I heard Kieran Hanrahan talking about the Fleadh on Pat Kenny this morning. He said it was one of the best ever, and a bit like what the Fleadhs were like years ago. What’s your verdict?
These are a few of my plus and minuses.
The Pluses – Great weather, a light shower on Saturday morning. Stayed dry after that. Good big town – Lots of watering holes – Wide streets - easy to get through the crowd – Many street sessions – Very little trouble (The Garda say there wasn’t all that more arrests than a normal weekend)
Many great musicians playing in the open. Plenty of places to sit. Plenty of feeding stations – A very clean town, with only a few Romany gypsies in attendance.
The Minuses – The young musicians who started their own session just two tables away, about 20 ft, from where we were already in full swing, and had been for an hour. There was only four of us and about eight of them so they blew us out of it. End of Saturday night session and too late and too tired to find another. In my book it was bloody bad manners, and not the sort of thing I’d come across before. I find that there is a tendency for the young musicians to keep to themselves and not join with older people.
That bloody Indian who took over a prime spot near the Bridge Hotel. What the hell is he supposed to be playing anyway. Just backing tracks, an odd blow into a flute and the odd wallop on his drum. Most have taken years to learn to do that. Yet he had a crowd around him giving him money…doh
It made me think of General Sheridan who said ‘The only good Indian is a dead Indian’
Lots of musicians playing with the cases open for money. I thought there was a no busking rule?
The pipers who took up a position outside the Bridge House Bar and overstayed their welcome a bit drowning out all nearby sessions. They were very good pipers, so it was a pity about that.
The fecking guy who kept hitting the bongos trying to play along with the brilliant PA player from Glasgow who was doing a rendition of that lovely old air ‘The Blind Boy’on the box
One more thing, the big clock on the top of Dunnes Store was an hour wrong. Shame that nobody in the town thought to have it put right. Lastly ...my feet are killing me, it's a big place to walk around.
Overall Verdict …Wouldn’t have missed it ….Would love to have a T-Shirt with the slogan ‘Tullamore 2007…I was there’
>Very little trouble (The Garda say there wasn’t all that more >arrests than a normal weekend)
Which down the country isn't saying much....so just the usual weekend mini-riots then
>A very clean town, with only a few Romany gypsies in >attendance.
>That bloody Indian who took over a prime spot near the >Bridge Hotel. What the hell is he supposed to be playing >anyway. Just backing tracks, an odd blow into a flute and the >odd wallop on his drum. Most have taken years to learn to do >that. Yet he had a crowd around him giving him money…doh
>It made me think of General Sheridan who said ‘The only >good Indian is a dead Indian’
Jaysus - next thing you'll be wanting an ethnically pure All-Ireland fleadh...
Wasn't there, but there was some awful **** on ceili house on Saturday night....
Speaking of crap box players, anyone spot the pillock on the Rose of Tralee last week?
brill fleadh...best in a long time!!!
didn't like the indians playing on the street though......there's a place for that kind of music...and it's not at an all-ireland fleadh cheoil.
One thing that amazes me is the fact that the All-Ireland Fleadh cheoil is a massive cultural music,song and dance festival which is held once a year and attracts thousands of people from all over Ireland,Britain and the USA but there is very very little mention of the Fleadh in the media.....i.e. a few minutes on RTE radio and one picture on the Irish independent.
Why isn't it on the News prior to the event and on the front page of newspapers????
A great fleadh which in my opinion probably even surpasses Listowel just because the size of the town is more suited to the larger crowds now attending the All-Ireland. I don't agree with General Custer about Indians and thought the fellow brought a bit of colour to the event in the same way the group singing Dubliner's songs in the street also did. We shouldn't be too protective at a festival such as this which in my mind should be allowed to embrace all aspects of the Irish cultural experience within reason - I'd have to draw the line at U2 or Westlife!
Best Fleadh in a long time. Found it very hard to drag myself away from there today, enjoyed every minut e of it. I can't decide if it surpasses Listowel but it is certainly up there with it! I'm already looking forward to next year.
Goodness gracious me..Whoops, sorry there I go again. Aren’t some of you a sensitive lot. My post has created mention of ethnically pure All-Ireland Fleadhs - Nazi Rallies - Indians from India/South American/Native Americans. Why we’ve even had talk of revolution, and not one of you mentioned the fact that the clock on Dunne’s Tower in Tullamore was an hour slow.
Well to clear up the mystery of the man dressed as an Indian. My criticism was of his prime location and his backing tracks (very ethnic) rather than the soft sounds he was making. Sounds that reminded me of the Indian plains from a time long ago, before the white man arrived with his Rock and Roll. (me arse) Running Fox, for indeed that could have been his name was dressed as one of the feathered variety. I know not from which tribe he came, but the clue as to the fact that he was a Native American was in the clue ‘General Sheridan’ the very same racist General from Co Cavan who partook in the American Indian Wars. Maybe that was too complicated?
About the Romany Gypsies. Well that was a slip up on my part and I’m sorry for that. It should have read ‘Wasn’t it nice to see the Romany Gypsies standing around, listening too and really appreciating the street sessions’ instead of being…..Well… harassed by the Guards for illegal trading.. There I’ve said it and I feel much better for it. Incidentally the shop beside De Bruins, did not have a T-shirt with the slogan ‘I was there’ printed it on it…. Now I wonder if that last bit can be construed as a racist statement.???
Dear oh dear. Illegal trading is it? Legal trading I suppose is the law that allows Levi's to sell jeans for £75, but prevents Tesco's from selling the same product for £10, while still making a profit.
I also think you will find that travelers have fine traditions, which should be appreciated, instead of sneering at them for ignoring a session and trying to survive instead.
As for Sheridan, well he would be Irish. Probably left Ireland because he thought the English treated him as second class.
He wanted freedom, the freedom to treat others as second class.
only went down yesterday for my competition and then fecked off after something to eat in supermacs. really would have liked to have stayed or been there earlier but it was out of my hands on that one. the oul fella was tired etc etc...really lookin forward to next years event though.
Well Mr. Reed, maybe you think it's okay to insult Native people from North America because you don't expect that any would actually read your drivel? I wish I hadn't.
I guess I've found that the actual Fleadh weekend isn't really the best time for sessions. Watching competitions is fun, concerts are fun, just hearing music in the streets is fun, but as far as sitting down and getting some tunes, it just seems like maybe too much of a good thing!
Perhaps it's just that I'm the shy and sensitive wilting sort, but I found the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday of Éigse week leading up to the Fleadh to be far more enjoyable than the ones at the week-end, elbow-to-elbow in a haze of alcoholic sweat.
I played with my good friend Bannerman during the week, of course, but also with some of the Scoil Éigse tutors, who are class players, each and every one.
I'll leave the racial discussions to those qualified - I'm just an American with some Cherokee blood, resident in Ireland. But I do like seeing the Peruvian pan-pipe guys out -- reminds me of New York.
For me it was a great Fleadh, I arrived on Friday in time to take part in the world record session attempt, it may not have been exactly a session as we know it, with people amplified on stage leading, but it was great craic anyway, with people of all ages joining in. I joined in several good sessions over the weekend,can't remember the names of the pubs, and met up with Tracie, (harp player from the States ) who was looking for someone on this site recently to play the tunes for her accompaniment competition. I volunteered to do that for her so we went into the competition having only met and had a runthrough that day! All went well, although she didn't get through the competition. Tullamore is the right size for the Fleadh, and a friendly place too, I was walking past two guards manning a road barrier, and got asked to play them a tune, they were complaining they were stuck there missing all the action, so I stopped and played a couple of tunes for them!
I'd be very happy to see the Fleadh here again.
Cathy reminded me of the mammoth session in O'Connor Square which definitely was an experience to remember. Agreed, the group on the gig rig leading the proceedings made it a bit artificial but I think we would have had major problems keeping together without them. Overall I think it worked very well and I was surprised with the fantastic turn-out and the range of instruments. When asked to raise instruments in the air (I'm not sure if this was for the benefit of press photographers or counting purposes) these ranged from fiddles, flutes, boxes, harps, uilleann pipes to what looked like a Lambeg drum.
Two very amusing things though struck me as follows:-
The polkas played bore no relation to those listed on the flyer distributed earlier in the week although the vast majority of musicians mnaged to pick them up second time around;
The MC was obviously not a musician and every now and again shouted the names for the next tunes which at the time were already beig played.
Overall though a great fun event and I can't see how it could be repeated in 2008 as there is no way you could get any more people into the Square to break the record set in 2007 (2,700 musicians is the number I heard).
I too was at the extraordinary "Greatest Session" record attempt - 40 minutes solid was bloody exhausting! (apparently it's not a session until you've played for forty minutes!) But that was great fun, and I enjoyed shaking hands with all the musicians around me, thanking them for the tunes.
The barbecue on the corner of O'Connor Square served the tastiest burgers ever - but how slowly they served them!!
Met up with old friends I hadn't seen for years and friends from my home town I played with last week, and I made a few new friends - all unplanned.
I played at a session upstairs, in a tent!
I met Attracta Brady, chair of the Fleadh 2007 committee, briefly. A lovely lady, she was enjoying the buzz on Friday night.
My only complaint was the amount of amplified music on the street, when the place was awash with people too ready to play unplugged. Oh yes, the taxi fare to Mucklagh was a buit steep too!
It was my first fleadh, won't be my last. Booked my accommodatioon for next year already!
"Perhaps no class has carried prejudice against colour to a point more dangerous than have the Irish and yet no people have been more relesntlessy oppressed on account of race and religion"
A colleague here just told me there was a musician on the radio whinging that he got no free drink or food at the pub where he was playing.
He admitted when pressed that his friends had no complaints!
(For the record, Lynch's provided sandwiches, sausages, and a free drink later on Saturday.)
The MC was a local radio presenter, a good MC, but a sh1te caller of tunes, I must agree. There was much confusion around me, especially among the youngsters.
BTW I'm not complaining about the MC's lack of musical knowledge as it I think it added a bit of fun (the unpredictability factor) to the proceedings and he was a very good presenter. I too was a bit surprised that there weren't any breaks between the sets and that this would be a requirement in setting the world record as sessions don't normally work like this. However it was a bit of fun going straight from jigs to polkas and then into reels and surely if 2,700 people can manage to do this successfully together we should have no problem in normal sessions of 5 or 6 people!
Breandán,
You've been gone from NYC too long...those Peruvian pan flute buskers are EVERYWHERE these days! We cringe when we hear the strains of 'Sounds of Silence' wafting through Penn Station or Grand Central. Perhaps if they expanded their repertoire it would be a bit easier to take day after day after day...
played in lynch's most of the weekend, staff very friendly and provided sandwiches and drinks on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, fair play to them, I also found the people of the town to be very welcoming, great spot
I thought it was a great Fleadh... couple of problems competitions wise (i.e. trios not starting until nearly 11pm saturday night) but I love Tullamore for a place to play.
I was seriously disappointed with the lack of leeway from the gards on closing times though. Did NOT enjoy getting kicked out of Eugene's in the middle of savage tunes one night.
The session competition was a great addition to the fleadh program - I was asked by a friend to put a group in for it to make up the numbers and we ended up having a great time. Admittedly we didn't take it seriously (most groups had sets decided and rehearsed whereas my group didn't even all know each other because I was still ringing people the morning of the competition to get involved!) but still, it's a good idea I think. Congrats James and other committee members on having all the brilliant ideas and not copping enough praise from other committee members for them ;o)
I was downstairs in Lynch's Saturday night with Foxy's session until about 7:15 when the pub staff asked us to head upstairs to the marquee. That split the really big session into two more manageable ones.
We had great craic upstairs, and I was relieved to be out of range of that booming bodhran near Foxy - he really bugged me in an otherwise excellent session!
(I was playing a Brendan White bodhran, and did a bit of singing.)
I think it was the worst fleadh ever, as someone who just likes a few tunes not competitions i found it really hard to find a place to play and a lot of bars were just filled with balladdy types. The streets were filled with people with no knowledge,respect or care for the ceol they were very able to drink and then drink and then some.PAed cover version of Oasis wrecked many a good tune. The Charleville campsite was appalling and was full of hood and the lowest forms of humanity. Faeces(human)was rubbed on our van, cars were wrecked, thefts occurred, people assaulted. The garda I have to say were great in dealing with them but the next morning unfortunately. Four of us all pipers went and we will never go back. Tullamore people are lovely by the way, but as for a musical experience, i don't think so.
Just arrived back today. Found it hard to leave. great venue some great sessions Especially Sunday and Monday. Fair to say it surely must come back to Tullamore next year. A man I met asked a guard to phone his wife and say his car had been impounded so he could stay Sunday night. the guard to his credit did so. Quality!
I sure had a great time! Though I haven't been to the All Ireland in 5 years...so i guess my opinion doesn't count for much. A third place medle distorts my view of things as well! Great craic though, and I met a lot of other fine musicians who will keep in touch.
Came home (today) with a boatload of new tunes as well.
My favorite sessions were the ones at Lynches on Saturday night, with many young musicians like myself, and a street session, with four accordians as leaders, the players averaging about 70 years of age ( though being in my teens I probably distorted that)
Last minute decision to go on Saturday on the way to Galway for a break. Thought the town was perfect, as others have said with lots of different types of bars and plenty of street space.
I was in the Bridge Hotel foyer on Saturday evening listening to a group of under sixteens mostly, great to see them play a tune, text a friend, sip on a sly Bacardi. Abandon was what struck me about them, great to see the music in young hands.
This contrasted with a few sessions I tried to listen at that night with shouting drunks trying to sing Th'ould triangle' at 120 dbA.
The Sunday night was great in the back bar of the bridge with a group of Norn Iron players giving it some.. a good concertina lady with fat chords under slight fiddling by three in unison. Air conditioning made it feel like Gweedore.
Saw/heard many many Ulster/Donegal folk. Quite a few Doubs just up on the lash too. The native american bloke followed me to feckin Westport the following week!! I couldn't belive it he was on the Diamond by St Pat tumping and hah wey ey-ing.
I was in the hole in the wall Sunday afternoon with three U-pipers playing with the GAA on the screens - men wearing the leopard-skin pimp hats popular in the mart there that week. Also pink cowboy hats and glittery trilbys. Surreal. Great draught sold in there.
The weekend to my eyes seemed dominated by young teens having a go at few tunes, everywhere. Streets, shop windows, bars, stairwells.
Monday morning was a treat - big session with no-one below 60 outside the Bridge Hotel, lovely swinging slides and a bodhran player out of a novel with bones and tipper in his hand. Down by the Manor an octagenarian uillean piper sat on a window sill and played while his lunch was cooked next door. He was a great entertainer, God bless him.
Finally the men's sean - nos singing finals in the Fleadh with competitors from 18 to over 70. one ould boy downed nearly a quarter bottle of whisky to calm his nerves and glowed through his set. Great singer from Australia who wasn't placed.
All in all I was moved by seeing so many so young playing and then the pensioners rolling up when the wee-uns had gone off home, just to show they still could. They can.
Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I heard Kieran Hanrahan talking about the Fleadh on Pat Kenny this morning. He said it was one of the best ever, and a bit like what the Fleadhs were like years ago. What’s your verdict?
These are a few of my plus and minuses.
The Pluses – Great weather, a light shower on Saturday morning. Stayed dry after that. Good big town – Lots of watering holes – Wide streets - easy to get through the crowd – Many street sessions – Very little trouble (The Garda say there wasn’t all that more arrests than a normal weekend)
Many great musicians playing in the open. Plenty of places to sit. Plenty of feeding stations – A very clean town, with only a few Romany gypsies in attendance.
The Minuses – The young musicians who started their own session just two tables away, about 20 ft, from where we were already in full swing, and had been for an hour. There was only four of us and about eight of them so they blew us out of it. End of Saturday night session and too late and too tired to find another. In my book it was bloody bad manners, and not the sort of thing I’d come across before. I find that there is a tendency for the young musicians to keep to themselves and not join with older people.
That bloody Indian who took over a prime spot near the Bridge Hotel. What the hell is he supposed to be playing anyway. Just backing tracks, an odd blow into a flute and the odd wallop on his drum. Most have taken years to learn to do that. Yet he had a crowd around him giving him money…doh
It made me think of General Sheridan who said ‘The only good Indian is a dead Indian’
Lots of musicians playing with the cases open for money. I thought there was a no busking rule?
The pipers who took up a position outside the Bridge House Bar and overstayed their welcome a bit drowning out all nearby sessions. They were very good pipers, so it was a pity about that.
The fecking guy who kept hitting the bongos trying to play along with the brilliant PA player from Glasgow who was doing a rendition of that lovely old air ‘The Blind Boy’on the box
One more thing, the big clock on the top of Dunnes Store was an hour wrong. Shame that nobody in the town thought to have it put right. Lastly ...my feet are killing me, it's a big place to walk around.
Overall Verdict …Wouldn’t have missed it ….Would love to have a T-Shirt with the slogan ‘Tullamore 2007…I was there’
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Free Reed
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Ha ha that same indian was in my town last month......AWFUL
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by dinn2
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Good whiskey.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by len
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
>Very little trouble (The Garda say there wasn’t all that more >arrests than a normal weekend)
Which down the country isn't saying much....so just the usual weekend mini-riots then
>A very clean town, with only a few Romany gypsies in >attendance.
>That bloody Indian who took over a prime spot near the >Bridge Hotel. What the hell is he supposed to be playing >anyway. Just backing tracks, an odd blow into a flute and the >odd wallop on his drum. Most have taken years to learn to do >that. Yet he had a crowd around him giving him money…doh
>It made me think of General Sheridan who said ‘The only >good Indian is a dead Indian’
Jaysus - next thing you'll be wanting an ethnically pure All-Ireland fleadh...
Wasn't there, but there was some awful **** on ceili house on Saturday night....
Speaking of crap box players, anyone spot the pillock on the Rose of Tralee last week?
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by continuo
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
didn't spot the pillock on the Rose of Tralee last week, I hope she got him removed, he should never have been on her
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Worldwide Pants
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
And now I've got a different image in my head of:
The pale moon was rising above yon green mountain...
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by continuo
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
brill fleadh...best in a long time!!!
didn't like the indians playing on the street though......there's a place for that kind of music...and it's not at an all-ireland fleadh cheoil.
One thing that amazes me is the fact that the All-Ireland Fleadh cheoil is a massive cultural music,song and dance festival which is held once a year and attracts thousands of people from all over Ireland,Britain and the USA but there is very very little mention of the Fleadh in the media.....i.e. a few minutes on RTE radio and one picture on the Irish independent.
Why isn't it on the News prior to the event and on the front page of newspapers????
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by ChipZ
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
" only a few romany gypsies", " that bloody indian", " would love to have a t-shirt" etc..
i diidnt realise it was a nazi rally!
they were selling tullamore 2007 t shirts next door to de bruins!
we fecked off to Rahan last night for some class tunes and a bit of space.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by flanum
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
with only a few Romany gypsies in attendance.
It made me think of General Sheridan who said ‘The only good Indian is a dead Indian’
Sounds to me as if there were too many Irish racists there, for my liking.
By the way, would that be an Indian from India, or South America, or even a native American? Or maybe they all look the same to you, Free Reed.
The sooner the revolution hits Ireland the better.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
first class town i hope they get it for the next few years
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by redness1
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
A great fleadh which in my opinion probably even surpasses Listowel just because the size of the town is more suited to the larger crowds now attending the All-Ireland. I don't agree with General Custer about Indians and thought the fellow brought a bit of colour to the event in the same way the group singing Dubliner's songs in the street also did. We shouldn't be too protective at a festival such as this which in my mind should be allowed to embrace all aspects of the Irish cultural experience within reason - I'd have to draw the line at U2 or Westlife!
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Surely anyone worth their salt has a gypsy in attendance- if only to hold their fiddle for safe keeping while they go for a nelson?
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by P-K
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Best Fleadh in a long time. Found it very hard to drag myself away from there today, enjoyed every minut e of it. I can't decide if it surpasses Listowel but it is certainly up there with it! I'm already looking forward to next year.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by saidhbh
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Goodness gracious me..Whoops, sorry there I go again. Aren’t some of you a sensitive lot. My post has created mention of ethnically pure All-Ireland Fleadhs - Nazi Rallies - Indians from India/South American/Native Americans. Why we’ve even had talk of revolution, and not one of you mentioned the fact that the clock on Dunne’s Tower in Tullamore was an hour slow.
Well to clear up the mystery of the man dressed as an Indian. My criticism was of his prime location and his backing tracks (very ethnic) rather than the soft sounds he was making. Sounds that reminded me of the Indian plains from a time long ago, before the white man arrived with his Rock and Roll. (me arse) Running Fox, for indeed that could have been his name was dressed as one of the feathered variety. I know not from which tribe he came, but the clue as to the fact that he was a Native American was in the clue ‘General Sheridan’ the very same racist General from Co Cavan who partook in the American Indian Wars. Maybe that was too complicated?
About the Romany Gypsies. Well that was a slip up on my part and I’m sorry for that. It should have read ‘Wasn’t it nice to see the Romany Gypsies standing around, listening too and really appreciating the street sessions’ instead of being…..Well… harassed by the Guards for illegal trading.. There I’ve said it and I feel much better for it. Incidentally the shop beside De Bruins, did not have a T-shirt with the slogan ‘I was there’ printed it on it…. Now I wonder if that last bit can be construed as a racist statement.???
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Free Reed
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Dear oh dear. Illegal trading is it? Legal trading I suppose is the law that allows Levi's to sell jeans for £75, but prevents Tesco's from selling the same product for £10, while still making a profit.
I also think you will find that travelers have fine traditions, which should be appreciated, instead of sneering at them for ignoring a session and trying to survive instead.
As for Sheridan, well he would be Irish. Probably left Ireland because he thought the English treated him as second class.
He wanted freedom, the freedom to treat others as second class.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Just had a thought. Maybe the "feathered one" was in Ireland looking for leprechauns.
As for being a "sensitive" lot, well caring for others should be human nature, natural. If that is "sensitive", well so be it.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
only went down yesterday for my competition and then fecked off after something to eat in supermacs. really would have liked to have stayed or been there earlier but it was out of my hands on that one. the oul fella was tired etc etc...really lookin forward to next years event though.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by PaddyCmusic
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Well Mr. Reed, maybe you think it's okay to insult Native people from North America because you don't expect that any would actually read your drivel? I wish I hadn't.
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Char B
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
On the other hand, let's make this a positive experience -- today's lesson: don't make assumptions or apply stereotypes.
Better:
"That bloody man dressed as a Native American who took over a prime spot near the Bridge Hotel." And no reference to dead Indians, please!
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by Char B
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I guess I've found that the actual Fleadh weekend isn't really the best time for sessions. Watching competitions is fun, concerts are fun, just hearing music in the streets is fun, but as far as sitting down and getting some tunes, it just seems like maybe too much of a good thing!
Perhaps it's just that I'm the shy and sensitive wilting sort, but I found the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday of Éigse week leading up to the Fleadh to be far more enjoyable than the ones at the week-end, elbow-to-elbow in a haze of alcoholic sweat.
I played with my good friend Bannerman during the week, of course, but also with some of the Scoil Éigse tutors, who are class players, each and every one.
I'll leave the racial discussions to those qualified - I'm just an American with some Cherokee blood, resident in Ireland.
But I do like seeing the Peruvian pan-pipe guys out -- reminds me of New York. 
# Posted on August 27th 2007 by b
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
For me it was a great Fleadh, I arrived on Friday in time to take part in the world record session attempt, it may not have been exactly a session as we know it, with people amplified on stage leading, but it was great craic anyway, with people of all ages joining in. I joined in several good sessions over the weekend,can't remember the names of the pubs, and met up with Tracie, (harp player from the States ) who was looking for someone on this site recently to play the tunes for her accompaniment competition. I volunteered to do that for her so we went into the competition having only met and had a runthrough that day! All went well, although she didn't get through the competition. Tullamore is the right size for the Fleadh, and a friendly place too, I was walking past two guards manning a road barrier, and got asked to play them a tune, they were complaining they were stuck there missing all the action, so I stopped and played a couple of tunes for them!
I'd be very happy to see the Fleadh here again.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by cathycook
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
It was a great fleadh, I was there from friday - sunday and it flew by I cannot wait til next year, yahoo!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Button Box
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Cathy reminded me of the mammoth session in O'Connor Square which definitely was an experience to remember. Agreed, the group on the gig rig leading the proceedings made it a bit artificial but I think we would have had major problems keeping together without them. Overall I think it worked very well and I was surprised with the fantastic turn-out and the range of instruments. When asked to raise instruments in the air (I'm not sure if this was for the benefit of press photographers or counting purposes) these ranged from fiddles, flutes, boxes, harps, uilleann pipes to what looked like a Lambeg drum.
Two very amusing things though struck me as follows:-
The polkas played bore no relation to those listed on the flyer distributed earlier in the week although the vast majority of musicians mnaged to pick them up second time around;
The MC was obviously not a musician and every now and again shouted the names for the next tunes which at the time were already beig played.
Overall though a great fun event and I can't see how it could be repeated in 2008 as there is no way you could get any more people into the Square to break the record set in 2007 (2,700 musicians is the number I heard).
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I too was at the extraordinary "Greatest Session" record attempt - 40 minutes solid was bloody exhausting! (apparently it's not a session until you've played for forty minutes!) But that was great fun, and I enjoyed shaking hands with all the musicians around me, thanking them for the tunes.
The barbecue on the corner of O'Connor Square served the tastiest burgers ever - but how slowly they served them!!
Met up with old friends I hadn't seen for years and friends from my home town I played with last week, and I made a few new friends - all unplanned.
I played at a session upstairs, in a tent!
I met Attracta Brady, chair of the Fleadh 2007 committee, briefly. A lovely lady, she was enjoying the buzz on Friday night.
My only complaint was the amount of amplified music on the street, when the place was awash with people too ready to play unplugged. Oh yes, the taxi fare to Mucklagh was a buit steep too!
It was my first fleadh, won't be my last. Booked my accommodatioon for next year already!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by RockyRoader
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Hmmmm,
Hey Bliss you know this one?
"Perhaps no class has carried prejudice against colour to a point more dangerous than have the Irish and yet no people have been more relesntlessy oppressed on account of race and religion"
Frederick Douglass
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
ahh even better...
http://www.gransha-taxi.co.uk/images/falls%20road%20Frederick%20Douglas.jpg
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
A colleague here just told me there was a musician on the radio whinging that he got no free drink or food at the pub where he was playing.
He admitted when pressed that his friends had no complaints!
(For the record, Lynch's provided sandwiches, sausages, and a free drink later on Saturday.)
The MC was a local radio presenter, a good MC, but a sh1te caller of tunes, I must agree. There was much confusion around me, especially among the youngsters.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by RockyRoader
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
BTW I'm not complaining about the MC's lack of musical knowledge as it I think it added a bit of fun (the unpredictability factor) to the proceedings and he was a very good presenter. I too was a bit surprised that there weren't any breaks between the sets and that this would be a requirement in setting the world record as sessions don't normally work like this. However it was a bit of fun going straight from jigs to polkas and then into reels and surely if 2,700 people can manage to do this successfully together we should have no problem in normal sessions of 5 or 6 people!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Breandán,
You've been gone from NYC too long...those Peruvian pan flute buskers are EVERYWHERE these days! We cringe when we hear the strains of 'Sounds of Silence' wafting through Penn Station or Grand Central. Perhaps if they expanded their repertoire it would be a bit easier to take day after day after day...
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Ceolagusrince
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
played in lynch's most of the weekend, staff very friendly and provided sandwiches and drinks on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, fair play to them, I also found the people of the town to be very welcoming, great spot
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by redness1
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I was also in Lynch's, I was in the session with Foxy, it was a great Saturday night!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Button Box
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
loved it session in rahan on sun night was amazing
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by musical soul
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I thought it was a great Fleadh... couple of problems competitions wise (i.e. trios not starting until nearly 11pm saturday night) but I love Tullamore for a place to play.
I was seriously disappointed with the lack of leeway from the gards on closing times though. Did NOT enjoy getting kicked out of Eugene's in the middle of savage tunes one night.
The session competition was a great addition to the fleadh program - I was asked by a friend to put a group in for it to make up the numbers and we ended up having a great time. Admittedly we didn't take it seriously (most groups had sets decided and rehearsed whereas my group didn't even all know each other because I was still ringing people the morning of the competition to get involved!) but still, it's a good idea I think. Congrats James and other committee members on having all the brilliant ideas and not copping enough praise from other committee members for them ;o)
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Tize
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Button Box , redness
I was downstairs in Lynch's Saturday night with Foxy's session until about 7:15 when the pub staff asked us to head upstairs to the marquee. That split the really big session into two more manageable ones.
We had great craic upstairs, and I was relieved to be out of range of that booming bodhran near Foxy - he really bugged me in an otherwise excellent session!
(I was playing a Brendan White bodhran, and did a bit of singing.)
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by RockyRoader
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I think it was the worst fleadh ever, as someone who just likes a few tunes not competitions i found it really hard to find a place to play and a lot of bars were just filled with balladdy types. The streets were filled with people with no knowledge,respect or care for the ceol they were very able to drink and then drink and then some.PAed cover version of Oasis wrecked many a good tune. The Charleville campsite was appalling and was full of hood and the lowest forms of humanity. Faeces(human)was rubbed on our van, cars were wrecked, thefts occurred, people assaulted. The garda I have to say were great in dealing with them but the next morning unfortunately. Four of us all pipers went and we will never go back. Tullamore people are lovely by the way, but as for a musical experience, i don't think so.
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by buzzer
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Just arrived back today. Found it hard to leave. great venue some great sessions Especially Sunday and Monday. Fair to say it surely must come back to Tullamore next year. A man I met asked a guard to phone his wife and say his car had been impounded so he could stay Sunday night. the guard to his credit did so. Quality!
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by paddyd65
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
The police are corrupt everywhere.
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Quote:>I was seriously disappointed with the lack of leeway from the gards on closing times though. < Tize.
Having seen enough people falling around the streets on Friday and Saturday night, I think leeway with closing was the last thing the Fleadh needed.
# Posted on August 31st 2007 by RockyRoader
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
I sure had a great time! Though I haven't been to the All Ireland in 5 years...so i guess my opinion doesn't count for much. A third place medle distorts my view of things as well! Great craic though, and I met a lot of other fine musicians who will keep in touch.
Came home (today) with a boatload of new tunes as well.
My favorite sessions were the ones at Lynches on Saturday night, with many young musicians like myself, and a street session, with four accordians as leaders, the players averaging about 70 years of age ( though being in my teens I probably distorted that)
Great, Great time. I can't wait to go back!!!!!!
# Posted on September 2nd 2007 by Red Crow
Re: Tullamore - What's your verdict?
Last minute decision to go on Saturday on the way to Galway for a break. Thought the town was perfect, as others have said with lots of different types of bars and plenty of street space.
I was in the Bridge Hotel foyer on Saturday evening listening to a group of under sixteens mostly, great to see them play a tune, text a friend, sip on a sly Bacardi. Abandon was what struck me about them, great to see the music in young hands.
This contrasted with a few sessions I tried to listen at that night with shouting drunks trying to sing Th'ould triangle' at 120 dbA.
The Sunday night was great in the back bar of the bridge with a group of Norn Iron players giving it some.. a good concertina lady with fat chords under slight fiddling by three in unison. Air conditioning made it feel like Gweedore.
Saw/heard many many Ulster/Donegal folk. Quite a few Doubs just up on the lash too. The native american bloke followed me to feckin Westport the following week!! I couldn't belive it he was on the Diamond by St Pat tumping and hah wey ey-ing.
I was in the hole in the wall Sunday afternoon with three U-pipers playing with the GAA on the screens - men wearing the leopard-skin pimp hats popular in the mart there that week. Also pink cowboy hats and glittery trilbys. Surreal. Great draught sold in there.
The weekend to my eyes seemed dominated by young teens having a go at few tunes, everywhere. Streets, shop windows, bars, stairwells.
Monday morning was a treat - big session with no-one below 60 outside the Bridge Hotel, lovely swinging slides and a bodhran player out of a novel with bones and tipper in his hand. Down by the Manor an octagenarian uillean piper sat on a window sill and played while his lunch was cooked next door. He was a great entertainer, God bless him.
Finally the men's sean - nos singing finals in the Fleadh with competitors from 18 to over 70. one ould boy downed nearly a quarter bottle of whisky to calm his nerves and glowed through his set. Great singer from Australia who wasn't placed.
All in all I was moved by seeing so many so young playing and then the pensioners rolling up when the wee-uns had gone off home, just to show they still could. They can.
# Posted on September 4th 2007 by An Diulach Mor