Concertina Things in Ireland?

[Cathasach]

I'm going to be in Ireland(for the first time) in October this year and I was wondering if there's any must do concertina related events or places I should go?

[Peter Laban]

The most concertina specific events on the calendar are the Cruinniu and Consairtín, in February and April/May respectively.  The big Summerschools are, well,  confined to summer, festival season peters out during September and  October is pretty much a time of winding down, although there are some outliers like the Cooley-Collins thing around Gort  and Padraig O Keeffe in Castleisland (hardly concertina focussed though). There may be some small, local music events but nothing major or concertina specific jumps out right now, but then, I may be overlooking something.

Edited July 30 by Peter Laban

[Peter Laban]

Just to add a bit on the Padraig O Keeffe thing. I said it isn't particularly concertina focused but there is a number of concertinaplayers in the line up: Eimhear Flannery, Liam O'Brien, Lily O'Connor, Eoin Begley  and Michelle O Sullivan among them. So there's that. You could do a lot worse. They'll  probably each have designated sessions in various pubs, if you are into that sort of thing.

Edited July 31 by Peter Laban

[PaulDa321]

I just got back a couple days ago. I went to the Irish Concertina Company in Dublin and enjoyed it. It’s so rare to show up at a shop with concertinas just sitting on a shelf for you to try. I don’t think they get the attention they deserve either. 

[wunks]

Visiting Ireland is itself a "concertina related " event.  The concertina is a port key, an interpreter of the Ambient.  The first time I hitchhiked around the "emerald isle" in the 70's it was still painted wagons, painted sheep, old men thatching roofs, road(?) signs switched the wrong way, palm trees in Dublin and bombed out gas stations in Belfast.  The pubs I went to all had 3 piece Johnny Cash cover bands.  Sweet and bitter and magical....

[Peter Laban]

It's no longer the nineteen seventies.It's a different country now.  And the number of concertinaplayers has exploded since.

Edited August 5 by Peter Laban

[Cathasach]

On 8/2/2024 at 9:43 PM, PaulDa321 said:

I just got back a couple days ago. I went to the Irish Concertina Company in Dublin and enjoyed it. It’s so rare to show up at a shop with concertinas just sitting on a shelf for you to try. I don’t think they get the attention they deserve either. 

Going to shops is definitely going to be a highlight.

[Peter Laban]

On 8/6/2024 at 5:33 AM, Cathasach said:

Going to shops is definitely going to be a highlight.

Custy's in Ennis is the obvious one to visit.

 

Most music shops aren't specifically geared towards traditional music and only have generic mass produced stuff (or McNeela things).   Powell's in Galway, perhaps, if you are there, for a look at books and cds, I don't recall any interesting concertinas in there. But YMMV, familiarity...  and all that. I am limited in my experience with  music shops outside the Limerick-Clare-Galway area.

Edited August 7 by Peter Laban

[Can the Man]

I think if you spend time around some of the villages in Co. Clare like Miltown Malbay there are numerous pubs that have music from typically Thursday to Sunday night and invariably there will be concertinas being played. Make sure you visit the small museum in Miltown Malbay called the Music Makers of West Clare, they have a fantastic collection of concertinas on display, they don’t have a website but do have a facebook page you could look them up on Google. BTW Friels pub in MM is one of the best places for music and best pint of Guinness in the area. 😁

[Peter Laban]

20 hours ago, Can the Man said:

Make sure you visit the small museum in Miltown Malbay called the Music Makers of West Clare, they have a fantastic collection of concertinas on display,

The concertinas  on display are a part of the collection of a forum member here. I am not sure I'd call it a  'Museum', it's more a visitor's centre but YMMV.  The music makers is part of Oidreacht an Chláir and supports the work of that organisation. OAC, among other things, is responsible for the Concertina Cruinniu.

 

They do the odd Friday night song and tunes concert as well but I am not sure that has started again, I often miss them because I am not a Facebook user. The ones I do catch are always worthwhile. [Just to add:  I looked it up, there's  a songs and tunes  night on coming Friday but no concertina involved. Last Friday of the month is probably right,  for future reference]

 

Glór in Ennis is starting a series of monthly  duet concerts, 'Just the two'  on 4 October, that may be earth checking when in the area.  Edel Fox and Neil Byrne are starting off this run. Liam O Brien will be in a later concert. Check glor.ie

 

Edited September 24 by Peter Laban

[Stephen Chambers]

On 9/23/2024 at 8:22 PM, Can the Man said:

Make sure you visit the small museum in Miltown Malbay called the Music Makers of West Clare, they have a fantastic collection of concertinas on display...

 

Thanks, they're only a small part of my research collection of early free-reed instruments, and they have a few more antique instruments of mine there too (a fiddle, 8-key flute, etc.) - in fact pretty much all their "museum" of instruments are mine, as far as I know.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7 by Stephen Chambers

[Peter Laban]

On 9/23/2024 at 10:56 PM, Peter Laban said:

Glór in Ennis is starting a series of monthly  duet concerts, 'Just the two'  on 4 October, that may be earth checking when in the area.  Edel Fox and Neil Byrne are starting off this run. Liam O Brien will be in a later concert. Check glor.ie

 

Edel Fox and her husband Neil Byrne played their concert last night. It was a wonderful night. Great selection of tunes, loads of compositions by the Dwyers, Charlie Lennon , Joe Liddy and others. Complex, notey music on some level  but the affinity between the two players  providing great heart and warmth.

Liam O'Brien and Deirdre Hurley are on next, on 1 November, but that may be outside the timeframe requested by the OP. The concert after that will feature yet another concertina  player : Méabh Mulligan, who will appear with Andtew Hendy.

Edited October 5 by Peter Laban

[Peter Laban]

This kind of thread always leaves you wondering if things turned out as hoped.

 

Also : Just in case anyone was planning on going, the Liam O'Brien gig on Friday has been postponed until November  15th.

Edited October 31 by Peter Laban

[Cathasach]

The trip as a whole turned out wonderful though I didn't get to do as much concertina related things as I'd have liked. I did make some trad musician friends and learn a couple new songs and sat in on a few sessions.