For anyone who’s been to the Irish Arts week. Where’s the best place to stay? Also, any other advice or comments about the festival.
Thanks,
Don
I would try to find out where the classes you are interested in are taking place and find a hotel or B&B close by. Saves on walking.
Advice? Take a nap, so that you can stay up late listening to some amazing music.
I had a blast the one time I went.
Eddie
The people who own Erin’s Melody now have a fairly large complex of rooms across the street, and they looked clean and comfortable when I visited some friends there last summer. And Erin’s serves a full Irish breakfast so you won’t have to drive around looking for a place to eat in the morning.
I stayed at Furlong’s last year and would recommend that as well. Very affordable and the people who own the place are great. And if you like to take walks there’s a lovely road right next to Furlong’s that you can follow past streams and woods into some gorgeous countryside.
People have long complained about the poor quality of accommodations in East Durham, but most places are not all that bad, just keep your expectations low. Buy bottled water; the stuff from the tap at some of these places is undrinkable. The Irish Catskills are not the popular tourist destination that they once were, and many of these resorts and motels are struggling to stay afloat.
The thing to keep in mind is that most of the venues are not within easy walking distance of each other. If you want to session-hop, you need to drive; the village is spread out over a mile or two. There’s no central location to stay where you can just walk to everything.
I’ve stayed at the Blackthorn a couple of times.
The accomodations are a little rough, but the people who work there are super nice and bend over backwards to take care of you.
jb
Ah, the pubs of East Durham. When I’m staggering drunk I often think of the little sandwiches one of the pubs gave out. I often think of the beer, the smoke, the tunes. The NO sleep.
I stayed at the Shamrock House last year. It’s a little… rough. But it wasn’t bad. There’s a nice little lobby where you can have some quiet tunes in the late afternoon. It was across the street from all the set dances and within walking distance of Furlong’s for the late night seshs. The food at the Shamrock House will drive you completely mad after a few days.
My advice is to play as much as you can and stay up as late as you can listening and playing. There are some great tunes to be had or heard about 1:30-5:30 AM. If I did it again I’d take half time classes, just in the afternoon, maybe just set dancing. And bring some f3ckin’ earplugs to drown out the beginning whistle players at 7 AM.
If I had to do it again I’d probably bring a bike. The distances between pubs can be a little bothersome if you’re doing the late night rounds after the shuttle stops running. The shuttle really needs to go longer. If you’re drunk enough to need the shuttle you’re probably going to need it after midnight.
For players or punters… 
Loren
That’s the place I stayed, couldn’t remember the name.
Yeah, it was a bit rough, but I was trying to conserve money since I have to pay to travel there too. Once the cool front came through mid week it was rather pleasant.
Folks in town, visitors and locals, were incredibly nice and welcoming. This summer I hope to either go back there, Swannanoa or Augusta this summer depending up what classes are offered and my schedule.
Eddie