Brewing Up A Good One

Liam O' Flynn and Sean Keane along with Laura Cortese and Paul Jennings braved the elements last night and served up a top class opening night to Fiddle Fair 2009.

The wind was blowing hard and it certainly wasn't typical Fiddle Fair weather for the inaugural Fiddle Fair Marquee show but a hardy audience wrapped up well and the music certainly helped to keep us warm (warmish anyway).

Laura Cortese is a true entertainer and a great fiddler with a beautiful voice, and along with Scottish beat box man Paul Jennings they charmed the audience with a great set.

Then it was time for Old School Traditional music of highest order. I'm sure it's been a while since Liam and Sean played in such wintry conditions but it didn't knock a stir out of them and they treated us to a very special concert. Beautiful tunes and such a comfort with each others playing that at times it seemed we were listening to one instrument.

So we're up and running and the weather's going to get better and if last night I anything to go by, Fiddle Fair 09 is going to be a good one.

Declan

Posted by Michael at 06:13 AM | Permalink

Master Class Schedule Announced

We are delighted to announce a top class line-up of Masters for our workshops this year. As well as four fiddle classes, we also have one for guitar.

The classes take place in beautiful locations around Baltimore including Inish Beg, Rolf's Country House, Glebe Gardens and Glenans Sailing School.

All of the classes are suitable for 'handy' or better players and places are strictly limited for each class so please make sure and book your place in advance.

The classes are €20 each with a discount for students.

The beautiful settings for our workshops are an integral part of the whole experience and we are very grateful for the generosity and hospitality of our host venues.

We hope that you enjoy them.

All workshops are €20 each. If you are a student you will receive a discount.

To sign up for any of the following classes please email declan@fiddlefair.com.

Friday
4pm - Old Time fiddle with Stephen 'Sammy' Lind at the Glebe Gardens

Saturday

11am - Cajun fiddle with Dirk Powell and Joel Savoy at Inish Beg
2pm - fiddle with Liz Carroll at Glenans Sailing School

Sunday

12pm - Sliabh Luachra fiddle with Matt Cranitch at Inish Beg
12pm - guitar with Ed Boyd at Rolfs Country House

Posted by Michael at 04:31 PM | Permalink

Fiddle Fair '09 Season Ticket Now Available

Having trouble trying to decide what shows to go to? Can't make up your mind which one to skip because they're all so fecking good?

Then do not fear because you can now but a weekend pass for the very reasonable price of €145! All 14 acts at all 8 concerts for just over a tenner each, sure where else would you get it?

Purchase your Fiddle Fair '09 Season Ticket Today!

Posted by Michael at 05:45 PM | Permalink

Concert for Seamus Creagh

I first met Seamus Creagh about 20 years ago when we opened the bar in Baltimore. He had of course been hanging out in these parts long before that after first coming here for a weekend in the late 60s. That weekend turned into several years where amongst other things he worked on the building of a new slipway, fished for Salmon, and famously delivered the post on Sherkin Island. Some of the islanders have lots of funny tales of their fiddle-playing postman but I'm not sure if they could be repeated here.

Although he moved on and spent time in Scotland, Newfoundland, Cork city, and most recently in Rylane, he always came back to Sherkin and Baltimore, and when we started to have live music in the bar he was one of the first people we asked.

He played at the very first Fiddle Fair and I remember many other sparkling concerts with people like Jackie Daly, Aidan Coffey, and Sean O Loinsigh. He was always willing to make the journey down whenever we asked him and with Seamus it was never about the money. His concerts were always packed because many of the locals who mightn't come to a lot of other gigs during the year always came out to see their old buddy. He was huge in Baltimore.

One show that particularly stands out though was when he brought some of his students from The West Cork School of Traditional Music to Fiddle Fair 2001 and he smiled like a proud parent as they played the tunes he had taught them. And it is as a fiddle teacher that many of us will remember him best.

Today all over Cork city and county there are people of all ages playing the fiddle who were taught by Seamus. I'm honoured to say that I am one of them.

I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that he was the most encouraging of teachers. It must be one of the hardest jobs in the world to listen to screech after scrape for hours on end but all you'd ever here from him was "Lovely" or "Christ you're doing grand". And I know he really enjoyed passing on the music of Slaibh Luachra to a new generation.

For me the highlight of each lesson was when he'd play you the tune. The sweetness of his music was incredible and to hear it up close in a classroom was pure magic.

Seamus left us many happy memories and a wonderfully rich legacy and as long as we play the tunes that he taught us, he will never truly die.

I hope to see you Saturday the 9th of May at 3:00 p.m. for a tribute concert by Any Old Time to our beloved teacher and friend.

Declan

Posted by Michael at 02:02 AM | Permalink

Prepare for an amazing Fiddle Fair 2009

Hello and welcome to the website for Fiddle Fair 2009.

After the tough winter that we've all had you'll be delighted to know that we've managed to secure an amazing line-up for this year's festival, which is now only a few short weeks away.

We're a little bit behind schedule this year in announcing the programme because we have been busy trying to secure a venue and the good news is that all of the concerts will once more take place in Baltimore.

For the first time our main venue will be a Fiddle Fair Marquee, at the back of Casey's Hotel and we will also be using our other amazing local venues including Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre and Dún na Séad Castle.

Every year it gets harder to match the quality of the previous years festival and especially after the phenomenal success of last year but we honestly feel that this year's line-up is extra special.

We kick off on Thursday 7th of May with the visit of two true legends of traditional Irish music. Liam O'Flynn and Sean Keane.

In the pantheon of traditional Irish groups they don't come much bigger than Planxty and The Chieftains and these two brilliant musicians have been spreading the gospel around the world for over 40 years. We are delighted to welcome Liam and Sean to Baltimore for their 1st Fiddle Fair appearance.

On Friday we have a mind-blowing array of Old Time and Cajun musicians from all over the States. One of our all time favourite groups is The Foghorn String Band and we're delighted to have Sammy and Caleb back again this year with some very special guests.

Joining The Foghorn Trio will .be the amazing fiddler from The Wilders, Betse Ellis. And then the incredible multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, accompanied by Joel Savoy from Louisiana will bring us the music of the Cajuns. Make sure to bring your dancing shoes.

On Saturday we move to the historic Dún na Séad Castle for the first of our lunchtime concerts, with Niamh NÍ Charra and Mike Galvin. An All-Ireland Champion fiddler and concertina player from Killarney, Niamh takes a break from touring with Carlos Nunez to play her first show at the Fiddle Fair.

On Saturday afternoon in Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre we are paying a small tribute to our great friend Seamus Creagh who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago. A master fiddler and storyteller, with extremely strong local connections, Seamus played at lots of Fiddle Fair's over the years and was a major help to us in the early days back in the bar.

It is as a teacher that many of us will remember him best though and today there are countless fiddle players of all ages in Cork city and county who were taught by Seamus. His spirit will live on always through their music.

For today's concert we are delighted to welcome back three great friends of his who also have very strong Fiddle Fair credentials, Matt Crannitch, Dave Hennessy and Mick Daly otherwise known as Any Old Time, This legendary Cork based trio still hold the record for most consecutive Fiddle Fair appearances and are my Dad's all-time favourite band.

On Saturday night back at Fiddle Fair Marquee we have two very exciting boy bands. Fidil are 3 young lads from Donegal. Fiddlers Ciarán O Maonaigh, Aodan O'Donnell and Damien McGeehan are rapidly forging a reputation for exhilarating and challenging music that draws on the rich heritage of their native place.

Lau are a formidable union of three of the finest and most innovative exponents of modern traditional music in Scotlland today and have just won Best Group for the second successive year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

They are Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke - absolutely not to be missed

The last day of Fiddle Fair 09 kicks off with an 'Early Music' concert at Dún na Séad Castle. Long time Fiddle Fair collaborator Marja Gaynor of Polskadots and Interference fame and her 4-piece Taffel Consort will perform early 17th century music on Baroque Violins, Lutes Viols and Medieval Harp. This will be the first time we feature this music at the Fiddle Fair but perhaps not the first time it's been played on this historic site.

On Sunday afternoon back at the amphitheatre we feature what must be the largest group ever to appear at the Fiddle Fair - Les Violons du Rigodon are an 18-piece fiddle band from the Alpine region of France. No matter where you go in the world, Mountain Music is usually where it's at and this spectacular group will certainly make a large impression.

Spoken of as 'the next big thing' Sam Amidon is an American Singer and multi-instrumentalist who's repertoire is made up of adapted American folk songs, but he puts a unique stamp on the material with his gentle, eerily deadpan voice and subtle arrangements. We're delighted that he's heard of us and even more delighted that he's coming.

On Sunday night we have yet another amazing concert at the Fiddle Fair Marquee. We have always wanted to have a Swedish act at the festival and particularly one featuring the Nykleharpa (a keyed fiddle exclusive to Sweden).

For over 20 years Vasen have been enchanting audiences around the world and more than one critic has dubbed them 'the best band in the world'.

Shamefully they have only ever been to Ireland once before so we are especially delighted to welcome them to Baltimore.

And finally, we have a World Premier to bring the curtain down on Fiddle Fair 2009.

Created by brothers Niall and Caoimhín Vallely, Buille are a 4-piece band that also includes Flook's Ed Boyd on guitar and Brian Morrissey on bodhrán. While based in traditional Irish forms, their music draws on a wide range of influences from the worlds of jazz and classical music and they are one of the most exciting Irish bands to emerge in the last 10 years

Especially for Fiddle Fair 09 the lads have put a show together with a stellar string section comprising of Zoe Conway, Oleg Ponomarev (who played at Fiddle Fair no.1 with the Russian band Loyko), Cian O'Duill and Kate Ellis

Buille with Strings should provide a cracking finale to this year's festival.

I hope to see you here in May.

Declan McCarthy

Posted by Michael at 03:13 PM | Permalink

2008 photos

Photos from Fiddle Fair 2008 are now available for viewing.

Posted by Michael at 09:12 PM | Permalink

Casey's to host Moonlighting

Moonlighting are in Casey's of Baltimore on Saturday 21 February. For reservations please contact Casey's of Baltimore.

"Together, this quintet created an electrical storm that hasn't been witnessed since the flute/fiddle/guitar heyday of The Bothy Band." -- Siobhán Long, Irish Times

Born out of an impromptu appearance at the opening concert at Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, a sensational grouping of musicians have come together to form a very special band.

Altan's Ciaran Tourish and Dermot Byrne team up with flute-player Mike McGoldrick, bodhran maestro John Joe Kelly and Dublin born guitarist John Doyle.

The fiddle and accordion virtuosity of Tourish and Byrne combining with the remarkable flute playing of McGoldrick and all underpinned by a sensational rhythm section, as well as John Doyle's great vocals, make Moonlighting the most exciting band to appear in the traditional scene for a very long time

Joining the group in Casey's is guitarist Donogh Hennessey.

Posted by Michael at 07:53 PM | Permalink

Fiddle Fair '08 Wrap

Carbon Footprints are very topical these days and our resident Californian Webmaster Michael feels so strongly about this issue that he eschewed his flight home and instead hitched a ride on a freighter out of Cobh bound for Juneau Alaska.

He has only just arrived back in San Francisco so apologies for the delay in posting our report (photos, video, and audio to come in a few weeks) from what was quite simply the best Fiddle Fair ever.

Of course we were unsure how the major change in format this year was going to work but we needn't have worried. All of the shows up the road in The West Cork Hotel were amazing while Baltimore was buzzing all weekend with mighty music, beautiful weather and a great atmosphere.

During the weekend we saw a lucky 13 very special acts in 8 very special concerts as well as at least 20 sessions of the highest quality (the best of these was probably Archie's song and dance routine at 8am on the Monday morning down in the Granville Girl's house)

Two of Donegal's finest musicians Mairéad Ni Mhaonaigh and Manus Lunny got things off to a great start when they gave us a glimpse of the material on Mairéad's forthcoming solo album. Haunting vocals and Donegal grooves. What a beautiful lady!

Annbjørg Lien and Bjørn Ole Rasch became 'Paddy's' for the weekend and were spotted in several kitchens around West Cork. They charmed us all with their magical music and we're thinking of organizing a Fiddle Fair Field Trip to Norway pretty soon.

Over 300 kids attended the schools concert on Friday morning and were treated to music from Mairéad, Annbjørg and the 'straight off the plane' Republic Of Strings. This audience was very knowledgeable regarding music and was not easily impressed but eventually we won them over.

On Friday night the amazing Bríd Harper played an electrifying set with Marty Meehan and PJ McDonald. Savage tunes from the north of the country. PJ was a great mc and did most of the talking but I don't think anyone in the audience understood a word.

Next up were the wonderful Republic of Strings and their spiritual leader Darol Anger. We're always that bit extra excited when we host Irish Premieres and present someone making their first ever Irish appearance and we were all blown away by this remarkable group. Top class musicians and great craic as well, I'd be pretty confident we'll be seeing more of this Republican Expeditionary Force at future Fiddle Fairs.

The first of the Baltimore gigs was the Kerry sisters Aoife and Deirdre Granville's lunchtime concert at Dún na Séad Castle on the Saturday. Most if not all of the audience was in attendance well before the girls arrived (they hadn't been up late or anything) but after drinking about 18 pints of water they treated everyone to a beautiful show.

Up to the courtyard at the Glebe Café for the afternoon show where The Polskadots played a rollicking set for a packed and appreciative audience, These gals, along with Gorgeous George from Georgia, made many friends down here at Fiddle Fair '06 and made many more this year.

Back into Skibb for the Saturday night concert that was kicked off by the truly remarkable Jerry Holland and John Doyle. Jerry has been battling a serious illness for some time now and we were delighted and honoured that he made a visit to the Fiddle Fair. It's not just his beautiful music but his dignity and warm personality that will live long in our memories. As for John Doyle, he's just a genius.

They were followed by another group that were making their Irish debut, the brilliant Galician 7-piece, Berroguetto
Regular visitors to the Fiddle Fair from the musical instrument fraternity such as fiddles and accordions shared the stage with occasional dabblers drums and keyboards and total newcomers like Galician pipes and hurdy gurdys. The whole room rocked.

As we entered the final day only the hardiest were surviving. The shit hot late night sessions were taking their toll and stubble and smelly socks were beginning to appear. Thankfully the sun was shining, which always helps, and huge crowds were ascending on Baltimore.

Michelle O'Brien and myself were fairly nervous that morning because Leonard Barry was at a wedding the day before in Limerick and we reckoned he definitely wouldn't show. I had just managed to coerce Archie into stepping up to the plate when Leonard arrived looking fresh as a daisy. Straight out with the pipes and himself and Michelle gave us another mighty gig at the Castle.

Up to the Glebe again then for the Amphitheatre Concert featuring Laura Cortese, Caoímhín Ó Raghallaigh agus Breandán Begley, and our number one Fiddle student Jeremy Irons. A magical afternoon indeed!

An enormous crowd came to see this show, (obviously to see Brendan Begley) and we hope that the Fiddle Fair has found some new friends who may come back again, even if we don't have an Oscar winner on the bill.

Some great singing, fiddling and bodhran playing, followed by some more great fiddling, box playing, singing and dancing, followed the dulcet tones of Jeremiah reciting some poetry, and all topped off with a tune by Caoímhín, Breandán, Martin, Dennis, and Jeremy.

This surely was one of the all-time great Fiddle Fair gigs

That was soon challenged however by our finale at The West Cork. The atmosphere had really been building all weekend and the place was buzzing even before the Tip Kliphuis Trio took to the stage. Again there's always a special excitement when we introduce someone that most, if not all of the audience has never heard of. No preconceptions on either side of the stage and a sense of adventure in the room. Tim and the boys treated us to what for many was the highlight of the weekend. Playing the music of Stephane Grappelli they soon had everyone swinging and imagining they were in Paris in the 1940's - at least I was anyway

Finally the living legends Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill took us home. From the second they began to play a slow air called 'The Windswept Hills at Tulla' they had us. And everyone was spellbound by their hauntingly beautiful music. Towards the end they were joined by Darol, Caoímhín, and Tim for a truly memorable magical finale.

Phew!

As well as the amazing concerts we saw about 5000 sessions over the weekend - a great late night one in The West Cork (or several) stand out and I hear there was some great ones rocking the village for the weekend.

Just about the only bad thing about running this Fiddle Fair is that I can't get to see every single thing - it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it

I did have the pleasure of witnessing what was one of the highlights of the weekend though - the by now annual appearance at the early Monday morning session of the redoubtable Liam 'Archie' Cotter giving it loads while the rest of the village were turning up for work.

Maps: It was brought to my attention by Jean from Scotland that some of you had difficulty following my expertly drawn map on the back of the programme this year.

Jean and at least one other gentleman (so she claims) followed my directions for the Síbin and ended up in Tragumna! At least the weather was nice and I did see Jean later that night walking with what looked suspiciously like a guide dog

We're not sure how it happens but each year's festival truly does seem to get better and better and I think the 'pressure' of living up to previous ones is what drives us on - we're very like the Munster rugby team really.

I do know though that this Fiddle Fair wouldn't be what it is without the audiences we get from all over the place, especially those of you who travel great distances to be here and those who come back every year, Thank You!

If you have any thoughts or ideas for us we'd love to hear them - just sign up to the guestbook on the website and let us know. This will also keep you informed about other events we are involved in like Cork x Southwest, Glebe Gardens Summer Series, and a very special Fiddle Fair Showcase Tour that'll be happening in September.

You might even get the odd piece of Baltimore Gossip before it breaks in the mainstream media.

That's about all for now. Thanks again for visiting the Fiddle Fair and I look forward to seeing you down here in 2009.

All the best,

Declan

PS - If you see Michael walking around California put him on a bus

PPS - The photos from Fiddle Fair 2008 will be online in a few weeks

Posted by Michael at 09:29 PM | Permalink