ireland

[edawg]

i enjoy traditional irish music, i know they use a bazookie (sp?) but ive also seen em use mandos too. im headed out there in march for st. pattys day and was wondering if any of you have been to any music shops or bars with good music, dublin specifically.

and for those of you did that have been out that way, what were the prices of your flights and when did you go..im watching the airfare fluxuation (its only gone up http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif ).

[Stillpicking]

Edawg,

We have been to Ireland 3 times over the last 15 years all during the summer months. Our times in Dublin were usually short as we traveled to the west of Ireland for most of our stays. On the west coast you will find a good amount of music, Doolin is famous for music. They have a great pub close to the sea that has had music played there for over 100 years, very cool.
When we were in Dublin we didn't stay long enough to catch a lot of music but I am sure there is plenty there.

MAS got me in a small shop in Dublin called John McNeill Musical Instruments 140 Chapel St. # I walked in and walked out with a 100 YR old 12 string . This music shop has been in business since around 1834 in the same location !

Attached is a print I created of the "Irish 12 String" #I got there.

Air fare is probably way off as the last time we went over was before 9/11 so the prices I have won't mean much. Try checking Air #Lingus (again spelling?) #we went with them several times and they were great!!

Have fun as I am sure you will!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Martin Jonas]

On the west coast you will find a good amount of music, Dooland (spelling ?) is famous for music. They have a great pub close to the sea that has had music played there for over 100 years, very cool.
Doolin, in County Clare (close to the Cliffs of Moher). I've been to some great sessions there, but be aware that it's very packed in summer and very touristy. As the tourists expect a session, the landlords make sure there are session musicians there by booking and paying them, so it's in some way closer to a free concert than a spontaneous session. Good music, though.

Martin

[mancmando]

I agree with Martinjonas, county claire is probably the best place for lots of good irish music (although you can get it in most parts of ireland), and the best time to be there is at the Ennis tradfest in November. Went there last year and had a great time, it is a real musicians festival with something like 20 pub sessions going on at any one time...

A good tip for finding sessions in general though is to ask in music shops (either musical instrument or recorded music)... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[edawg]

damn, a 12 string beast!
thanks for all of your input...thats exactly what i was looking for here

[mikeyes]

Frankly, the summer is not the best time to go to Ireland if you want to play music. I went in January of this year when the Aer Lingus prices were at their lowest ($244 round trip to Shannon from Chicago) as was the tourist population. As a result I was able to attend a session a day if I wanted to without all the drunken Americans and Germans (they are big into being "celts" is seems) and with all the craic you would ever want.
We stayed in Dingle for most of the trip at John Benny's which is a pub and apartments run by a musician and then moved on to Doolin and Ennis the last few days. In Doolin I played with a great banjo player named Kevin Griffin (who is well known in bano circles and has several CDs)in a spontaneous tourist free session and then moved on to Ennis where I found a very friendly session by asking at Custy's.
It was so friendly that when I showed up without my instrument and they found out I was a musician, one of the members drove me back to the hotel and insisted I play with them.
As for Dublin, if you like big cities with a comparable crime rate and high prices, you are welcome to it. The music is in the country where it was invented and the people are much more laid back. Where do you think Dubliners go when they have the chance?

Mike Keyes

[Jeff Baldwin]

If you are in Dublin, check out the Walton music store. Walton is a big
musical publisher (the Mel Bay of Ireland) but the store in Dublin had
a number of interesting instruments. I played several mandolins made in ireland and scotland ( the first Jimmie Moon instruments I had seen or played) Worth a look.

Trad music in Dublin? You'll have to ask about. Finding a good session is
hard.

[J. Mark Lane]

I would tend to agree -- get out of Dublin and go West. We found very nice music in Dingle (ask around). That part of the country tends to attract a lot of good traditional culture -- art, music, etc. Plus, it's just amazingly beautiful. Enjoy your trip!

Mark (whose daughter is named after County Clare)

[edawg]

well, my gf and i are headed to ireland in march for st. pattys day, before we head over to amsterdam for http://www.amsterjam.net/

we are definitely going to rent a car for a day or 2 and head out west, but we dont know exactly where. i wouldnt want to go in the winter (any unGOLFable month).

thanks again though. you guys are a lot of help

[mikeyes]

If you were as fanatic as my family is about golf, you could still play in January in the south due to the presence of the Gulf Stream 10 miles off shore. The temperature was in the 50's while I was there in January, of course it reached into the 30's and the wind was force 5 at one point, but that shouldn't stop you. Besides, a day on the golf course is wasting a day of music and talk in the pub so you would want to only play one time while in Ireland, right? <G>

Sometimes we have to make the hard choices.

[edawg]

im also afraid to drive in the right side of the car, on the left side of the road.

i hope its not stick http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[steve V. johnson]

Rental cars (called 'hire cars") are standard transmissions ("stick") unless you pay extra for an automatic. We've been over each year for the last three, but we've never been to Dublin. We fly into Shannon, pick up our car and go to Ennis to stay a day or two until the ten-hour flight lag wears off. We pre-book our lodgings in Ennis before we go, and we usually spend two days there at the end before we fly back, just to re-pack, ship gifts back and do any last-minute laundry. That's usually not the only time we spend in Ennis, because there are great sessions there and we've made some great friends.

We went in April the first two trips, but in Febr and March last time to spend time with friends and attend a festival in Killarney. I have a tough time imagining going in the summer, tho many of the places we go are pretty out-of-the-way, and folks say that tourists never get there.

My wife (the amazing Min Gates) is very good at driving over there. She says there are two functional 'rules':

1) Always look out the driver's side first (just like in the States!), and

2) The driver is always in the center of the road. (just like in the States! <GG>)

'Course... if you stay in Dublin, you won't -have- to drive... <GGG> The buses are pretty good among the main towns, and cheap. There are nice sessions in Galway, too.

Just wander about, you'll love it.

stv