www.nos-ur.eu

Nós Úr song competition finalists announced

The finalists have been selected for the first Celtic and Scots languages song contest to be held in Inverness as one of four regional competitions held across Europe.
Nós Úr , meaning ‘new style’ in Gaelic has received entries of newly composed songs entered in Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Manx, Welsh, Scots and Breton. The Celtic and Scots competition will take place in Eden Court on Saturday June 21st when members of the public will be able to vote on the night by text message or email. The contest is the only song competition of its kind in Europe and follows a similar format as the Eurovision Song Contest with singers and bands representing a particular country, except in this case it is a minority language.
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www.caradillon.co.uk

Following an 18-month career break due to the birth of her twin sons in November 2006, Irish singer Cara Dillon returns with major plans for 2008 and beyond. Her follow-up CD to February 2006’s ‘After The Morning’ will be released in autumn, the first on her own Charcoal Records label created with partner Sam Lakeman.

Due soon, however, are a single and DVD. The single, ‘If I Prove False’, is out on Charcoal Records on May 19th and is a duet with guitarist, John Smith. A member of Cara’s touring band, Smith is also an acclaimed solo artist and has toured with John Martyn, Davey Graham and John Renbourn among others.
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www.tickets.ie/flightsoffancy

This summer 11 villages around county Leitrim will resonate with the sounds and sights of music, theatre, dance and spectacle as part of ‘Flights of Fancy’, a unique public art event in which members of the each of the 11 communities are involved in selecting professional performing arts events to come to their area.

Each event is special and unique; some involving premieres or commissioned works, others involving the local community. Art forms as represented are classical music, opera, theatre, outdoor spectacle, world music and traditional Irish music. Of interest to our readers is Voices Of The Outer Hebrides/ Mná Na N-Oileán, a showcase of some of the best Scottish talent which will be highlighted in the folk element of the programme in Leitrim.
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www.cic.ie

New Book of Songs
Ciarán Ó Fáthara – Amhráin is a collection of the songs of the Connemara songsmith and broadcaster, Ciarán Ó Fátharta, edited by Síle Denvir. Ó Fátharta has built up an excellent reputation for his songwriting and his songs are performed by many singers and groups in Connemara including John Beag Ó Flatharta and Beairtle Ó Domhnaill. The particular style of song came to the fore during the eighties when the Irish economy was in the doldrums and unemployment was high. The songs also gave the local community a morale boost, celebrating events of both local and national interest such as the sailing tradition in Connemara, boxing hero, Seán Ó Mainnín and the state of the roads. The songs are sung in a style particular to Connemara, influenced by both the country and western and the sean-nós styles. The songs are, in general, well-known in Connemara already but this is the first time that the definitive versions of the songs have been published. The book includes the words to the songs, the notation and the background, as well as an introductory essay on the phenomenon of this type of filíocht bhéil, or oral poetry, in Connemara.
CD by Nóra Ghriallais
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www.glensmusic.com

Denis Sweeney’s course of books and CD’s ‘An Fhidil - Céim ar Chéim’ (The Fiddle - Step by Step) is now available. There are 4 home-study Units plus an extra unit of 40 Slow Airs which may also interest experienced musicians. The books are available from Seán Quinn, who also produces Traditional Recordings from the Glens of Antrim at www.glensmusic.com

Music Network, the national music development agency, invites young traditional Irish music groups to apply for the Young Musicwide award 2008.
Young Musicwide is a unique professional development scheme designed to assist some of Ireland’s brightest young musicians at the beginning of their professional career. The award this year is open to traditional Irish groups of any instrumentation of between two and five people. The closing date for completed applications is 5 p.m. on Friday 13th June 2008. Through an audition process in September, an Irish or Ireland-based traditional Irish ensemble, with a proven interest in performance, will be selected to participate in the Young Musicwide Award programme for three years.
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……….evening gatherings hosted by GAEL LINN

Bewley’s Café Theatre, Grafton Street
6p.m. – 8p.m.
(Doors open 5.45 p.m.)
Tuesday 20 May 2008
A rare Dublin performance from popular
Cork balladeer, Jimmy Crowley !
Don’t miss it !

ADMISSION: €15 ( Incl. finger food ! )
Bar open/tea and coffee available
Booking essential ( limited space ! ): 087-2547574

And after the summer break………………

Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin,singer/songwriter extraordinaire !

www.eleanormcevoy.com

The new album, releasing May 16, 2008 on MOSCODISC

Eleanor McEvoy’s latest record typically strikes out in a new direction. Love Must Be Tough is an album that explores the ebb and flow of romance through distinctly non-rose tinted glasses. These are not songs of innocence but songs of experience.

McEvoy is renowned for bucking the norm, consistently defying categorisation. Reflecting on her six previous offerings, a distinct pattern emerges. It’s quite simple really – she weaves between musical styles as a rite of passage, her life, thoughts, loves and losses recorded over fifteen years. A musician who records consistently over such an extended period is simply registering their walk through life. Listening back on her records is akin to an evening spent reminiscing over dog-eared family photo albums.
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www.celticfusion.co.uk

Celtic Fusion returns for the seventh consecutive year, bringing the County Down town of Castlewellan to the forefront of musical diversity for eight days in July. From 13-20 July some of the biggest names in Celtic music from the past and present will perform at the prestigious festival. Festival goers are offered more than ever before with world-class artistes performing at concerts spanning the eight day period. The concerts are focused in bars throughout Castlewellan, providing more intimate venues, so visitors can enjoy an intensified atmosphere and get closer to the festival. In addition to the concerts, the festival will feature a Traditional Music Session Trail featuring up and coming names from the Irish music scene, combined with almost non-stop music over the final weekend in the Festival Bar, Mulhollands.
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October 2nd-5th, 2008
Oulu, Finland
www.irkku.fi

Come visit the northern frontier of Irish music and join us for the 3rd annual Irish Festival of Oulu from October 2nd-5th 2008. Organized by The Irish Music Society of Oulu, the festival celebrates the richness of Irish culture including dance, poetry, story telling, Irish Wolfhounds parade, puppeteering, and plenty of world class traditional Irish music.

The City of Oulu, Finland’s 6th largest City, lies on the Gulf of Bothnia 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, home of Santa Claus. Oulu is a historic, 400 year old City of 131,000 inhabitants, known for high technology, Ice Hockey and more recently recognized as an Irish music centre.

Although very young, the festival has made an impact locally and nationally with past performers like Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’ Sullivan, as well as the band RíRá in 2007. The 2008 line-up continues on that goal of establishing a respectable Irish Festival and we welcome legendary Andy Irvine headlining the festival and the multi-talented, energetic band- Gráda.
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