I know that this summer isn’t even over, and that there’s much time until the next Willie Clancy Week happens. However: how far in advance is it advisable to plan visiting and book accomodation, and are cheap rooms available at all in Miltown Malbay that week? I might want to go there next year…
Sonja
It’s early days yet I would say. Loads of people thouhg who come regularly pre book the house or bed they stay in for the next year. There’s no mad rush, there’s Christmas to think of first.
Oh, gosh. I just got back from the last one…
Let’s see. There is a hostel in the area, I think it’s called Idlewild. If you want to stay there I’d look into booking that early. Come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea…I may do that once next year’s plans shape up a bit. I heard a rumor that many of the performing musicians stayed there, so I don’t know if it’s ‘open to the public’ or booked up as the last festival is ending, or what.
I shared a large B&B room with three other people, it was a short walk outside of town. We got the price down to around 25 euro each per night or something to that effect, but that was because one of the people knew the owner personally. Another person I talked to stayed at a B&B in town and paid about double that, I think. Yet another person I met had made arrangements with a local farmer - he stayed on the farm, and after willie clancy week he stayed on for another few days and did chores to earn his festival keep. There were also areas where people would camp, brightly decorated with No Camping signs. And lots of people slept in their cars along the side of the roads.
Lots of options. Plenty of time. Hope you get to go!
It’s actually called the Idle Road, as in the tune. Or like the one in the recitation ‘the road downhill was the easier road and that’s the way we went..’.
I bet there were musicians staying there, there were musicians staying EVERYWHERE.