Just thought i would try and add to the build up of excitement... its only a week and a half kids!! maybe people would like to contribute their favourite memories.
Mine is last year before pipes classes, i crawled out of the vortex (that is my tent in a permenant state of collapse)hungover as a bag of dogs to go get some water to wash teh taste of whiskey out of my mouth. I handn't practiced my tune from yesterdays class (very bad behaviour.. no-one misses practice at willie week) because i was on the batter. So i brought my pipes with me to find a place for a quick practice. It was an hour before classes or more. Very diligent hungover optimistic thinking. go tthe water and heading back up teh deserted bollard road saw an ould fella parking his car in front of the school, who i recognised as Tommy Kearney an amazing piper in his eighties(i guess?). so we got chatting and he asked my if i wanted to have a few tunes! i nearly planked myself. so i grabbed my brother out of his tent and we spent an hour in the school with Tommy Kearney all to ourselves as he showed us his amazing stuff. What a day! I recorded the whole thing and will cherish that lesson for many yearsto come..
Where do you start? Fishing off Liscannor Harbour, going to the fair at Lahinch, watching a merry Paddy Keenan run around our hostel, naked apart from his hat, listening to James Kelly play the Foxhunter's reel in D during a "cup of tea" at the hostel, having drunken parties on the ruined tower at Liscannor, sessions, sessions, sessions, snogs, hangovers, love, hate, Bulmers, Ireland V Holland, bacon sarnies, sun rain, lots of rain, drink on Saturday, church on Sunday, whirling sets in the Hall and the Armada, card games, sport....
To misquote Chief Brody in Jaws:
We're gonna need a bigger website!
Are we still on for thesession session? If so, email me and we'll swap details.
1998 and the sun was splitting the trees and we were slurping cold white wine between sessions. (We were, however, in Italy but it was, nevertheless, Willie Week)
Hi Andee, I'm also thinking about doing it next year. But it all depends on how much vacation time I'll have and finances of course. It's back to back with the Catskills so that could be tough! But I really think you gotta do Willie Week at least once!
There are a few other summer schools I'm also interested in too
memory 1
The fish and chip van in the main road had a diesel generatorrun almost at D, maybe a quarter tone too low and fluctuating slowly another quarter tone while I tried to practice a new tune. A good excuse to stop practising and finding in the next pub Ronan Browne & Peter O'Loughlin playing some of the finest Irish music I ever heard.
memory 2
Trying to fall asleep in the midst of the Milltown Hotel night while a ****&&& bodhran owner played the same rythm to all the tunes whatever it was at the session downstairs
memory 3
The lad sitting on the road who had to give back some of the pints he drank and for sure made an entrance in the Guiness book of records in the categories volume and distance. Afterwards the lad just went back inside the pub to order another one.....
I have a few related to music and some definitely not: on my morning walk at spanish point I found that wrecked fridge in the sand and said to myself "so this is the truth behind that nice written story" ... third day leaving the classes walking down the back lane to Mc Auley house humming newly learned "Down the back lane" ... John McEvoy coming to classes definitely not able to talk and teach (terrible headache...) and after the short break he came back from the teachers room still not very good in talking but now able to play the most brilliant stuff for our taperecorders ... this whiskey driven irish guy who wanted to show us sunset on old doolin pier - he was a fast driver and all I could do was lay myself in someones hands above - stopover in lahinch for more whiskey and the old man at the secret liquor store asked us germans "I don´t understadn one thing: why do you boys play this music?" - back on the road and off to doolin - short impression of typical doolin tourist pub (definitely different sort of session and people than in Miltown) - into the ongoing sunset out to the pier and our driver drove the car right down the narrow boat track to the water line telling us about the place and the historic fights people had here with the two choices to be killed or to drown - than he backed up again and missed the track so the car stuck with one wheel in the air - no other people out there any more - while we tried to pile up rocks and jack it all back on the track Gretta and a few other mC Auley House mates came by and helped us back on the road ... at the pub in coor, where my interest for set dancing was switched on ...
I´m so sorry that I can´t go this year. I´m building my own house at the moment - so I decided to join a Gerry O`Conner fiddle workshop weekend here in germany in september and start saving money for the willie week 05....
Like the 60s, if you can remember the Willie Week, you weren't there! A few years ago, a presenter on Radio Scotland was interviewing Paul Roche of "Stockton's Wing". She said she'd been to Miltown Malbay at the Willie Week, and couldn't remember a thing about it. "That's the place!", said Paul.......
Four years ago, sitting in Tom Malone's Kitchen (sadly no longer open for sessions), so 'stoned' from sleep deprivation (I was neither drinking, nor using any other form of intoxicant) I could barely stand, much less talk, listening to Peter Phelan (Peter Piper)on whistle and Dickie Deegan, the Tasmanian piper, playing tunes nobody whould ever dream of playing on pipes and whistle.
favourite memories of willie clancey week
favourite memories of willie clancey week
Just thought i would try and add to the build up of excitement... its only a week and a half kids!! maybe people would like to contribute their favourite memories.
Mine is last year before pipes classes, i crawled out of the vortex (that is my tent in a permenant state of collapse)hungover as a bag of dogs to go get some water to wash teh taste of whiskey out of my mouth. I handn't practiced my tune from yesterdays class (very bad behaviour.. no-one misses practice at willie week) because i was on the batter. So i brought my pipes with me to find a place for a quick practice. It was an hour before classes or more. Very diligent hungover optimistic thinking. go tthe water and heading back up teh deserted bollard road saw an ould fella parking his car in front of the school, who i recognised as Tommy Kearney an amazing piper in his eighties(i guess?). so we got chatting and he asked my if i wanted to have a few tunes! i nearly planked myself. so i grabbed my brother out of his tent and we spent an hour in the school with Tommy Kearney all to ourselves as he showed us his amazing stuff. What a day! I recorded the whole thing and will cherish that lesson for many yearsto come..
COME ON WILLIE WEEK!
# Posted on June 21st 2004 by mackers
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
Where do you start? Fishing off Liscannor Harbour, going to the fair at Lahinch, watching a merry Paddy Keenan run around our hostel, naked apart from his hat, listening to James Kelly play the Foxhunter's reel in D during a "cup of tea" at the hostel, having drunken parties on the ruined tower at Liscannor, sessions, sessions, sessions, snogs, hangovers, love, hate, Bulmers, Ireland V Holland, bacon sarnies, sun rain, lots of rain, drink on Saturday, church on Sunday, whirling sets in the Hall and the Armada, card games, sport....
To misquote Chief Brody in Jaws:
We're gonna need a bigger website!
Are we still on for thesession session? If so, email me and we'll swap details.
See yiz in two weeks!
Conán
# Posted on June 21st 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
1998 and the sun was splitting the trees and we were slurping cold white wine between sessions. (We were, however, in Italy but it was, nevertheless, Willie Week)
Joe
# Posted on June 22nd 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
I have to do Willie Clancy Week next year! I just have to. I was just on their website checking stuff out. It looks absolutely amazing.
# Posted on June 22nd 2004 by Andee
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
I can NEVER go as it's always in term time :(
# Posted on June 23rd 2004 by Geoff Pollitt
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
Hi Andee, I'm also thinking about doing it next year. But it all depends on how much vacation time I'll have and finances of course. It's back to back with the Catskills so that could be tough! But I really think you gotta do Willie Week at least once!
There are a few other summer schools I'm also interested in too
Joyce
# Posted on June 23rd 2004 by JMH
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
memory 1
The fish and chip van in the main road had a diesel generatorrun almost at D, maybe a quarter tone too low and fluctuating slowly another quarter tone while I tried to practice a new tune. A good excuse to stop practising and finding in the next pub Ronan Browne & Peter O'Loughlin playing some of the finest Irish music I ever heard.
memory 2
Trying to fall asleep in the midst of the Milltown Hotel night while a ****&&& bodhran owner played the same rythm to all the tunes whatever it was at the session downstairs
memory 3
The lad sitting on the road who had to give back some of the pints he drank and for sure made an entrance in the Guiness book of records in the categories volume and distance. Afterwards the lad just went back inside the pub to order another one.....
# Posted on June 23rd 2004 by swisspiper
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
Joyce, I checked up on the Feakle one (in August) because I heard it was a bit tamer than Willie week. Anyone else been to that one?
# Posted on June 24th 2004 by Andee
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
I have a few related to music and some definitely not: on my morning walk at spanish point I found that wrecked fridge in the sand and said to myself "so this is the truth behind that nice written story" ... third day leaving the classes walking down the back lane to Mc Auley house humming newly learned "Down the back lane" ... John McEvoy coming to classes definitely not able to talk and teach (terrible headache...) and after the short break he came back from the teachers room still not very good in talking but now able to play the most brilliant stuff for our taperecorders ... this whiskey driven irish guy who wanted to show us sunset on old doolin pier - he was a fast driver and all I could do was lay myself in someones hands above - stopover in lahinch for more whiskey and the old man at the secret liquor store asked us germans "I don´t understadn one thing: why do you boys play this music?" - back on the road and off to doolin - short impression of typical doolin tourist pub (definitely different sort of session and people than in Miltown) - into the ongoing sunset out to the pier and our driver drove the car right down the narrow boat track to the water line telling us about the place and the historic fights people had here with the two choices to be killed or to drown - than he backed up again and missed the track so the car stuck with one wheel in the air - no other people out there any more - while we tried to pile up rocks and jack it all back on the track Gretta and a few other mC Auley House mates came by and helped us back on the road ... at the pub in coor, where my interest for set dancing was switched on ...
I´m so sorry that I can´t go this year. I´m building my own house at the moment - so I decided to join a Gerry O`Conner fiddle workshop weekend here in germany in september and start saving money for the willie week 05....
# Posted on June 24th 2004 by crannog
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
Like the 60s, if you can remember the Willie Week, you weren't there! A few years ago, a presenter on Radio Scotland was interviewing Paul Roche of "Stockton's Wing". She said she'd been to Miltown Malbay at the Willie Week, and couldn't remember a thing about it. "That's the place!", said Paul.......
# Posted on June 25th 2004 by Kenny
Re: favourite memories of willie clancey week
Four years ago, sitting in Tom Malone's Kitchen (sadly no longer open for sessions), so 'stoned' from sleep deprivation (I was neither drinking, nor using any other form of intoxicant) I could barely stand, much less talk, listening to Peter Phelan (Peter Piper)on whistle and Dickie Deegan, the Tasmanian piper, playing tunes nobody whould ever dream of playing on pipes and whistle.
# Posted on June 26th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig