tmborden Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 my wife and i are going to Ireland for two weeks (end of January, early February) next month, the sole purpose of which is to tour around in a rental car sampling the best Guiness and sessions that Ireland's pubs have to offer. i'm not sure if anyone has done a thread on this forum about this but i would love to hear from everyone about what they recommend - all the wheres and whats and hows of touring Ireland's best sessions. thanks in advance, looking forward to hearing all your thoughts. cheers, tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Evans Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 You may want to check out the "Sessions In A Changing Ireland" thread on page two. I think the floors are no longer slippery with blood . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 You may want to check out the "Sessions In A Changing Ireland" thread on page two. I think the floors are no longer slippery with blood . No, anything but that! Though I'm afraid that many sessions in Ireland are in abeyance at the moment; many of the higher profile ones (at least around here) only take place during the summer months, when the publican is guaranteed an audience. Mind you, there are still some worthwhile ones, even now, but it might need the help of local knowledge to find them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmborden Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 thanks for the information, i read thru the previous thread with interest. for the record, my wife and i will be strictly listeners at any sessions we're lucky enough to find. i'm a beginner concertina player, i often listen in on the wonderful sessions that jack gilder and his tipsy house comrades lead at the plough & stars in san francisco. hoping to find some nice quiet sessions to enjoy on our brief trip around Ireland. perhaps we can pick the brains of some of the locals like peter laban or cocusflute to find a few smaller sessions that may be happening? any local guidance would be greatly appreciated. bouncing from village to village with a few sessions to chase down seems like as good a roadmap as any to get us exploring the country for the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidjit Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 (edited) Whatch out for the fake ones. Just for the Turists. Usually one or two guys trying o get you to join in. They are paid to be there you are not. There's a lot llike that in Dublin, Lisdoonvarn and Doolin too. Etc. Chas Edited December 22, 2007 by fidjit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter Laban Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 You may want to check out the "Sessions In A Changing Ireland" thread on page two. I think the floors are no longer slippery with blood . No, anything but that! Though I'm afraid that many sessions in Ireland are in abeyance at the moment; many of the higher profile ones (at least around here) only take place during the summer months, when the publican is guaranteed an audience. Mind you, there are still some worthwhile ones, even now, but it might need the help of local knowledge to find them... Come on Steve, Friel's has music every night over the christmas: Kevin Crawford and James Cullinan on thursday, Padraig MacMathuna and Tony Linnane next, Brid Donohue & Bernadette McCarthy on their regular day, John Kelly on sunday pluis whoever drops in to join ofcourse etc etc. No shortage at all. Mind you, by the end of January people will still be getting over the christmas and things will lie low for a bit. The best sessions in my experience organise themselves at the last minute descend on a place unannounced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 (edited) I'm afraid that many sessions in Ireland are in abeyance at the moment; many of the higher profile ones (at least around here) only take place during the summer months, when the publican is guaranteed an audience. Mind you, there are still some worthwhile ones, even now, but it might need the help of local knowledge to find them... Come on Steve, Friel's has music every night over the christmas... No shortage at all. Peter, In the big scheme of things, lots of people have never heard of Friel's (nor even Miltown Malbay) and you'd need local knowledge to realise that what is known as "Friel's" is the pub with the old name Lynch over the door and which now advertises itself as Lynch's under the new owners... And isn't Christmas the only other time "when the publican is guaranteed an audience"? But when I said "around here" I was speaking of where I live, around Kilrush and Kilkee, and most people don't realise that there isn't music in (say) Crotty's or Buggle's all year round, but only for 3 months during the summer, and nothing the rest of the time. However, though those "high profile" traditional music pubs are without music, it is of course still to be found... Mind you, by the end of January people will still be getting over the christmas and things will lie low for a bit. The best sessions in my experience organise themselves at the last minute descend on a place unannounced , and isn't that just the time that Tom is asking about? Edited December 23, 2007 by Stephen Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter Laban Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 (edited) But when I said "around here" I was speaking of where I live, around Kilrush and Kilkee, and most people don't realise that there isn't music in (say) Crotty's or Buggle's all year round, but only for 3 months during the summer, and nothing the rest of the time. sad.gif And weren't you one of them until you moved there and found out You did say 'at the moment' and that's what I responded to. The place is full of posters advertising music. Where I live, only half an hour up the road really. Jackie Daly is in the Crosses and Brid and Bernadette are in Friel's all year round (and yes, everybody here still calls it 'Friel's'). But I get your drift, and point. Have a good one by the way: Edited December 22, 2007 by Peter Laban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmborden Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Sounds like we will need to play it by ear and get as much last minute local information as we can on the fly, which is fine by us. Many thanks in advance to anyone local who might be willing to offer us info when we arrive - let me know and I will send you a personal message/post through the forum sometime after Christmas. And any pre-trip advice about which villages or towns to make sure to wander through would be great. Cocuflute has already let me know that he will be in the State at that time, but he did give me some good advice first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 (edited) But when I said "around here" I was speaking of where I live, around Kilrush and Kilkee, and most people don't realise that there isn't music in (say) Crotty's or Buggle's all year round, but only for 3 months during the summer, and nothing the rest of the time. sad.gif And weren't you one of them until you moved there and found out Actually, no. I'd found out that there wasn't music in those places all the year around, but what I didn't know was about the low profile sessions that do go on all the year around, like those at The Dugout and The Percy French in Kilrush, O'Keefe's in Cooraclare, Moroney's in Mullagh etc. Jackie Daly is in the Crosses and Brid and Bernadette are in Friel's all year round... And I might well show my face at one, or both yet tonight. Though last Saturday I took my new concertina out to the Percy French to try it out (huge success!) and the week before it was the Kilmaley Inn for the Paddy Murphy CD launch. Though there you go again with "local names" for pubs, perhaps I should inform our listeners that "the crosses" is the pub officially named "The Crosses of Annagh", to the south of Miltown Malbay. Have a good one by the way: And many happy returns! Edited December 23, 2007 by Stephen Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 When I did a tour of Southern Ireland with my wife we found it very disappointing as far as Traditional Music was concerned.I expected it in almost every pub ,but of course it is not. Many had heavily amplified groups playing modern music and I had great difficulty in finding the type of music I wanted to hear.We did find a few dances which were enjoyable and what really surprised me was the family participation and strong enthusiasm to try and integrate and teach youngsters the dances.Our first night luckily was in Dublin and attended a packed out pub that had an Irish session and amongst the players an English Concertina player.It was he that told me about the Willy Clancy Festival and that formed part of our very enjoyable stay in Ireland .The friendly way I was received took me a little by surprise,it is not usual in Britain for a bloke to put his arm around you as a greeting (well certainly not in the pubs I go in). The music and musicians are treated with great respect and it was a pleasure to be there. I hope someday to go again ,but I am still getting over the journey to Fishguard. Have a great time Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Button Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hi Tom, I've done all of my excursions to Ireland during winter, and a few during January, February and March. My mo has been to find a session in the first destination, (usually Dublin or Ennis where they're easy to find,) and then ask people at the session where I can find a good session at my next destination. In Dublin the Cobblestone in Smithfield is a good starting point, and in Ennis Cruises, Brogan's or a number of other pubs will have a good session. In Ennis you can also go to Custy's Music and ask John where the sessions are in town or around the area. Galway also seemed to have plenty of sessions, and the old town center is very nice, but asking the locals once you find your first session is very helpful. You may even stumble onto one of the sessions Peter describes. You might also ask for advice on this thread about accommodations since we have locals in the areas and you might be visiting as members here. There might be good hostels or self-catering deals that time of year. Also, when you hire a car make sure to use a platinum credit card so your insurance is covered. If you have to buy insurance from the car hire it’s much more expensive. Have a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reid Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Also, when you hire a car make sure to use a platinum credit card so your insurance is covered. If you have to buy insurance from the car hire it’s much more expensive. My understanding is that no American credit card companies will cover rental car insurance in Ireland anymore. I checked before going to Ireland this past summer, and none of my cards, including a platinum Visa, provide this coverage. I also checked with my regular auto insurance company (State Farm)--again, no coverage. So I bought the super-deluxe-ultimate daily coverage from Hertz--which, it turned out, didn't really cover everything: Wheels and tires were specifically excluded. So when I had a blowout that couldn't be repaired, I had to pay out-of-pocket for a rather expensive tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 (edited) The friendly way I was received took me a little by surprise,it is not usual in Britain for a bloke to put his arm around you as a greeting (well certainly not in the pubs I go in). Al, You should come to Paris with me sometime if you think that's friendly, there are a couple of musicians there (blokes!) who give me a big hug and a kiss on each cheek... I bought the super-deluxe-ultimate daily coverage from Hertz--which, it turned out, didn't really cover everything: Wheels and tires were specifically excluded. So when I had a blowout that couldn't be repaired, I had to pay out-of-pocket for a rather expensive tire. Michael, It sounds like you might have had rather a too-close encounter with one of our notorious "potholes" in the road? Though to put that into context: Maybe I've been lucky, but in 30 years of driving on Irish roads I've never managed to damage a tyre, even though I drive quite fast on bad roads, and when I hire a car I only ever take out the minimum coverage. Mind you, having said that I'll probably now go out and wreck a whole set of tyres tomorrow... Edited December 27, 2007 by Stephen Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aogan Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 With regard to the car. Book online and you can get very reasonable insurance. Make sure you're getting an SCDW (super collision damage waiver). Then you can all but torch the car in the rental lot before handing back the keys and they won't charge you a penny. As for the sessions - no insurance policy in the world will cover you there Seriously - In Dublin city, The Cobblestone pub in Smithfield is definitely worth a look. High quality music there almost ever night. And not far from there is a pub called Hughes on Chancery Street. Again very good music nightly. Micheal O Raghallaigh (spelling?!) plays in Hughes pretty regularly too. In Cork City, theres a pub called "An Spailpin Fanach" which still has music most nights. Very good music too. Aidan Coffee (ex box player De Danann) plays there, as does Seamus Creagh (fiddle) and Mick Daly. If you're outside Cork city in Kinsale, which is a lovely coastal town there's a pub called the Spaniard which has good music on wednesdays. BTW when I say "music" above, I mean session. - That's a few for your list anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Reeves Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Someone did a nice job of smashing the passenger side in on a rental car I had in Clonmel. The Garda filled out the report, I took the car back to Shannon at the end of my trip, they assessed the damage at about 800 euro. My Mastercard was charged the amount, and when I got back home it was credited back by Citibank. I know that only certain Mastercards, and Visa do cover the insurance waiver, and in reality the added cost for a guarantee isn't too bad. I always book my cars with Dan Dooley, if off peak season the rates are very good. A safe place for a tune in Ennis would be Ciarán's Bar. Yes Cruise's may have music, but the pints are awfully good at Ciarán's and Tailor Quigley's place. Thank God there is no shortage of pubs, even if finding a tune hard. Watch a card game, have some chat, a few pints, a walk around town. T are almost more important than scoring a place to play every night for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Button Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Seriously - In Dublin city, The Cobblestone pub in Smithfield is definitely worth a look. High quality music there almost ever night. Indeed... last time I was there I had the good fortune to witness yourself and Michelle O'Brien play tunes and sounding great. One of the highlights of that trip for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmborden Posted December 24, 2007 Author Share Posted December 24, 2007 Hello All: I'm logging on to the forum every couple of days (on holiday vacation) and loving the fantastic information and discourse back and forth. Keep it coming, I'm filing it all away into our trip packet! Re: Jack's recommendation about asking about accomodations, any inside info people can offer about great b&b's or self-cater rentals in the West would be great. and we'll probably spend one night in dublin on our way in (to aclimatize, and also my wife lived in dublin for 4 months 10 years ago), so any advice for accomodations there would be great (walking/stumbling distance from The Cobblestone or Hughes would be ideal). thanks again, tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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