July 20th – 24th, 2015

www.tradweek.com

Meitheal Residential Summer School for high–competency young trad musicians will run from July 20th to 24th, 2015, just after Fleádh Cheoil na Mumhan. Engagement in Irish instrumental music of all shades and colours from a multitude of angles will be the order of the day as always. The closing date for Meitheal applications this year is Friday March 27th.

Last year’s students still enthuse about the finale concert at the Limetree Theatre in Limerick which was a unique experience in such a professional, sophisticated setting with beautiful lighting and was broadcast on RnaG at a later date.
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Achill Island, County Mayo

July 25th – August 1st, 2015

www.scoilacla.com

Now in its 30th year – the annual Scoil Acla summer school takes place on Achill Island, Co. Mayo. Scoil Acla is Ireland’s oldest summer school, originally founded in 1910 and re–launched in 1985.

Scoil Acla follows the usual format of daily music classes which run from Monday to Saturday on the following instruments, accordion, banjo, flute, concertina, fiddle, harp, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán with beginners, intermediate and advanced students being catered for on all instruments. Other workshops available are in Art, creative writing, basket weaving, dancing and a course on Gaeilg’ Acla, the Achill dialect of Irish. Throughout the week we have recitals, poetry readings, creative writing readings, indoor and outdoor concerts, sessions, walks, talks, exhibitions and much more.
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August 5th – 10th, 2015

www.feaklefestival.ie

The 28th Annual Feakle Traditional Music Festival takes place this year from Monday August 5th to Monday 10th. Now firmly established as one of the best Music Festivals of its kind in Ireland and indeed further afield, this year’s package will offer more of the finest entertainment as is expected and looked forward to by the thousands of punters who travel to this haven of Irish culture from all over the world.

The hard working group who organise this event are busy at present knitting together a Festival which will embrace all that is good in our Traditional Music Field. Feakle is considered the cultural capital of East Clare and hosts sessions 5 nights of the week throughout the year. With local musicians such as Martin Hayes, Mark Donnellan, Andrew & Mary McNamara, Seamus Bugler, Jed Foley, Vincent Griffin, John Canny and many more, this area has a richness of Quality music and come August 5th they will be joined by many of the world’s top traditional artists be they musicians, singers, dancers or poets.

For further information visit the website www.feaklefestival.ie
or email:info@feaklefestival.ie

October 9th – 17th, 2015

www.celtic-colours.com

In October 2015, the Celtic Colours International Festival will celebrate its nineteenth year. Since 1997, this award-winning, world–renowned festival has featured hundreds of musicians from all over the Celtic world and attracted tens of thousands of visitors to picturesque Cape Breton Island, on Canada’s east coast. Over the years, artists have travelled from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Brittany, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Cuba, and Mali – as well as from across the United States and Canada – to join the finest of Cape Breton’s musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and tradition-bearers for the annual Autumn celebration.
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August 8th – 16th, 2015

www.bathfolkfestival.org

Venues across Bath will host a range of exciting events celebrating traditional music, dance and culture as part of Bath Folk Festival 2015.

The festival runs between August 8th – 16th and includes performances from breathtaking Anglo–Irish band Flook, London Irish super group CrossHarbour, Fabula Rasa from Hungary, RSVP Bhangra, Himmerland from Denmark, and many more.
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October 15th – 18th, 2015

www.facebook.com/EdReavyTradFest

Cavan Town CCÉ will host the inaugural festival to celebrate the music of Ed Reavy at a number of venues in Cavan Town and Ed’s native Maudabawn from October 15th to 18th, 2015. Born in Barnagrove Cootehill, Co. Cavan in 1898, Ed emigrated to Philadelphia in 1912 where he lived till his passing in 1988. An outstanding fiddler and composer of traditional dance tunes, he recorded for the Victor record label in 1927. It is estimated that he wrote between 400 and 500 tunes, of which 127 have been preserved in notational form. Dr. Mick Moloney, folklorist, musicologist, arts presenter and advocate, professor of music and Irish studies, recipient of the National Heritage Award from the NEA in the US, recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award from President Michael D Higgins has said of Ed Reavy in his introduction to The Collected Compositions of Ed Reavy: “No composer of traditional dance tunes in the history of Irish music has ever had his music adopted and played as widely as Ed. He devoted much of his life to the creation of a vast body of compelling, finely crafted tunes leaving an indelible imprint on the beautiful old tradition that was his first love”. His compositions include such favourites as In Memory of Coleman, named for the inspirational Sligo fiddler, The Hunters House, Maudabawn Chapel named after the church where Ed spent his childhood in Cavan and chosen by Bronx born fiddle player Eileen Ivers as one of her tunes when she successfully won the All Ireland Senior Fiddle Championship in 1984. The Lone Bush, a hornpipe written about a remarkably resilient shrub which stood outside his childhood  – composition was chosen by Chicago born All Ireland Senior Fiddle titlist, Liz Carroll, when she won the Junior Championship in 1974.
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Na Casaidigh – CEFCD108

www.gael-linn.ie

A most welcome re–release of a classic album from the family group, Na Casaidigh. Their melodious harmonies and artistic arrangements have entertained audiences at home and abroad for over three decades. ©2014(p), 1984, Gael Linn. Also on the Gael Linn label: Óró na Casaidigh–Irish Childhood Songs (CEFC D198).

Fáilteofar go mór roimh an atheisiúint seo ón sárghrúpa teaghlaigh, Na Casaidigh a bhfuil an domhan mór siúlta acu lena gcuid ceoil. ©2014(p), 1984, Gael Linn

An ceol chomh binn, blasta is a bhí sé riamh!

Freisin ar lipéad Gael Linn: Óró na Casaidigh–Irish Childhood Songs (CEFC D198).

For further information www.gael-linn.ie

www.consairtin.ie

Details have recently been released about Consairtin 2015, the second annual national concertina convention, which will take place in Ennis from April 10th – 12th, 2015. The inaugural convention was held last April and was an outstanding success with hundreds of players, students and enthusiasts gathering for a weekend that was invigorating, educational and enjoyable.
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ICTM Annual Conference, Dundalk Institute of Technology

February 28th – March 1st, 2015

www.ictm.ie

The International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) is a UNESCO NGO (non governmental organisation), and is one of the largest and most international, organisations for the study of traditional music and dance in culture. As musical cultures become increasingly transnational and translational, concurrent with changing patterns of dissemination of recorded music, ethnomusicologists are challenged to engage with music in more diverse spaces and consider how people experience their musical culture.
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www.colemanirishmusic.com

At the most central crossroads in Co. Sligo, Gurteen Cross, stands the modern, yet impressive building that is Ceoláras Coleman! This building is the focus for and home to a state of the art traditional music programme! The visitors’ experience is informal, welcoming and friendly. The Centre seeks to provide visitors with a tailor–made first–hand experience of traditional Irish music including a twelve minute audio–visual presentation. The Music Shop stocks an extensive selection of music CDs, instruments, music books as well as souvenirs and books of local interest with a wider appeal including the most recent Coleman production, a DVD entitled Peter Horan – Still Beating Time.
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