www.FleadhCheoil.ie

Details have been announced in relation to the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann programme, which will take place in Sligo later on this Summer.

From outdoor concerts on the Gig Rig with Sligo favourites Dervish to a series of Fleadh Fusion events presented by Music Generation to gala concerts such as the Boroimhe and De Cuellar Suites, Fleadh 2014 promises to be a superb mix of concerts, sessions, exhibitions and different eclectic events which will appeal to the broad church of Fleadh visitors to Sligo this August 10th-17th.

Speaking ahead of the official Fleadh Cheoil 2014 launch on June 21st, Chairperson of Fleadh Cheoil 2014 Bartley Gavin said that “Sligo is open to visitors from all over the world this Summer. We think that the Fleadh programme offers something for everyone. The musicians will have scope for playing music on the streets or in the pubs, concerts will cater for a wide range of traditional music fans, and we also want to create a carnival atmosphere in the town to make sure that everyone will return home with great memories, not just of the Fleadh itself, but of Sligo.”
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www.thewillisclan.com

The Willis Clan’s highly anticipated sophomore album Chapter Two – Boots is now available. The original songs and tunes will be showcased this year in the band’s live performances at festivals all across America starting with Silver Dollar City and Dollywood’s BBQ and Bluegrass festivals.

Following up Chapter One – Roots, their award–winning Irish album, The Clan presents the other side of their heritage. Straight from Nashville, this album explores their bluegrass and old time country roots. Seeing that bluegrass music originally came from Celtic music, the two genres are really just two brothers separated by time and a pretty big ocean. Each brother has a different way of looking at music. One is not better than the other; they are just different – yet still related. And in keeping with The Willis Clan tradition, they blend some new in with the old. Every tradition needs to breathe to stay alive.

Irish fans will be able to get this new album at Irish festivals this summer where The Willis Clan will be playing. Don’t miss Ohio Celtic Festival in Painesville, OH; Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, OH and Milwaukee Irish Festival in Milwaukee, WI. The Willis Clan will also be playing many state and county fairs.

For the complete schedule check www.thewillisclan.com

www.cranmusic.com

A mere 12 years since the release of Music from the Edge of the World, musical Jedi Knights CRAN strode fearlessly into the studio this spring of 2014. They stumbled back out a fortnight later, exhausted and bleary–eyed but content, grasping the master CD of Dally and Stray – the 5th in their series of white–knuckle musical adventures which began in 1993 with the cult CD The Crooked Stair.

On this outing, their adventure spoils include such gems as northern songs Next Market Day, The Forger’s Farewell & Tá Mé ‘Mo Shuí, a clapping song from the Scottish waulking song tradition O Cò Bheir Mi Leam and interestingly, the first modern–day recordings of two songs collected by Patrick Lynch and Edward Bunting around 1800: Tú Fhéin is Mé Fhéin & Giolla na Scríob which both display an open non–salacious attitude to sexual matters uncommon even now in our so–called modern liberal society!

As ever with CRAN, the melodic material on this CD is no less interesting – haunting slow airs Úna Bhán & Barbara Allen, ancient marches Hunt the Squirrel & Drocketty’s, perky single jigs Ask my Father & Pat Ward’s, the rousing Knockaboul single reel and the pipes ‘piece’ The Humours of Glin along with electrifying jigs and reels. As with their previous 4 CD’s, Dally and Stray displays copious amounts of the 3 W’s: Warmth, Wit and Wonder…!

Distributed by Claddagh Records, it is available on www.cranmusic.com and can be downloaded from iTunes, Spotify & Amazon etc.

The Online Academy of Irish Music
www.oaim.ie

The Online Academy of Irish Music is pleased to announce a series of beginner Irish music courses taught through the French language. Tutors Jean Damei (Guitar) and Gwenn Frin (Whistle)  clearly present how to play their instruments in a series of twelve tutorials to a French audience. Gwenn has studied Irish music at Ballyfermot Senior college for two years and Jean Damei is currently completing his Masters in Irish Music Performance at The University of Limerick. More French tutorials are coming soon as well as a brand new Concertina course taught by Edel Fox.

Online Lessons also available for flute, fiddle, whistle, accordion, harp, mandolin, bouzouki, song, uilleann pipes, banjo, bodhrán, piano and concertina.

Join OAIM’s global community of Irish musicians, log on to www.oaim.ie and sign up today!

www.kevinmaddenmusic.com

Manchester fiddler Kevin Madden has recently launched his debut album The Sugar Loaf in the month of May. Kevin is an All–Ireland Senior champion from 1996 and has been very busy over the years on the Comhaltas scene both playing in sessions and competitions, as well as teaching many children in his hometown of Manchester.

The tune listing on the CD includes some great traditional standards as well as some of the more modern tunes but keeping to a very traditional style. This has clearly been influenced by the people he listened to whilst growing up in the big traditional scene in Manchester. The inspiration for the CD came as he had been playing for 40 years and thought it was about time he put something down. Tradconnect have had the pleasure of listening to the album and have stated “it is something special with a classic sound reminiscent of some earlier albums by Kathleen Collins and Josephine Keegan and this sets it apart from anything released of late.”
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Chris Stout (fiddle), Catriona McKay (Scottish harp) and Séamus Begley (accordion, voice) (Scotland/Ireland)

September 16th – 25th, 2014

www.musicnetwork.ie

“Sonically exquisite” – The Guardian on Stout and McKay

“The interplay between Stout’s fiddle and McKay’s harp was frequently dazzling and complemented by a palpable delight in the music, as tunes whizzed off into mercurial excursions…”  – The Scotsman

“This master of the squeeze box… The Cuas man’s voice is a joy.”  – The Irish Times on Séamus Begley

For the past 20 years, Catriona McKay and Chris Stout have captivated audiences with their exhilarating and virtuosic live performances: the cascading rhythms of McKay’s harp dovetailing perfectly with Stout’s swooping, soulful violin. Their unique sound, a celebration of music from the Northern Isles, imbues everything from Shetland reels to Swedish waltzes with a wonderfully atmospheric, almost cinematic quality.
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In My Mind – A Solo Fiddle & Film Show featuring Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (Ireland)

October 11th – 19th,  2014

www.musicnetwork.ie

– “The most imaginative and fascinating musician in all of trad”   - Earle Hitchner, Irish Echo

– “The missing link between Martin Hayes and Purple Haze” - Nick Kelly, Irish Independent

Just how would you set about showing the beauty, depth and humour of traditional Irish music to someone who had never heard it? Armed with his trusty 10–string “Hardanger d’Amore” fiddle and a film projector, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh sets out to do exactly that in his unique and wonderful take on what makes Irish traditional music beautiful. Inside the projector are “virtual guests”, friends whom he has filmed: musician, dancer, singer, poet and landscape, each of whom make the other half of a duet with a live Caoimhín. A better look at what goes on inside a musician’s head could not be had, not if you cut it in half and hinged it open.

One of the most acclaimed (and prolific) traditional musicians of his generation, Ó Raghallaigh has performed in such venues as the Lincoln Centre in NYC, the Barbican in London, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. In addition to being an established solo artist, he performs duos with accordion player Brendan Begley and Dublin uilleann piper Mick O’Brien, plays in a trio with Martin Hayes and Peadar Ó Riada, and is a member of two groups: The Gloaming and This Is How We Fly.

For further information www.musicnetwork.ie

July 20th – 27th, 2014

www.fiddlersgreenfestival.co.uk

Rostrevor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland

2013 was an excellent year for this International Festival. Thousands of people attended the eight day event enjoying artists such as the Sands Family, Bill Whelan, Sharon Shannon, Mairtin O Connor, Cathal Hayden, Seamie O’Dowd, Beoga, Si Van, Zoë Conway and a host of other artists local and international.
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October 22nd – 26th, 2014
www.returntocamden.org

The 16th Return to Camden Town Festival will be a five day extravaganza of the finest in traditional Irish music, song and dance all rolled in to one very long weekend. Featuring concerts, sessions, album launches, set dancing céilís, workshops and more from Wednesday 22nd until Sunday 26th October, 2014. This year will see RtCT hosting events collaboratively for the first time at the prestigious arts venue – King’s Place on Friday October 24th (Brock McGuire Band/ CrossHarbour) and Sunday October 25th (Macalla (in their 30th anniversary year) / The London Lasses and Chris O’Malley) – tickets will soon be on sale for these concerts at www.kingsplace.co.uk
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August 20th–24th, 2014

www.westcorkmusic.ie

Fourteen time Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs is returning to Ireland in August to appear at the Masters of Tradition Festival which runs from Wednesday 20th – Sunday 24th August in Bantry, Co. Cork. One of country music’s biggest names, Ricky Skaggs infuses his bluegrass and traditional country music roots into the contemporary Nashville sound and continues to forge ahead with cross–cultural, genre-blending musical ideas and inspirations. He will be joined by the renowned fiddler Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill at the opening concert in the Maritime Hotel and tickets are expected to sell very quickly.

Martin Hayes is Artistic Director of the Masters of Tradition and this year he will also be joined by Steve Cooney, Mary Bergin, the Ghost Trio featuring Iarla O’ Lionaird, Cleek Schrey and Ivan Goff,  Ensemble Ériu, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Andrew McNamara, Peter Carbery, Padraig McGovern and more.
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