so… its almost here whoo hoo!! who is taking what classes and with whom? where are yez staying?
see you at furlongs!
I will be there with 3 offspring with fiddles. Staying at Gavins. I think that I signed up with Mattie Connelly and Brian McNamara.
Looking forward to another nice week. This is my 4th, and have never had a bad one yet.
Neil
well then i guess it will only be the two of us!
cillian and brian are both friends, so i am doing their classes… but i thought hard about mattie’s.
i am staying at the shamrock for the first time… used to be erin’s melody… then ferncliff… but they all keep getting bought!
I’m also taking Cillian and Brian’s classes. This year I decided to really focus on pipes for once, instead of doing a flute or fiddle class too.
Staying at Michael Dee’s I think. See you in a couple weeks!
Should probably be labelled: Catskills Irish Arts Week 2007, sorry to be a stickler for details 
because the East Coast Tionol is in East Durham end of October.
Wish I could be there!!
sorry paul. given that the irish arts week has been going much longer than the tionol has been in east durham, i did not consider that there would be any confusion.
sorry you will not be there.
Have a blast!!
All the best,
You mean the East Coast Tionol will actually held near a place with the word “East” in it?? What would Glands say!!!
Was a wonderful week in East Durham last week. I actually got feelings of depression much like home sickness when its all over and I headed home. Over 600 students signed up for classes, up from the low 500 range.
The piping teachers included Brian MacNammara, Cillian Vallely, Benedict Keohler and Mattie Connelly. It was terrific to see BK back at it, though he still needs to fatten up a bit. Brian was in his usual good teaching form with a well structured and thought out cirricilum, but leaving in flexibility for the students to shape the classes. He launched his new CD which sold out his supply at the nightly concerts and the Saturday Andy McGann festival. Cillian (congrats on the arrival of his new baby) was his usual relatively humble and quiet self, always up for the late sessions at Furlongs going back and forth with David Munnelly’s (and his other band members) shananagans and John Daly’s awesome bowing (was a ripping session on Friday night at Furloungs). Mattie provided more of a listeners agenda with tunes, history and good craic.
There was a master “workshop” at the saturday festival, which was actually a brief discussion of the history led by Brian and plenty of playing by each of the pipers mentioned above and joining them was Jerry O’Sullivan. I particulalrly enjoyed Cillian’s solo playing on Brian’s C set and Mattie’s aire and song of the Green feilds of Canada and accompanied by Cillian on the regs (Mattie and Cillian got a standing ovation at the concert during the week from the big crowd).
I can’t wait until next year, but the fall Tional at Gavins will tide me over. By the way, the food at Gavins is very good. So the new venue will be a very nice upgrade from the Fern Cliff. Book your room as they are going fast.
All the best.
Neil
What was the name of the song Benedict played first? The one he told the story about? Had the word “Lark” in the title, I think. I thought it was very pretty.
The lark in the clear air.
ahh that was it. thanks!
East Durham was so great. I’m at Augusta now, and it’s fun too, but East Durham was way better. I miss everyone I met there, except the ones who are also here, like the Striblings. I am so jealous of Michael Stribling’s new K&Q full set…Sigh. At least it’s concert pitch. If it were in B I’d be going insane.
Kelly