A new post!!!
Sorry it's been nearly a month since the last update. However, I've been keeping very busy. I've been in Ireland for three months, and it's been pretty good so far.
As I mentioned in my last post, I did go to Doolin a few weeks ago. After a really nice bus ride through the Burren area of Clare, you come to the very small town of Doolin. There's a stream, the Allie River, that runs through the middle of it, dividing the town in two. There's a number of good music pubs, but the night I was there I went to O'Connors, a very famous one, as Micho Russel, the late whistle player, was always in there. I was lucky, as that night Christy Barry was playing. I'd only really heard of him by way of two jigs, known as the Christy Barry set. Turns out he's an amazing flute player. Along with a box player and an older fiddler, they played alot of really great tunes, many I haven't heard before. It was worthwhile going down just for that. However, the scenery is amazing, very stark, with rocky outcropings and very old limstone creeping out from the long grass. Town is right by the ocean, and just north of the Cliffs of Moher. I didn't get out to the cliffs on this trip, but I'll have to see them in the future.
Back in Galway, I've been busking everyday, and now and then I've had some gigs. I've done a few session gigs, where you're payed to keep a session going, some very strange miked gigs, even a retirement party! I had been busking a week or so ago when a man came up and asked if I'd do a gig with him, at the retirement party. It was great, as we got dinner in addition to being payed, it was a very relaxed gig, and we ended up at someone's house for tea and chopped fruit. Those are the nice gigs to get!
The house I'm in is great. Musicians coming through Galway tend to stopover at the house, so there's constantly new, and interesting people staying here. There's been a flutemaker from Italy, an American guitar repairer, another Danish box player, a fiddler from Japan... it's very international!
Two weeks ago I went to Sheffield, in England, to visit my friend, Mathias. It was a mad trip: I played at a session till 1 in the morning, than ran to catch my bus to Dublin at 1:15. I got to Dublin Airport just after 4am, and checked-in in with Ryanair and got through security by 4:45. My plane departed at 6:30, and I landed at Manchester Airport at 7:30. I got a train to Manchester-Piccadilly, then transfered to a train going to Sheffield, arriving around 11:30. But then I had to walk about 4 kilometers to get to the Tapton Hall of Residence, a Sheffield University building, where I was staying. I checked in, then crashed on the bed for about an hour.
Then I woke up. I decided to go for a walk into the city center, and I ran into Mathias, who was coming back from lunch with his physics colleagues. He was very surprised, as he thought I was coming the following week; turns out he told the wrong dates! Anyhow, we had a great weekend. We walked all around Sheffield, which is a very nice looking city, and I think we saw all the architetural attrations! We also went to a very large indoor market, with an incredible amount of stalls over three floors. One floor was just for food, and there were probably ten butchers, several fishmongers, lots of fruits and vegetables; besides that there was clothing, funiture, textiles, gifts, cafes, restaurants...and it was really busy with people. We also got to several outdoor markets. On the Saturday night, the people in the physics program Mathias was in decided to have a barbeque, so we went to that. They had bought the cheap, disposable barbeques and a lot of food, and set up in a nearby park. (although it was interesting to get to, involving climbing over a wall, walking through trees and listening to music from the Gay Pride festival that was on in the next field over...)
The next day I did a little busking, as Mathias had to study, but it wasn't as nice as in Galway. Mostly, I walked, checking out several art galleries and museums. Sheffield seems to be a very academic city, with two university campuses and a couple colleges, and interesting facilities spread over the entire city.
On Monday, I had to head home. It was great to see a friend from home, and definitely worth the crazy trip it took to get there and back.
So, I'm here in Galway. I've been down to Ennis for busking a couple more times, and the busking has picked up a little bit in Galway. I picked up a small guitar, just to keep up practice on it. Tomorrow I'm heading to Miltown Malbay, the site of the Willie Clancy Summer School, which happens to be one of the largest Irish music festivals in the world. A couple housemates have a gig down there, so I'll get a ride with them, then I'll camp out for a few days.
Once I'm back, I'll probably have pictures from that, so I'll do a big post, with lots of pictures from the last month.
Thanks to everyone that's reading my blog!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
I'm back in Galway!
The World Bodhran Championships were fun. I didn't make it through to the finals, but the other competitors were very good, some of the best bodhran playing I've ever heard.
I took the bus down through Limerick, then Killarney, before it looped back up to Milltown. It's a small town, with two main streets. I was early getting there on Friday, but I found the main office. The organziners were there, but were in the process of organizing, so I went for a walk around the town.
Milltown is just north of Killorglin. There's mountains to both the south and the west, and is immediately surrounded by farms; lots of cows and sheep! I'll try to get some pictures up later, it really was amazing scenery.
Eventually, I got to my camp site; a local farmer made one of his fields available for campers and caravans. It was a decent enough spot, and not too far from the town. On Friday night, there was a parade, and live music on an outdoor stage. However, there was a great session at The Plough, with lots of tunes, songs, and set dancing, until quite late (or early, depending on how you look at it!)
Saturday was mostly the day for workshops. They were all pretty expensive though, and for beginners, so I didn't bother with them. However, I met a couple from America that were hiking the Dingle penninsula. The wife had entered her husband in the competitions, so they were looking for someone to play tunes to accompany. I offered to play, and we put a couple pieces together.
Sunday was the competitions. I met up with a whistle player in the morning, and went over some tunes for the competion. Most of the other competitors brought their own musicians, so I can claim they had the odds stacked in their favour. :D I played tunes for the American bodhranist, sat through a couple other perfomances, then it was my turn. I think I did a good job, and played, well, how I play! It was interesting to see the other competitors though. They mostly just play the bodhran, and it showed. Overall the standard of playing was incredibly high.
That night, the finalists performed outside. It was a little odd though, as they were miked, which allows, or perhaps calls for, a completely different style of playing than when it's all acoustic, and a good portion of your sound depends on your sound man. I think that the fact that every (different sounding) drum was miked with a Shure SM57, in varying placements, had a significant effect on the sound, never mind that the sound man had trouble creating a good mix. However, the bodhran playing was again very nice.
For me, the bodhran solos were the most amazing, especially that they were completly planned rather than improvised. The kid that won this all ages category was Joseph McNultly, and I think he won by miles. He's 12 years old, and I don't think I've heard the drum played so well.
Overall, it was a fun, interesting weekend, and I learned quite a bit. However, being primarily a flute player, I though that the bodhran playing in general was a little loud, and often began to compete with the tune being played. Also, that the judge panel was made up of (albeit very good and proffessional) bodhran players seemed sort of silly. No matter how good, I don't think a drum player will hear and understand a tune the same way as someone primarily playing tunes. But, it's a bodhran player's festival, so I guess that's alright!
I hitchiked up to Tralee to catch my bus back to Galway.
I was back for one day, then got a lift down to Ennis, Co. Clare. What I nice town! I did some busking, and it went so well I decided to stay the night. I stayed at the Rowan Tree hostel, which was easily the best I've stayed at yet. There was a nice session that night as well. In the morning, I did some more busking, sold a bunch of bodhran tippers to Custy's Traditional Music Shop, before meeting up with a friend from Galway and getting a lift back up to Galway. I think busking outside Galway is probably better, as there's just so many buskers in Galway. I may try to go down to Doolin this week.
Pictures to follow!
The World Bodhran Championships were fun. I didn't make it through to the finals, but the other competitors were very good, some of the best bodhran playing I've ever heard.
I took the bus down through Limerick, then Killarney, before it looped back up to Milltown. It's a small town, with two main streets. I was early getting there on Friday, but I found the main office. The organziners were there, but were in the process of organizing, so I went for a walk around the town.
Milltown is just north of Killorglin. There's mountains to both the south and the west, and is immediately surrounded by farms; lots of cows and sheep! I'll try to get some pictures up later, it really was amazing scenery.
Eventually, I got to my camp site; a local farmer made one of his fields available for campers and caravans. It was a decent enough spot, and not too far from the town. On Friday night, there was a parade, and live music on an outdoor stage. However, there was a great session at The Plough, with lots of tunes, songs, and set dancing, until quite late (or early, depending on how you look at it!)
Saturday was mostly the day for workshops. They were all pretty expensive though, and for beginners, so I didn't bother with them. However, I met a couple from America that were hiking the Dingle penninsula. The wife had entered her husband in the competitions, so they were looking for someone to play tunes to accompany. I offered to play, and we put a couple pieces together.
Sunday was the competitions. I met up with a whistle player in the morning, and went over some tunes for the competion. Most of the other competitors brought their own musicians, so I can claim they had the odds stacked in their favour. :D I played tunes for the American bodhranist, sat through a couple other perfomances, then it was my turn. I think I did a good job, and played, well, how I play! It was interesting to see the other competitors though. They mostly just play the bodhran, and it showed. Overall the standard of playing was incredibly high.
That night, the finalists performed outside. It was a little odd though, as they were miked, which allows, or perhaps calls for, a completely different style of playing than when it's all acoustic, and a good portion of your sound depends on your sound man. I think that the fact that every (different sounding) drum was miked with a Shure SM57, in varying placements, had a significant effect on the sound, never mind that the sound man had trouble creating a good mix. However, the bodhran playing was again very nice.
For me, the bodhran solos were the most amazing, especially that they were completly planned rather than improvised. The kid that won this all ages category was Joseph McNultly, and I think he won by miles. He's 12 years old, and I don't think I've heard the drum played so well.
Overall, it was a fun, interesting weekend, and I learned quite a bit. However, being primarily a flute player, I though that the bodhran playing in general was a little loud, and often began to compete with the tune being played. Also, that the judge panel was made up of (albeit very good and proffessional) bodhran players seemed sort of silly. No matter how good, I don't think a drum player will hear and understand a tune the same way as someone primarily playing tunes. But, it's a bodhran player's festival, so I guess that's alright!
I hitchiked up to Tralee to catch my bus back to Galway.
I was back for one day, then got a lift down to Ennis, Co. Clare. What I nice town! I did some busking, and it went so well I decided to stay the night. I stayed at the Rowan Tree hostel, which was easily the best I've stayed at yet. There was a nice session that night as well. In the morning, I did some more busking, sold a bunch of bodhran tippers to Custy's Traditional Music Shop, before meeting up with a friend from Galway and getting a lift back up to Galway. I think busking outside Galway is probably better, as there's just so many buskers in Galway. I may try to go down to Doolin this week.
Pictures to follow!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Just a quick post!
Tomorrow I'm heading to Milltown, Co. Kerry for the World Bodhran Championships. I've been practicing bodhran a lot, even more this past week, so hopefully it will be enough. I'm in the Senior category, so I'll have to play three pieces with a musician. I'm also in the Solo category, so I have to play intersting things on my own for 4-10 minutes. (This really is a festival created by bodhran players! :D) Regardless of how the competitions go, it should be awesome to see so many bodhran players in one spot, and the other competitors should be great too. The competitions are Sunday morning, but there's concerts and workshops happening Friday to Monday. I'll let you all know how it goes!
Tomorrow I'm heading to Milltown, Co. Kerry for the World Bodhran Championships. I've been practicing bodhran a lot, even more this past week, so hopefully it will be enough. I'm in the Senior category, so I'll have to play three pieces with a musician. I'm also in the Solo category, so I have to play intersting things on my own for 4-10 minutes. (This really is a festival created by bodhran players! :D) Regardless of how the competitions go, it should be awesome to see so many bodhran players in one spot, and the other competitors should be great too. The competitions are Sunday morning, but there's concerts and workshops happening Friday to Monday. I'll let you all know how it goes!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
It's been a while!
I contacted Hugh and Karen Rice last week, and on Thursday they invited me up to Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. I booked some buses for the next day, and packed my bags.
I headed to Dublin on Friday, transffered and got myself to Belfast. I met up with Hugh and Karen, and they drove me out to Ballycastle, and we arrived in the evening. It was really nice to see people from home! Hugh is an artist, and lives in Winnipeg part of the year, painting prairie landscapes. The other part of the year, he's in Ballycastle, painting scenes of the glens of Antrim.
Ballycastle is at the northern tip of Ireland, and Rathlin Island is just off the coast. In good weather, you can see the Mull of Kintyre across the sea, the edge of Scotland. They drove me around the town before getting some fish and chips for dinner, very welcome after the 8 hour trip it took to get there. It happened that the Antrim Fleadh (trad music competition) was on, and we attended a student concert. It was really great to see, as 107 kids were up on stage, playing whistle, flute, box, banjo, bodhran... There were a few other acts, and I even went up to join the Ballycastle group to finish the concert. Afterwards we went to a session in town, with some good musicians.
The next day, Hugh and Karen took me on a tour of the glens. The scenery is pretty spectacular, as the glens are a series of mountain valleys, covered with small farms. Along the tops of the hills you can just make out bunches of brown lines that are the remnants of turf cuttings. Turf is still a popular fire fuel, and a few people are still out cutting turf by hand. There's also sheep and donkeys everywhere. We made our way around Torr Head, past Cushendun (where there's a cave leading to someone's house!), Cushendall (where we met a couple of Winnipegers for dinner), down to Waterfoot (in Glenarriff, "Queen of the Glens").
On Monday we went to to Carrick-a-Rede, a point on the north coast. There's a rope bridge from the cliff edge, across the water to a small island where they used to put a few sheep, and haul fish from the boats. It's really stunning, as the top of the island is about 60-80 ft above the water. We left there to go to the Giant's Causeway, an amazing geologic formation. It's a bunch of hexagonally shaped pillars of rock... the pictures explain it better! They jut out into the ocean, and the tide was low enough that we could get quite far out. We eventually ended up in Bushmills, home of the Bushmills brewery, which has been brewing beer since 1608.
On Tuesday, we took a trip to Rathmelton, Co. Donegal, where Hugh has some pictures up in a gallery. Afterwards, we drove through the Fanad area of Donegal. The landscape could be incredibly bleak, full of rocky hills. Then it would suddenly change, like when we came over a mountain, and below us was the most incredible beach. The rest of the Fanad was much the same, very rugged, beautiful scenery.
On Wednesday we went through the bogs on the mountain. Hugh showed me turf a farmer was cutting, and it was neat to see it done like it's been done for generations. We took a hike across the bog (an adventure in itself, it's like walking across wet marshmallows), till we came to a dolmen. A dolmen is a Neolithic stone structure, from about 5000 years ago. They usually consist of three stone uprights capped by a fourth stone. They were probably used as tombs. The one we found was quite large.
On Thursday, Hugh and Karen drove me back to Belfast, and gave me a quick tour of the city, before I had to catch my bus. I'd like to thank them for such an awesome week in the North, as I wouldn't have gotten up there and seen so much on my own.
So now I'm back in Galway. The World Bodhran Championships are next weekend, and I'll be visiting my friend in England in June, so things will be busy!
The is the view across Lough Suile. 
Me sitting on the rocks at the Giant's Causeway.
Me (and Karen!) on the rope bridge.
I'm sitting on top of a dolmen.
The is Ballymacstoker beach in Co. Donegal, as seen from inside one of the three caves that open up to the beach. There were some nice waterfalls coming down the sides of caves.
This is the Giant's Causway!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged.
Not too much has changed really.
However, at one session, I played a solo on the flute. The other players were quite impressed, and another flute player asked if I gave lessons. He was just joking around, but maybe it's not a preposterous idea.
So, I'm going to try setting up some music lessons. There really doesn't seem to be many places to learn, other than slow sessions, and those don't concentrate on individual instruments. I'm planning to do some private lessons, as well as groups, for beginners and improvers on tin whistle, concert flute, and the bodhran. I put together a bunch of flyers, and put them up at the local music stores, coffee shops, some of the pubs, supermarkets, really anywhere with a bulletin board. There'll also be an ad out in the Galway Advertiser this Thursday, and it will run for a couple weeks. Hopefully, there will be good response. (so, if you know anyone in Galway looking for whistle lessons...)
Last night I was at The Crane, where a singer happening to be sitting beside me. After he sang a song, I asked him about singing sessions in Galway, and it came up that I sing myself. I ended up doing two songs over the night, "Old Brown's Daughter," and "Chicken on a Raft." They were both well recieved, since after banging a glass on a table, the whole pub shut up. Playing tunes is one thing, but singing songs for a pub full of people is a pretty good adrenaline rush! Turns out there aren't really any singing sessions going right now, but there are in Gort, and one on Co. Roscommon. I might be able to get a ride out there sometime to join in.
The World Bodhran Championship is coming up, so I'm practicing quite a bit. Right now, I'm focusing on getting my technique really solid. I'll put together something for the Solo category in a week or so, but for the general category I'm just going to wing it; there's really no time to do much else, as I have no idea what tunes I'll have to play against.
The competition is down in Milltown, Co. Kerry, over the May 29th weekend. For the Championship, I'll have to take a bus to Limerick, then transfer to another bus heading to Tralee. I picked up a fairly cheap solo tent, as there will be camping available close to the event, and should be a lot cheaper than a B & B. The tent will also come in handy for later traveling. I decided to test it out the other night. I had it all set up in the front yard, with my sleeping bag inside. However, when I got home from a session that night, there were gale force winds, rain and hail, and it was really cold. I spent three sleepless hours shivering in my sleeping bag in the tent (although I did stay dry), before calling it quits and going in the house. Tonight is a more typical night, so I'll be giving it another go.
A good friend of mine, Mathias Pielahn, is studying physics at the U of Winnipeg. He recently applied for a research position at the University in Sheffield, England, and he found out that he got in; no small feat, as only 12 people outside of England are picked each year. He'll be over sometime in June (I think), so I'm planning to meet up with him over there. Should be fun!
No pics this time, but I'll get some up during the week.
Not too much has changed really.
However, at one session, I played a solo on the flute. The other players were quite impressed, and another flute player asked if I gave lessons. He was just joking around, but maybe it's not a preposterous idea.
So, I'm going to try setting up some music lessons. There really doesn't seem to be many places to learn, other than slow sessions, and those don't concentrate on individual instruments. I'm planning to do some private lessons, as well as groups, for beginners and improvers on tin whistle, concert flute, and the bodhran. I put together a bunch of flyers, and put them up at the local music stores, coffee shops, some of the pubs, supermarkets, really anywhere with a bulletin board. There'll also be an ad out in the Galway Advertiser this Thursday, and it will run for a couple weeks. Hopefully, there will be good response. (so, if you know anyone in Galway looking for whistle lessons...)
Last night I was at The Crane, where a singer happening to be sitting beside me. After he sang a song, I asked him about singing sessions in Galway, and it came up that I sing myself. I ended up doing two songs over the night, "Old Brown's Daughter," and "Chicken on a Raft." They were both well recieved, since after banging a glass on a table, the whole pub shut up. Playing tunes is one thing, but singing songs for a pub full of people is a pretty good adrenaline rush! Turns out there aren't really any singing sessions going right now, but there are in Gort, and one on Co. Roscommon. I might be able to get a ride out there sometime to join in.
The World Bodhran Championship is coming up, so I'm practicing quite a bit. Right now, I'm focusing on getting my technique really solid. I'll put together something for the Solo category in a week or so, but for the general category I'm just going to wing it; there's really no time to do much else, as I have no idea what tunes I'll have to play against.
The competition is down in Milltown, Co. Kerry, over the May 29th weekend. For the Championship, I'll have to take a bus to Limerick, then transfer to another bus heading to Tralee. I picked up a fairly cheap solo tent, as there will be camping available close to the event, and should be a lot cheaper than a B & B. The tent will also come in handy for later traveling. I decided to test it out the other night. I had it all set up in the front yard, with my sleeping bag inside. However, when I got home from a session that night, there were gale force winds, rain and hail, and it was really cold. I spent three sleepless hours shivering in my sleeping bag in the tent (although I did stay dry), before calling it quits and going in the house. Tonight is a more typical night, so I'll be giving it another go.
A good friend of mine, Mathias Pielahn, is studying physics at the U of Winnipeg. He recently applied for a research position at the University in Sheffield, England, and he found out that he got in; no small feat, as only 12 people outside of England are picked each year. He'll be over sometime in June (I think), so I'm planning to meet up with him over there. Should be fun!
No pics this time, but I'll get some up during the week.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Its really nice to be out of the hostels!
I moved into my new room last week. It's great to have my clothes and things hanging up or put into drawers, rather than stuffed into my bag. The house itself is in Salthill, but it only takes 5 minutes or so to bike into town. There's only 5 people in the house, and everyone's pretty friendly, (and plays music!) so its been a fun place to live so far.
I'm still handing out CVs, busking, and playing at sessions. With the bike, I've been able to get to more places, as Galway is pretty small, but so far nothing has yet worked out. However, I think there must be more tourists out, as I was busking on Thursday afternoon, and made just as much as on a (normally busier) Saturday. I also found a session at the Western Hotel that pays all the musicians a small amount for the night, which is nice.
Most of the sessions in the pubs here seem to be regular gigs for a couple of players. The musicians come in on their night, play tunes, and are paid by the pub. But, since they're supposed to be ensuring the quality of the playing for the night, its usually those musicians that pick tunes for sets, as well as being the ones that get paid. It's still fun to play at these paid sessions, but it can feel a little like sitting in on a gig rather than a real session.
The session at the Western Hotel is fun, and thats why the people who play there, play there. They're also very encouraging to anyone who comes out, regardless of ability or skill level, which tends to create a good atmosphere.
While I'm here, I think I'm going to have a go at learning the melodeon, the one-row button accordion. Anders, in addition to playing them, repairs and restores accordions, and has a number of them lying around the house. The one I'm learning on is in D, so you can play most of the tunes, and work around tunes that need a C natural note. The D one row seems fairly popular around Galway, and likewise the two row C#/D, which would be easier to transition to than the slightly more common B/C box.
While busking, a guy I've run into at the folksinging sessions came up and asked if I'd play an event he's helping organize over the weekend. It seems to be a number of buskers, each playing their act in front of the the Galway Museum, as part of a series of free shows throughout Saturday afternoon. It's not paid exactly, but there's supposedly going to be a number of pails out where people can throw their money, sort like mass busking, the money being split up afterwards. I went to a rehearsal and met a couple other traditional musicians, so I think we'll play a couple of sets early in the afternoon. It might be fun, and I'll get some normal busking in during the morning, so if it turns out to go very badly I won't have wasted the whole day.
I'll try to get some new pictures up in the next couple day!
I moved into my new room last week. It's great to have my clothes and things hanging up or put into drawers, rather than stuffed into my bag. The house itself is in Salthill, but it only takes 5 minutes or so to bike into town. There's only 5 people in the house, and everyone's pretty friendly, (and plays music!) so its been a fun place to live so far.
I'm still handing out CVs, busking, and playing at sessions. With the bike, I've been able to get to more places, as Galway is pretty small, but so far nothing has yet worked out. However, I think there must be more tourists out, as I was busking on Thursday afternoon, and made just as much as on a (normally busier) Saturday. I also found a session at the Western Hotel that pays all the musicians a small amount for the night, which is nice.
Most of the sessions in the pubs here seem to be regular gigs for a couple of players. The musicians come in on their night, play tunes, and are paid by the pub. But, since they're supposed to be ensuring the quality of the playing for the night, its usually those musicians that pick tunes for sets, as well as being the ones that get paid. It's still fun to play at these paid sessions, but it can feel a little like sitting in on a gig rather than a real session.
The session at the Western Hotel is fun, and thats why the people who play there, play there. They're also very encouraging to anyone who comes out, regardless of ability or skill level, which tends to create a good atmosphere.
While I'm here, I think I'm going to have a go at learning the melodeon, the one-row button accordion. Anders, in addition to playing them, repairs and restores accordions, and has a number of them lying around the house. The one I'm learning on is in D, so you can play most of the tunes, and work around tunes that need a C natural note. The D one row seems fairly popular around Galway, and likewise the two row C#/D, which would be easier to transition to than the slightly more common B/C box.
While busking, a guy I've run into at the folksinging sessions came up and asked if I'd play an event he's helping organize over the weekend. It seems to be a number of buskers, each playing their act in front of the the Galway Museum, as part of a series of free shows throughout Saturday afternoon. It's not paid exactly, but there's supposedly going to be a number of pails out where people can throw their money, sort like mass busking, the money being split up afterwards. I went to a rehearsal and met a couple other traditional musicians, so I think we'll play a couple of sets early in the afternoon. It might be fun, and I'll get some normal busking in during the morning, so if it turns out to go very badly I won't have wasted the whole day.
I'll try to get some new pictures up in the next couple day!
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