car available to get around, you may have a harder time of it - but it can be done. If you insist on an environment where everything is contained in one small area so that you can walk to it all, you should go to Augusta or Swannanoa rather than East Durham. Those are also good camps, but you won't find the same wide range of instruction or playing opportunities there that you will at East Durham. It's a trade-off.
Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Hi
Am going to the Irish Arts Week this July w/out a car. Can someone recommend a decent place to stay that will be somewhat accessible on foot to the lessons?
I'm taking fiddle in the morning and flute in the aft, are the locations for these far apart?
Thanks!
Jeff Zajac
# Posted on March 5th 2007 by Mariajef
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
You will need to talk to the Arts Week coordinators, as many of the lesson sites are a good distance apart-different lessons are taught at different pubs and hotels in the area. Unless you are very lucky, you will probably be able to get a room near where one of the lessons is being taught, but have to find someone to give you a ride to the other. The only good news is that folks are pretty friendly at the Arts Week, and you will probably be able to find a classmate who can give you a ride to class each day.
# Posted on March 5th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
A good place in the middle of everything is the Shamrock house, which has a variety of rooms and a meal plan (breakfast and dinner). I've been there for several years and have enjoyed it, been able to walk to some classes and hitch rides for others.
Mike
# Posted on March 5th 2007 by mimcgann
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
they don't have the lesson venues posted yet, but try Blackthorne Resort.
www.blackthorneresort.com .
518-634-2541
Its located close to most of the lessons and is very reasonable.
# Posted on March 5th 2007 by rob_handel
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
I'm amazed the organizers haven't arranged for some sort of shuttle service to get people from place to place. It seems dodgy to have people driving to and from pubs at night as well.
# Posted on March 5th 2007 by Phantom Button
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
IIRC, the Blackthorne is east of the center of town (such as it is) by a few miles. When I took two classes in 2005, my morning class at the Blackthorne was literally several miles from my afternoon class at the west end of town. You either need a car or be willing to hitch rides (which isn't hard).
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by boxist
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
First of all there is a shuttle bus in the evening to take people to the daily evening concert and to the scheduled sessions. though admittedly it is a limited service but adequate for the number of people who utilize it. Rides home can often be arranged through other students or teachers. It is not practical to provide rides to all the classes which increasingly are spread out over a 5-7 mile range according to class size, suitability and accessibility. People have been driving back and forth on the quiet country roads for twelve years without major incident so I expect they would behave responsibly this year as well. We deal with the environment we find there as best we can and accept that we won't be able to satisfy everyone, If there were reliable cellular phone service (mobile to some of you, we could probably work out a better transport scheme for non or wary drivers.
But somehow we manage to satisfy most of the 1,000-1,500 people who swell the town for the week's activities and most come in knowing that it would be easier if you had your own car and transport. With over 60 classes to site and some 500 students who have the luxury of taking different classes each day, it is impossible to locate them by accommodation site anymore.
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by clareman
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
I would echo what Mike said, the Shamrock house has a nice central location, and the meal plan is a good option for someone who doesn't have a car. Now that he has refreshed my memory, I recall that is where I stayed when I went to the Arts Week some years ago. Accomodations, especially the smaller rooms, are far from posh, but adequate. Also, some of the best sessions were at a place across the street (I think it was Furlongs).
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Seems everyone ends up getting where they need to, and on time. Quite a few are carless and people with cars are very accomodating in giving others lifts. You can let the staff know when you are at registration and they may be of help in telling you who is in your classes and has a car and would drive you. I wouldn't lose any sleep at all over it, it will all work out fine. Just go, and you will get rides. It's a very friendly week!
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by irisnevins
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Yup
Every year I usually have a crew in the car with me after class and I drop off here and there (I also do pickups!) There are quite a few carless folks (or families with one car and their classes are in different places) at this week and they always manage to get a lift to where they want to go. That is something you won't even be worried about after day 1! I'm sure you'll have a great time like the rest of us. Check out the photos on the website
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by fiddlefamily
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
I thought Furlongs was quite a ways west of the Shamrock and other places 'in town'. But then, I haven't been there in quite a while either.
# Posted on March 6th 2007 by vonnieestes
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
Furlongs is indeed within walking distance of the Shamrock, which is where I stayed in 2005.
Speaking of the Shamrock: They have a low-cost option called the "boarding house." Think very low-grade, run-down motel ... then go down several notches. You've been warned.
# Posted on March 7th 2007 by boxist
Re: Irish Arts Week Accommodations in East Durham w/out Car?
The CIAW has always said that it models itself on the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, and this holds true even down to the accomodation and transport options that are offered. WCSS offers little help for obtaining a room other than providing a list of possibilities for you to call until you're able to find one. WCSS does not publish the class locations in advance; indeed sometimes they are not known until minutes before the class is to start at 10 am on the Monday. (I myself once stood around outside a house in Miltown - thankfully , on a rare sunny day - while the organizers figured out whether it was my flute class or the whistle class that was standing next to us that was supposed to be meeting in the back room. The front room was already taken by a third class. It all got sorted out quickly enough, and meanwhile we were entertained by Cathal McConnell doing his trick of playing two whistles at once. The educational value of weeks such as this does not lie solely in the classroom.) WCSS also offers no help on transportation, either to/from or around town. At Wille Week, you see folks with the thumb out or riding a bike with a fiddle strapped to their back at all hours of the day and night. I'm surprised that I haven't seen many bikes around East Durham, as it seems that would be a good option for getting to far-flung classes in the daytime. (Night riding around there would be more dodgy, though, but they do have the shuttle van for that time - something that willie Week doesn't have.)
Yet despite these many limitations, both CIAW and WCSS are highly successful and quite popular. Why? Because they have the best teachers available, and more of them than anywhere else. Multiple classes in virtually every instrument, not just fiddle. If this is what you're after, and you don't have a car available to get around, you may have a harder time of it - but it can be done. If you insist on an environment where everything is contained in one small area so that you can walk to it all, you should go to Augusta or Swannanoa rather than East Durham. Those are also good camps, but you won't find the same wide range of instruction or playing opportunities there that you will at East Durham. It's a trade-off.
# Posted on March 7th 2007 by johnkerr