Itm festivals in ireland

[TimPiazza]

Well, February has come around, and I guess I need to start making plans to use those airline tickets I bought a few months ago. I'm off to Ireland for 2 weeks, and checking the calendar, I see three really interesting traditional music festivals going on while I'm there.

Is anybody from the café going to be at any of these events? If so, I'd enjoy the chance to say "hi" and perhaps share a tune.

Micho Russell Festival in Doolin: http://www.michorussellweekend.ie/index.html

The Gathering in Killarney: http://www.thegathering.ie/

Corofin Traditional Festival: http://www.corofintradfest.com/

At this point, I'm leaning toward The Gathering and definitely Corofin, mostly because I can take a couple of workshops, which are always great experiences for me. My plans are otherwise pretty flexible, and if there's a chance to meet up with any fellow mandolin enthusiasts while I'm getting good and lost between Galway and Cork, I'd regret not seizing upon the opportunity.

Tim

[POB]

Hi Tim. I do a session in the Crane Bar in Galway on Monday nights with another mandolin player (I play mostly guitar at that). Feel free to drop in with your mandolin if you're around.

[ruraltradpunk]

I sent off an email re: registering for the banjo workshop at the Corofin Trad fest, so I may be going to that on the Saturday if it's not full already.

Jill

[TimPiazza]

Thank you for the invitation, Pádraig, I will mark it on my calendar and try my best to make my swing through Galway on Feb 25th. As it turns out, that's the only Monday evening I'll be on the ground, and I need to get to Cork early in the week, but maybe I'll do that a little later in the week.

Tim

[TimPiazza]

Hey Jill, will you be hanging out at Corofin for the week, or just for the workshop? I'm going to try getting there Thursday so that I can catch At The Racket and stay through Sunday night. I'm wondering if I've waited too long to book a B&B though. If I need to stay down the road a ways, I don't mind, but it'll definitely cut down on the quantity of Guinness I'll want to consume.

I'll be bringing a mandolin with me (they might not let me on RyanAir with a banjo) and a fiddle as well. I plan on taking the fiddle workshop since that's where I need the most help. 8-)

Tim

[ruraltradpunk]

Probably will only be in Corofin for the Saturday (that said, I still haven't heard back about the workshop yet - there's only 10 spots available, so alas, might be all taken...) It's about a 90 minute drive from my house, so what with work/school (I've a Genetics exam a few days later!) I should sensibly limit meself to just the one day...

Jill

[TimPiazza]

I've been having a tough time deciding which mandolin to bring. First it was going to be the Sobell, because it has the sturdiest case. But it also weighs a ton, and RyanAir charges a fortune for overweight bags. Then I decided that my very first mandolin, a Flatiron "frying pan"--the one that I ended up jamming with Pete Seeger at 2AM with, just a few days after taking it up. But after stringing it up with new J-74's, it's got the volume, but not the depth of tone I've grown used to. Now I've settled on the Old Wave A style, as a compromise between the two. It's got the coolness factor of the Sobell, but will fit in a lighter case. There's a little more risk of "crunch" in the cargo hold, but it'll be packed with a similar fiddle case--between the two, they will at best, pad each other, and at worst, share their misery.

I leave in less than a week and plans are just starting to take shape. 3 days around Killarney and Dingle, 3 days around Cork and Skibbereen, 4 days around Ennis and Doolin. I have 3 days at the front of the trip to sort out, and I'm not sure where to go.

Any good suggestions for great music and interesting places away from the crowds?

Tim