Jay The Fiddler
For the Love of Fiddle.

button accordion

Patrick O’Keeffe Festival 2019 – October 25-28

Great to be in Castleisland for the POK. All the familiar and friendly faces. This is my 18th attendance at the festival and 19th trip to Ireland. That adds up to 82 weeks of my life spent in Eire. Staying with good friend Tony Halsall 3 km above the town. I’m enjoying the walk into town and back as my recent hip replacement is fine and strong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft5tPEy7nlg Castleisland as seen from the Limerick Road

Georgia and I decide to have our first session in Kearney’s Bar with Con Moynihan and Dennis O’Connor: old friends and gracious musicians. Check out their album transcribed on The Session.The jigs and reels never stop and the slides and polkas are mighty.

Local legend Paddy Jones stops in after playing his own 2 hour gig. He plays some beautiful slow airs. We chat afterwards “I’ve beaten cancer twice”. Good man Paddy and many more years to you! Watch him on YouTube: “The Fiddle Bends the Note”.

Paddy Jones & myself

 

Carrowkeel: 6000 year old passage tombs.

Jay took me to the Carrowkeel passage tombs Co. Sligo. What can I say? Where can I start? The were built 4000 years before Christ. We hiked up the mountain and even that view was spectacular. One tomb is accessible and neither is there an interpretive centre nor an admission fee.

Jay says the faeries will dance to your music. I pull out the fiddle and play “The Kid on the Mountain”. Very magical indeed.

Happy Reunion! Meeting Georgia & Shawn

Wednesday I awoke and had the fry with the Kerins then on the road to Galway (yes I missed the turn at Charlesville and added an hour to the trip! ). Still I arrived in time for dinner with the Fullers and G&S. Fun to hear the stories. They were 3 days in Dublin and 2 days on Inishbofin.

We walk into town to meet Declan Corey (mandolin) Ger Clancey (fiddle) & Mick Clancy (bouzouki). I love playing with Georgia: it’s one of the true joys of my life! The synchronicity and “know where we’re going next-ness” can’t be described.

A week in Co. Sligo (including Mayo, Roscommon & Leitrim)

Just finished a week of heavy session work with good friend Jay Kerins. He know all the sessions around and we hit 9 n 7 days. Some hights were playing with grand-niece of Peter Horan: Grainne Horan in Hargadon Bro.s Sligo town. Grainne plays the fiddle and does a fine job of it. 

A Sunday session in Cran’s in Carrick-on-Shannon with Sean Ward was totally lovely. I met Sean first in 1996 and we share a Canadian friend, Dave Papazian (Papper) of Cape Breton Island.

Friday found us in Murray’s Bar Charlestown Co. Mayo playing with another long time friend Joe Grady (fiddle).

But Monday in Matt Molloy’s Pub Westport Co. Mayo was one lively session. Brothers John Kilkenny (fiddle) and Noel Kilkenny (banjo!!!) gave a “take no prisoners” session with loads of mighty tunes.

Tuesday Night in Galway

Walked in from Renmore in the Lashing rain. A very small and lovely session with only Mick, Anders and myself. It would have been a lovely quiet session but for the College ceili session going on upstairs, I thought the roof would come in. Old friends Christine & Gerry Marti showed up. They just happen to arrive in Galway every October as I do.

Monday Night in Galway

A great night in Tig Coili’s with Anders Trajberg (box), Mick Creehan (whistle), Cathal Johnson (harmonica) and NIall (bodrhan and tambourine). I swear Anders know every tune from every culture on every instrument! I told him about the Danish Viking Exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum. “They should hire me!” “You’d be perfect!”

A somber looking Mick Crehan.

Mick is the nephew of legendary Clare fiddler Junior Crehan

“I learned a lot from Junior and it wasn’t all music.”

Newer posts