This year’s folklife festival is focusing in part on Northern Ireland. If you are around Washington, DC in June, there will be a bunch of great Northern musicians in town.
Damn, roots of Virginia culture should have some good music too. My problem is I’m always out of town around the folklife festival.
Part of the Folklife Fest overlaps with the Timber Flute Fest (WV), but there’s still two weekends and three weekdays left to catch everything.
Sweet!
*Sheila Boylan, All Set Ensemble, Belfast, Co. Down, Traditional musician
*Maurice Bradley, Draperstown, Co. Londonderry, Traditional musician
*Michael Cassidy, Craobh Rua, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Brian Connolly, Craobh Rua, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Kevin Doherty, Four Men and a Dog, Traditional musician/songwriter
*Caroline Fegan, All Set Ensemble, Newry, Co. Down, Traditional musician
*Patricia Flynn, Mullaghbawn, Newry, Co. Armagh, Traditional singer
*Paul Flynn, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Mullaghbawn/Belfast, Presenter/Musician
*Carina Ferguson, Aughakillymaude Community Mummers, Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh, Mummer/Irish Dancer/Musician
*Len Graham, Mullaghbawn, Newry, Co. Armagh, Traditional Singer and storyteller
*Cathal Hayden, Four Men and A Dog, Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone, Traditional musician
*George Holmes, Donaghadee, Co. Down, Ulster-Scots culture/Traditional musician/ Presenter
*Robbie Hughes, Strangford, Co. Down, Bagpipe maker
*John Kennedy, Cullybacky, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Traditional singer and musician
*Barry Kerr, Lough Neagh/Belfast, Traditional musician
*Conor Lamb, Crumlin, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Gino Lupari, Four Men and a Dog, Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry, Traditional Musician
*Padraig Mac Cionnaith, All Set Ensemble, Colomiers, Traditional Musician
*Gabriel McArdle, Hidden Fermanagh, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Traditional singer/ musician
*Catherine McLean Sands, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, Traditional Musician
*Cathal McConnell, Hidden Fermanagh, Co. Fermanagh/Edinburgh, Traditional singer and musician
*Ivan McFerran, The Low Country Boys, Glastry, Ballyhalbert, Co. Down, Traditional musician
*Jim McGrath, Hidden Fermanagh, Monea, Co. Fermanagh, Traditional musician
*James McIhernon, Cuckoo’s Nest, Cushendun, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Pat McManus, Hidden Fermanagh, Teemore, Co. Fermanagh, Traditional musician
*Dominic McNabb, Cuckoo’s Nest, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Donal Murphy, Four men and a Dog, Traditional musician
*Gerry O’Connor, Four Men and a Dog, Traditional musician
*James Rainey, Belfast, Traditional musician
*Michael Sands, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, Traditional Musician
*Tommy Sands, Rostrevor, Co. Down, Singer/Song writer
*Mark Thompson, The Low Country Boys, Traditional musician/singer
*Graeme Thompson, The Low Country Boys, Newtownards, Traditional musician/singer
*Patsy Twaddle, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Traditional musician
*Eithne Vallely, Armagh Pipers Club, Armagh, Co. Armagh, Traditional musician
*Caoimhin Vallely, Armagh Pipers Club, Armagh, Co. Armagh, Traditional musician
*Niall Vallely, Armagh, Co. Armagh/Co. Cork, Traditional musician
*Robert Watt, Maghera, Co. Londonderry, Highland bagpiper/Pipe band culture
*Roisín White, Cavanalaw, Armagh, Traditional singer/Irish language teacher
*Mark Wilson, Craigavon, Co. Armagh, Snare drumming/Pipe band drumming
*Gibson Young, The Low Country Boys, Greyabbey, Co. Down, Traditional musician/
Sounds great! If anyone sees that the detailed schedule of events is posted, let us know! I’ll be here:
http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/Schedule/index.html
I intend to get up there at some point, for several days if possible.
The schedule of events is posted now. You have to choose a date and the Northern Ireland program to see a schedule.
http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/schedule/northern_ireland/june27.html
http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/schedule/northern_ireland/june28.htmln
etc.
Or you can click on the printable pdf thing to see the whole schedule.
Ah, that’s easier! I didn’t see the link until you mentioned it Seisflutes:
http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/2007Festival/Schedule/sff07Schedule.pdf
One interesting item that’s kind of buried in the fine print of the schedule is this:
Traditional Irish musicians are welcome to “sit in” on the ongoing Irish music session in the Lough Erne Inn.
We happened to have a visit at our local session a week or so ago from Nancy Groce, who is the curator of the Northern Ireland program at the festival, and she mentioned this to us. Apparently there are certain musicians on the performer list (I’m not sure which ones, though) who are being brought over specifically to play in these sessions, and they will rotate through during the day so that there is always someone there. The “Lough Erne Inn” I presume will be some sort of tented area set up somewhere in the NI part of the festival grounds. I really feel for these musicians who will be playing at these sessions since the inevitable oppressive heat of DC in July is going to be quite a shock to folks coming over from Ireland, and it’s always tough to just be planted somewhere and asked to produce a session - even if you are being paid for the gig. Although paid sessions in Ireland have the reputation of being unwelcoming to sit-in musicians, I don’t expect that to be the case here. So I would definitely encourage any of you who are coming to the festival to bring the instrument with you and sit in at the session for a while. They’ll probably be glad for the company - even if all you do is chat with them a bit between tunes.
I know, that’s what I was thinking, poor hot musicians! Well, I’ll be there (and most likely in the ongoing session a large part of the time) from the 27th through the 30th I think.
Will you be there John? And if so, when?
I will definitely be down there a few times, at least once during each of the two weeks of the festival, since some of the performers are only there the first week and others are only there the second week. I want to try and catch everyone. But I haven’t sat down and taken a detailed look at the schedule yet to figure out exactly which days I’ll go - I guess I’d better get to that pretty soon. But I can pretty much guarantee that one of the days I’ll be there will be Friday 6/29, since in addition to the NI program there is an evening concert that day with Liz Carroll and John Doyle as well as some others like Michael Doucet who may not be Irish but who still make some damn good music. So I’m sure I’ll see you there at some point, Kelly.