Festival of Irish Music Song and Set Dancing
Sligo Town, August 4th – 9th, 2008

Music and singing classes will be held in Institute of Technology (Route N16) from the 4th to the 8th August inclusive daily from 10am to 5pm. Classes will be held in Tin whistle, Flute, Fiddle, Bodhran, Mixed instruments (banjo, concertina and piano accordion) Traditional singing (English and Irish), Sean nos dancing and Set dancing and finishes on Friday morning 8th August at 12 noon.

Tutors for this year are Carmel Gunning – (Tin whistle, Flute and Traditional singing - English, Ronan Regan - Fiddle and Sean nós dance workshop on Thursday 3pm to 5pm. Mildred Beirne - Set dancing - class from 10am to 5pm in the Sligo City Hotel, Quay Street, Sligo town - Saturday 9th August - Seamus Duffy - Traditional singing in Irish. Also, P.J. Hernon - mixed instruments and Seamus O’ Kane - Bodhran.
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September 25th - 28th, 2008
www.johnnykeenan.com

As the summer rolls on, the days of autumn grow nearer. September marks the 7th annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival and as in previous years, the lineup comprises the very best Irish traditional, American bluegrass and folk music.

Some of the highlights of this year’s festival include ALTAN, BARNEY McKENNA, and a very rare appearance by DOLORES KEANE. Altan play relatively few concerts inside of Ireland, so their appearance presents an opportunity for fans at home to see this hard working band. Dolores Keane has been relatively quiet musically of late, so her performance on the Banjo Festival stage will be greatly anticipated. Already, the response has been very positive and enquiries for tickets has been substantial.
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www.returntocamden.org

The tenth Return to Camden Town Festival will take place between Friday
24th October and Sunday 2nd November 2008 at the London Irish Centre, 50-52
Camden Square, LONDON NW1 9XB. The tenth year of this renowned festival
will feature 10 days of concerts, ceilis, set dancing, sessions, talks and
workshops of traditional Irish music, song and dance.
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www.corkfolkfestival.com
The Cork Folk Festival has announced a date change from its traditional date in early September to the 2nd- 5th of October.
Full details of performers appearing at the Beamish sponsored festival will be announced shortly. However part of the programme has already been confirmed with the aim of presenting its most eclectic and traditional line-ups to date. The 2008 folk fest, one of Ireland’s premier events will feature artists, musician, dancers and singers from Ireland, Britain and beyond. The programme will include a staggering range of musical traditions and styles from Salsa to Slides, from old-timey bluegrass to sean nós singing.
Some of the highlights will include a concert with the West Kerry group, BEAL TUINNE featuring Seamus Begley, Rita Connolly, Jim Murray and Shaun Davey at St Finn’barrs Cathedral and concerts with Salsa Celtica, a vibrant 11 piece world music fusion band from Edinburgh. Also appearing at this year will be manchunions Michael McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly, the ‘pride of the west’ with John Wynne & John McEvoy and the legendary Beara box player Finbarr Dwyer.
Throughout the festival weekend, audiences can sample everything from the very best fiddle, accordion, pipes and flute players in Ireland to a giant open-air Céilí Mór with the Kilfenora Céilí Band. As usual the festival will feature concerts from the Cork Blues, Pipes’ and singers’ clubs, plus lectures, children’s events and a music trail featuring 40 free sessions.

For Further Information Contact:
William Hammond, Cork Folk Festival
Tel. 087 6486922
email: cfolkf@gmail.com
More details will be announced in the coming months on our website www.corkfolkfestival.com

www.iconsfestival.com

ICONS of Irish Music to be celebrated at this year’s Festival

Irish culture will once again take center stage as the 2008 ICONS (Irish Connections) Festival celebrates the Irish heritage, with a focus on Irish and Celtic music and arts. The festival will take place from September 12-14, 2008 at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Massachusetts. Tickets for the festival are on sale now at www.iconsfestival.com or by phone at 617/508-931-2000.
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www.myspace.com/sanctuaryalbum
‘Sanctuary’, an album of music incorporating a wide variety of musical genres, has just been launched at Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick – all in aid of victims of domestic violence.

Including artists Moya Brennan of Clannad, Mary Coughlan, Nóirin Ni Riain, Jimmy O’Brien Moran, Cara O’Sullivan, the Monks of Glenstal and countless others, the album reflects the tragedy of domestic violence in our society.

“Domestic violence affects people from every background, from every social class, women, children and men. We want this album to provide something for each of them and this has lead to Sanctuary having such a broad range in musical styles.”
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www.templerecords.co.uk

The Battlefield Band’s, Alasdair White has won the World Traditional Music category in the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for his album ‘An Clàr Geal’. Belfast man, Robin Morton, Alasdair’s producer and manager said “Alasdair’s musicianship and tune-making have had a great influence on the Battlefield Band repertoire and continuing success, and playing with Battlefield Band has given him that wider audience that his music deserves. We’re all really pleased for him at Temple Records because we know just how talented he is and it’s great to see him getting the acclaim he deserves”.

You can hear a track from ‘An Clár Geal’ and find out more about the album at www.templerecords.co.uk

www.battlefieldband.co.uk

The twin pack CD/DVD will have its UK launch in mid June and this will be followed by US dates in the autumn of 2008. For over 30 years Battlefield Band have created and played traditional Scottish music with a rare passion and joy, delighting audiences around the globe.

The album will be released on Temple Records who told us “This new DVD release captures the excitement and energy of a Battlefield Band performance and translates it to the small screen”, featuring the band in their home country; live in concert from the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, Scotland.

www.iconsfestival.com

The Irish Connections (ICONS) Festival of Music and Arts will be held this year on September 12th to the 14th at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton, MA, not far from Great Blue Hill and Route 128. Over 23,000 people gathered on the site for last year’s festival and this year’s promises to be even better.

The 2008 edition of the festival will again reflect the new cultural directions of Ireland and its Diaspora. The gathering will celebrate the old and the new, traditional and contemporary Irish music, classic with avant-garde; it will show how music and the arts are enjoyed in Ireland and throughout the world in the Irish style - friendly, welcoming, adventurous and spirited. Watch the IMM website for updates over the summer and keep buying this magazine for some previews of the big line-up that will be announced soon.

www.east-durham.org

Featuring the Andy McGann Traditional Music Festival on Saturday, July 19th 2008 from noon to 8 p.m. M.J. Quill Festival Grounds, East Durham, N.Y.
Planning is well underway for another sensational week in the historic Irish American hamlet of East Durham for the 14th Annual Catskills Irish Arts Week hosted by the M.J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre. This year’s tutors include: Fiddle, Kevin Burke, Seamus Connolly, Willie Kelly, Oisín Mac Diarmada, Matt Cranitch, Liz Kane, Yvonne Kane, Tony DeMarco, Randal Bays, Rose Flanagan, Patrick Ourceau and John McEvoy. Flute will be taught by Catherine McEvoy, Louise Mulcahy, June McCormack, Mike Rafferty, Jimmy Noonan, Laura Byrne and John Wynne. There are equally impressive faculty tutors for whistle, pipes, button accordion, concertina and harp.