Well, it seems that there will be a gathering of a few chiffers at the Central Hotel (the pub section), Miltown Malbay, just before the registration on saturday. I will be there at 13h00. I don’t have a clue on how we’ll recognise each other, as I’ve never seen anyone except a picture of Ava maybe, but I’m sure we all look freaky enough, and this is how we’ll recognise a chiffer from a normal human being. 
Well, gotta go, flight’s in 3 1/2 hours!
I wish I could be there
Have fun!
I’m looking forward to meeting Beth and Martin Milner (and anyone else!) on July 11-12 at the ceilith at the community center. I’ll be in my C&F tshirt! 
Good thing you reminded me Soin, I almost forgot to pack my C&F T-shirt!
Az, I’m easy to spot, I have 2 heads and 3 arms, and I’ll be wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap. In London you could mistake me for about 5 million other people, but in Miltown I hope it’ll be the only Yankees cap in sight.
Looking forward top meeting fellow chiffers, by the end of the week we’ll either be bosom buddies or sick of the sight & sound of each other!
Doubtless most of you have arived already and won’t see this. I’ve snagged a free lift down to Miltown, and we are leaving Gleanncholmcille around 11 12 today (sat the 5th). I don’t know how long it takes to get there but I won’t be there by 13:00! So if you could keep an eye out for me - if I haven’t found the B&B yet I’ll have a blue backpack, and my black concertina case. I’m sure that describes about 200 visitors though! Ah well, I’ll watch for the Chiffy shirts!
Well, friday night was my best Willie friday ever! I ended up in a pub in a small session, and good musicans started leaving the session, and the session died. Well, this is where I got in! There was an irish box played who stayed, and we both did revive the session! YEAH! The box played had an amazing selection of nice jigs, slowly played and very stylish. Was great, and he also knew my reels, which is great too. People were also cheering up for more, even when I was playing, which means they really don’t know much about irish music heee heee!
Anyway, this is really going to be my best Willie week ever, and there’s nice girls all 'round. Yeah!
Well Azalin, I had a feeling that your trip would be exciting and memorable. What is it you were saying about box-players last Wednesday night??? Watch out for all the girls, eh. 
I HAVE BEEN A BIT OF A FLY ON THE WALL AT THESE GATHERINGS, IT TOOK THEM A FEW DAYS TO SUSS ME OUT. I was talking to Paul Dooley at the saturday gathering and we resisted for a while but joined and are now probably lost for the week. All sort of silly carry on like me playing the fiddle or concert pitch pipes at sessions and generally taking the mickey. Loads of really awful music but what the heck, we’ll squeeze in a few nice tunes in a quiet moment. Will be doing a piping concert in an hour and am trying to steady the nerves at the minute, it’s the most awful weather for piping. Warm sea mist. Hope I get through that, the lads will probably all turn up.
Ava, Martin, Azalin, and Peter - this is so cool getting updates as the days go by from fellow C&F’ers who are there! Continue to keep us informed of all that is going on!!
~Larry
Chiffers, we’re all thinking of you. . .
Peter. . .can anyone else tell when you’re nervous? You seemed to be one of the more laid back, easy going sorts. When I get nervous. . .well, lets not go there…you’ve seen/heard it!
I regret missing the music you’re all enjoying…I don’t regret missing the press of people. Crowds freak me out.
If anyone goes for an upscale meal at The Berry Lodge, please extend my best wishes to Marguerite (head wait staff) and Rita (owner/chef). They’ll remember me as the Yank who bashed their garden wall (oops!).
Wow, free internet access! I’ve missed this. Thanks goes to Az for discovering the library
A very cool week so far. We are having fun making jokes about each other’s nationalities. And a cab driver we had recommended that if we are at a session that is too crowded, to start talking loudly about SARS.
I’m taking concertina classes instead of whistle. I got kind of depressed at how much better everyone else is at whistle here, and not only the Irish! Everyone is better than me at concertina as well, but that’s okay. My first concertina class was a bomb - I apparently fooled Noah Hill into thinking I was a better player than I really am, and I got put in a class too high for me. But today was better, and the teacher (Michelle O Sullivan, I think it was) says I should be able to handle that level.
Quick side stories -
I got to sell whistles as a part time job, there is a guy named John Ryan (he wrote a little yellow how-to-whistle book) who has a street stand here and when he wants a break I take over sometimes. He’s gonna give me a whistle, which will save me a trip to Shannaquay later this summer.
I met the maker of Howard whistles and got to try his personal high D whistle, it was very nice!
My irish classes are going very well, though I haven’t the time to update that stuff right now.
Last night was a fiddle recital. Tonight is a whistle and flute recital. Tomorrow is a piping recital. Friday is a concertina recital. I hope I brought enough minidiscs!
It’s great to hang out with fellow chiffers - they’re all great people and very fun. Hopefully we will be able to find Peter again (we knew it was you in the session Saturday night, Peter!) and convince him and Eld to join in a group photo later!
Sounds like an incredible time over there, Ava. Glad to get to the last line of your post mentioning a group picture…we want pictures!!!
~Larry
It sounds WONDERFUL!!
Still at it, nearly reached saturation point yesterday but had an early night and am up for it again afater a good long shleep.
Some of the fipple company contemplated gettign in my car and cross the shannon and visit the scenic town of Adare but as the O BRian improved are still going for 20 here there was little point. We got a good chukle out of the idea anyway.
Brid Donohue hauled me into a street session with Tony Smith and MARCAS O Morchu . I tried to stay out saying I Hadn’t the whistle on me [true] but Brid gave me hers so I couldn’t really refuse. Joannie Madden joined us for a while which made AZ pass some comments I won’t repeat here.
Ran into Brian Howard as well [most people try to avoid him but he cornered me before I had spotted him].
Madness all.
Pictures, Peter, we want pictures!!!
Tell all the C&Fers we’re all thinking of them , and keep on enjoying yourself!
~Larry
Beth, Michelle is wonderful, she was in Boston the time I went to Gaelic Roots. I didn’t have her as a teacher, but her slow and medium sessions were wonderful and she is the nicest gal.
-Nancy
Well, I think I’m still having a good time in here. There’s like four women in my B&B room, which is good, but then I don’t think I can handle girly chats anymore hehehe…
Eld, Stout, Beth and I seem to be having a good Chiffy time. Eldarion is very intense about the music, Stout is just crazy, and Beth played Star Wars and McGyver on the whistle for me. What else can you ask?
Peter has been trying to avoid us, but we finally could figure him out. I didnt expect Peter to be a session maniac, but he is! So, when are we going to visit Adare Peter? I’ve heard they sell O’Briain whistles really cheap over there…
The music is good and bad. It’s pretty random. I got to tape lotsa good music on tuesday, and nothing at all on wednesday. Was kinda pissed off, ran out of luck, and Stout seems to attract sets and sets of Polkas. So all I got were Polkas and Hornpipes. I don’t have anything against Polkas, but after a while it’s like too much!
Anyway, gotta go!
Yes, from now on I’ll be refered to as the PolkaMan. It’s amazing what one little polka will start. Anyways, it has been a blast in Ireland so far and Willie Week is well… ah… I guess a little bit like Spring Break for Irish musicians. The crowded pubs, wild sessions, smokers, drunks, street fights and big names in Irish music makes this playing really exciting. You never know who you will run into. Me and Eld were hitchhiking cause our B and B is like years out of town, and we got picked up by one of the greatest flute players in Irish Music, Catherine McEnvoy. This place is just a trip. Martin is as funny as you think he is and Azalin, Martin, Beth, Eld and I get along like peas and carrots. Eld is really passionate about the music and it’s no wonder how he has gotten so good so fast. We’ve taken some pictures and will get them up in a while. “Sussing” out Peter was fun. Almost like a game of clue. Peter in the Central Hotel, with a sindt or C pipes, with the young child with the concertina. Peter is a great musician and now I believe why all these great musicians let him tag along. I’m running out of time but this trip has been fun and I’ve made some really good friends that I didn’t have before in Azalin and Martin. Sorry chiffers for not checking in but I’m thinking about you and I’m sure you are getting along fine. Times up.
Jack
Oh, Azalin, we mustn’t forget that you played the Superman theme. And some weird Lucky Luke theme song. I will refrain from mentioning your singing. 
(we were playing a sort of “name that tune, at least until someone yells at us for whistling at midnight” in the B&B last night.)
I just earned myself a brass OBrian Improved with my part-time whistleselling job, so now I don’t need to figure out how to get to Adare anymore either. We haven’t gotten a group shot of everyone yet but we will have some fun pics to put up. Azalin has a digital camera and has lots of pictures of the back of Eld’s head and Jack looking ominous. (Somehow Jack has a tendency to look normal when posing but produce a very odd looking expression in the photo.)
I accidentally met another Chiffer today! Someone who joined after I left. I’m sorry, I don’t remember your screen name, but it was nice to meet you! That makes 7 chiffers in town, and 8 if Soin arrives this weekend. Fun stuff!
We’re all thinking about you guys “over there” we, the “chiffy chatters who got left behind” sniffle
Looking forward to hearing all your Willie Week stories in the chatroom when you get back Keep us posted.
Moonlight