I’m going to be in Ireland for the first time from the 16th of May through June 4th. I was hoping someone had information about sessions inside and out of Dublin. We will be in Glencolumcille, Derry, Kilfenora, Galway, to Rossaveal, Dingle, Cork, and Kinsale. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Make sure you’re in Kilfenora on a Thursday or a Sunday to catch the set dancing at Vaughan’s Pub.
Rob
We’re actually going to that! I’m very excited…
In Gleann Cholm Cille, there is usually something going on at either Biddy’s or Roarty’s (more rarely at the Glen Head) every night during the summer. Sometimes it’s performers, but often it’s a session. They get started late, though (around 11 p.m.), to accommodate the evening activities at Oideas Gael.
Will you be attending one of the language courses in Gleann? I was there two summers ago, and had a blast. If you’re a student at OG, you’ll also find that there are céilís and singing nights at which a musician or two would be welcome.
I have a friend who lives in Derry and another in Kinsale…I can ask them about sessions in their area, if you like.
Redwolf
Thank you very much for that information! We will make sure to go to all of those. What days are the language classes?
The language classes are week-long sessions that start on Sunday afternoon and continue through Friday. Here’s more information:
Some weeks they also have music, hiking, archeology, or painting/pottery classes.
As I mentioned, there are three pubs in Cashel (the “main” village, if you will, in Gleann), Biddy’s, Roarty’s and The Glen Head. At least one of them will typically have music in the evenings during the summer. The best way to find out is just to walk by and look in the windows (the village is all of a mile long, and the pubs are all on the main street within blocks of each other)…if there’s something that night, it will be posted.
Oh, by the way, should you find yourself in Gleann around lunch or dinner time, An Chistin, a little restaurant on the Oideas Gael campus serves very good food. Their vegetable soup is especially tasty, and they have some of the best chips (fries) I’ve ever had anywhere. It’s a regular restaurant, open to the public…you don’t have to be attending classes there to eat there.
Judging from the comments from other students on the course, The Glen Head is NOT a good place to eat at all, so heads up on that one! I didn’t eat out a lot when I was there (I was staying in self-catering housing and on a budget), but the horror stories I heard from other students re The Glen Head would make me steer clear of consuming anything but the beer there! I did, however, enjoy every meal I had at An Chistin.
Donegal is breathtakingly beautiful. If your drive from Gleann to Derry takes you past Glengesh pass, you won’t regret it…it’s absolutely stunning.
My contact in Kinsale recommends The Spaniard and An Seanacha for sessions. I haven’t heard from the folks in Derry and Dublin yet.
BTW, a fun thing to do in Dublin is the traditional music pub crawl. I did that when I was there a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. The musicians are great, and they take you to pubs that cater to locals rather than to tourists. Here’s more info on that:
http://www.discoverdublin.ie/musicalpubcrawl.html
If you do that on your first evening in Dublin, the musicians may even be able to put you on to local sessions.
Redwolf
Got a bit more info for you:
I’m now being told that Kinsale isn’t so great for trad sessions. An Seanacha is evidently a bit of a tourist trap. The Spaniard does have a session on Wednesday nights, but my contact warns that the place is really tiny. He recommends going on into Cork, and says that Sunday is the best day, with an afternoon session at Charlie’s, an early evening session at Sin É’ and evening sessions at Windsor, Ovens and Gable’s.
He also pointed out (and this is true) that real trad isn’t terribly popular in most parts of Ireland (country and western music is king there among the older folks, with various forms of pop/rock being popular among the younger generations). Often what is advertised as a “traditional music session” is actually a stage show slanted toward tourists who have no interest in real traditional music, and consists of a few singers doing Clancy Brothers songs (or worse, music hall songs) and maybe some instrumentalists with a step dancer or two. I definitely noticed this in Dublin (quite audibly, actually, as my hostel was right next door to one of these tourist pubs, and I got heartily sick of “The Wild Rover,” as it was sung at least three times each night!). I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll find good trad in Gleann Cholm Cille, though, including some outstanding sean-nós singers.
Redwolf
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for that info. We’ll definitely look into that. I can’t wait to get over there!
Blaine