So where are the hot spots for whistling in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (place and times)? Also, any recommended music shops that have a good line of whistles and accessories?
Jill is from Minneapolis and knows many of the spots. Her username is sunshinesdaughter, I think, but I dont think she logs on to the board very often. If you cant find her profile then email me and I’ll forward her email address to you.
Kev
Hi! I live in St. Paul and play whistle and concertina. Here is a friend’s web page that I think is mostly up-to-date about Irish Music Sessions in the area:
http://members.aol.com/midledoran/music.htm
I usually attend the Sunday session at O’Gara’s.
Did you attend the huge Irish Fair just last weekend? http://www.irishfair.com/fair/default.asp
There are several stores in the Metro area that sell whistles, usually budget priced. also, Hobgoblin has a store new Redwing:
http://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/shops/shops.htm
Hope this helps. Email me for more info or to “chat.”
Neil Brock
Thanks a lot for the schedule. I’m still pretty new to the whistle, so I would be bashful about joining in any time soon…but it will be fun to listen. I’ll drop in some Sunday.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the fair last weekend. I was out of town…in lovely Fargo, ND.
Does anyone here frequent O’Gara’s? I’ll be going to University of St. Thomas this fall, and O’Gara’s is right down the street from it(on Selby). I thought I could go there sometimes. One question… are you still allowed to sit and listen to a session (or play in one) if you’re not 21? I’d hate to get kicked out of school my first week. 
I play most Sunday’s (7:00 - 10:00-ish) at O’Gara’s and there are often several children there with their parents - so you need to bring your parents We play in a back room and I don’t think you would have any problem. You won’t have the advantage of drinking Guiness to improve your playing (the first drink (of any kind) is free for musicians). The session does start out on the slower end and then speeds up, depending of course on who shows up . I won’t be there this Sunday but hope to meet you there sometime.
Neil
[ This Message was edited by: nbrock on 2002-08-16 11:13 ]
A big hello to all in Minneapolis and St Paul! I moved from there to Florida last year and I really, really miss the great Irish music, dance, and people that MSP has. I would say O’Gara’s is the “big” session and very, very fun. If you are just starting, go at 7pm and introduce yourself. That’s the slower, more learning-friendly crowd. By 9pm it starts kickin’ into high gear and is great to just enjoy until you build up to joining in. Molly Quinn’s on Lake Street has a nice but small session on Fridays at 8pm. Music depends on who shows up, but again, it’s a great place to go and enjoy the people and music. There’s also Kieran’s on Wednesdays, but that’s a pretty advanced session. If you start with O’Gara’s you’ll find people of similar level and interest as you to hook up with. Have a great time and happy whistlin’
Jill
[ This Message was edited by: sunshinesdaughter on 2002-08-16 14:32 ]
What about the Dubliner Pub? That’s in St. Paul right down the street from St. Thomas, so I thought maybe I could go there. Do they have sessions or is it just a regular pub? Either way, hope to meet you all at O’Gara’s this fall!
The Dubliner doesn’t have any sessions that I know about. They do have live Irish music many (every?) nights, usually local musicians.
Neil