What’s taking you folks so long to provide a tionol report? C’mon…tell us ALL about it! Won’t be too long and everyone will be talking about the grand time at Gaby’s home. Get your words in edgewise.
Did Patrick make it to the tionol locale afterall?
Anybody sleep?
Bedbugs?
Who has new pipes?
Was BK there? How about DMQ?
Are free speech has been chilled by the naysayers! 
Our free speech! 
Nay, Mypipes, nay. 'Tis but a few malcontented (see bored) pipers who give this impression. 
Well in that case….The weather was incredible…the accommodations were great. We satyed at Deer Watch. The lessons were great. P. Darcy showed us some Hooka like Zen hand motion on the low G. Micheal Cooney taught five part jig in twenty minutes. A world record.
The craic was excellent. Thanks a bunch to Suzanne Ward and anyone who had a hand in organizing this event. Job well done!
It was indeed wonderful. No bedbugs (or fleas) either!
Yeah, it was fantastic. DMQ and BK were indeed there; Jerry O’Sullivan, Rose Flanagan, Willie and Siobhan Kelly, and some other great musicians stopped by as well. The music was mighty. High points for me included finally meeting (and hearing!) Patrick D’Arcy, getting some very useful piping tips from Patrick Hutchinson and Tommy Keane, and listening to the brilliant fiddler Leah from Alaska; if you closed your eyes you’d think you were listening to Padraig O’Keeffe. Another treat: hearing Bruce Childress play the guitar (he’s amazing). Tommy Keane’s piping was a revelation to me. I’d only seen him playing with his wife Jacqueline before and didn’t realize what a wonderful piper he is on his own. And the best surprise was that he’s also an excellent flute player – I could have listened to him play my flute all night. He’s not bad on the fiddle either.
The weather was perfect too, three days of sunshine, not a cloud in the sky.
Susanne Ward
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I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to meet Pat Sky but I don’t think he was pleased with his accommodations.
If anyone took pictures, don’t be shy and please share.
In a word: magical.
Perfect weather, fantastic company, BRILLIANT music, excellent classes, and not a single bedbug in sight ( I stayed at the Ferncliff).
I have to second Brad’s assessment of Tommy Keane. You west coast folks are in for a treat! In addition to his skills as a player, the man is a treasure trove of wisdom about a now-vanished (or vanishing) generation of pipers: Ennis, Clancy, Kearney. We were extremely fortunate to have him as a teacher; not only did he present new tunes, but he also discussed technique AND played for/dissected with us a snippet of an old recording. Pat Hutchinson did the same. Marion McCarthy was a sweet and generous player/teacher as well. Tunes, technique, and lessons in how to listen – it doesn’t get any better than that!!
KAD
Ok, here’s a question. I was in one of Marion’s intermediate classes. What was the jig in G that we all started the class with? We went back and forth between that and O’Sullivan’s March.
Also what was the E Minor reel?
Could not agree more with the assessments presented thus far. The weather was amazing. Con, Carol Ann and all of the staff at the Fern Cliff were amazing. The rooms were clean; the food was good, and the staff at the bar were with us right to the end of the sessions each night. And speaking of sessions, those that I was fortunate enough to be a part of (there were several to choose from) were simply a delight.
The music in general… well… I’ll go with “magical” as the most appropriate descriptor, too. The instructors were fantastic players and very warm, generous individuals as well.
Thanks to all who helped with the event, and thanks to all of the attendees. Those of you who performed in the “Piper’s/Fiddler’s Chair” were great! Thanks for sharing your music with us.
Oh, if I could only afford to get on a plane to LA at the end of this week! Enjoy!!!
Yup, it was great. The only thing I was unhappy about was that my Virginia reed did not want to play in the cooler New York weather. So I just played my flute in sessions. Oh well.
I loved the reedmaking workshops from Benedict. He’s totally the most awesome reedmaker ever, as if anyone here didn’t know that. Wow. And I got to make a reed with him, and it’s playing and in tune and everything. Nice and strong too, so far.
If you were in the Sunday afternoon intermediate class, I think you’re referring to Alexander’s March. She played that with O’Sullivan’s. The only recording I have of Alexander’s March is Willie Clancy playing it.
The reel she taught in that class was The Repeal of the Union.
Someday I’d love to take a class from him.
Brad, I don’t remember a white masked man in that class. Was it you with the Rowsome set?
Alexander’s was one of the tunes, but the jig I speak of did not go into the second octave beyond E but was in the key of G.
Oh and Joseph, Benedict’s first workshop was like a David Copperfield magic show. I thought the NPU video cut out things to save time but no. He made an reed in like an hour and when he plugged it in and test drove it I think I peed a little it sounded so good.
No, I was the guy with the C set (Quinn and Koehler).
I didn’t record anything while I was there, and I don’t remember Marion playing that jig but maybe we were in different classes.
Brad’s flute playing was brilliant as well. Thanks Brad for the performance at the concert and the piper’s chair.
Neil
I’ve gotta jump in and second that! Brad, your selections with Kelly and Naka during the “Piper’s/Fiddler’s/Flutists’ Chair” was BRILLIANT!!!
The musical highlight of the weekend for me.
Thanks to all of you.