Hi folks,
Just wish to bring this to your attention if it hasn’t been mentioned before.
http://cuireadhchunceoil.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65
This year’s Sean O Riada Gold Medal Competition will be held next Friday at the Rotchestown Park Hotel, Cork. RTE’s Radio na Gaeilge Will broadcast it, and it’ll also be streamed live online so plenty of chances to catch the tunes even if you couldn’t make it in person.
All the best&Happy 2012,
Markus
Thanks for that link. What a great opportunity to hear some wonderful playing. I may be able to catch some of that, although I will be at work for a lot of it.
Best of luck to you Markus, and congratulations for being chosen to participate!
Ed
Congratulations, and best of luck to you, Markus! 
(though I have to cross fingers for Nice Guy and Awesome US Midwest Flute favorite Sean Gavin, too)
Oh, since Sean is my flute teacher I’ll be crossing fingers for him too.
And seriously, that list of competitors (not to mention judges), could make a great flute compilation album!
The two Markuses and Orlaith, and Tom Oakes! Should be fun - enjoy! And congratulations and good luck.
Yeah I feel SO priviledged to be included in such a lineup. Now let’s just hope I can make it to the plane. At the moment I’m lying in my local hospital with a broken leg.
Cool, I recognise Sean Gavin, Orla and Cathal Mac An Rì (aka Cathal King).
Urgh! Sorry to hear that, Markus! I hope it isn’t too serious an injury. Get well soon, and I hope you make it to the competition. (As well it was a leg, not an arm?!)
You do know that “break a leg” is just a figure of speech, right? 
Damn, I was going to say that…
Let’s see what the doc says tomorrow…
I’m sure i will find this break a leg thing funny if I’m cleared to fly in the end. I was still laughing at that yesterday when i was more confident about being able to travel. 
Ok. I am as cleared to fly as any doctor can clear me four days from a bone marrow nail operation. So in the comp I am, and the break a leg joke is officially funny. We Finns tend to take things literally.
Good Luck Markus! I hope you knock them dead. Well, not literally. 
Cheers,
Kirk
Sorry about the leg, Markus, but I’m so glad that you are cleared to fly! I’ll be listening for you on Friday…
Great that your cleared to fly; I broke my ankle (in three places) this time last year and had to get two surgeries on it. They made me wait two weeks after surgery before they cleared me and I had to inject myself with blood thinner everyday for two weeks so I didn’t develop deep vein thrombosis from flying. I was here in Portland when I broke it but was still in college in Dublin so I had to fly back. I ended up missing Andy Irvine and Dick Gaughan playing a gig together in Whelan’s; I was very disappointed. So I know how much it sucks to have a broken leg and I wish you a speedy recovery and good luck in the competition. 
So it looks like the winner is Tim McHugh!
Markus, I very much enjoyed hearing you play today. Great musicality and wonderful tone!
And I thought the whole competition was just amazing. Lots of different styles but all of it was the pure drop as far as I can tell.
Ed
Apparently it was available on live streaming, but I was at a session and missed it…
I hope they’ll put some video of the competition.