Book: Ireland, a Bicycle and a Tin Whistle: Worth getting?

[Martin Milner]

Beth,

I have the Tin Bicycle Whistle roundabout Ireland book, and Last Night was quite Fun, and Eric Newby's Round a Gear of Low Ireland, and several others, some still unread. Save your cash & borrow them off me!

Martin

[Cayden]

On 2002-10-08 04:11, Jens_Hoppe wrote:
Of course, if you go during summer, you will find that pubs, streets, shops, etc. will be crawling with people, 99% of whom will be talking a language other than English (eg. German, American ), and every single private residence in town will function as a B&B in an attempt to accomodate the crowds headed for the so-called trad music heaven.

Just my 2 ører.
Jens

And you'll be treated like jsut another tourist so instantly prices will go up by 20 percent for you. Music is prepackaged by the locals who are only there to make a bit of money doing their gigs, it's full, it's been spoiled.
Fly to Shannon and then.. anywhere but Doolin.

[Zubivka]

I plan a 1st ever trip to Eire this upcoming winter. Now, I understand it's a bit like heading to Calcutta instead of Hollywoood to be a movie star, but
I got only one week, landing in Cork with my motorsykl from the Roscoff ferry-boat.
1) Is there any time in winter, or generally off-tourist-season reputed to have, like, dry weather ? I don't mind haze, mist or the like.
2) Where should I head to for scenery, and live music ?

[Cayden]

On 2002-10-08 08:00, Zubivka wrote:
I don't mind haze, mist or the like.

Just wait until it sits around the edge of your garden like a wall for five weeks. You'll start minding it then.
Weather is unpredictable, you may get a brilliant winter or it may rain for three months, we had it all over the past few years.
Clare for music.

[Liam]

While I don't live in Ireland, my family is from there and we keep in touch. As far as I can tell there is no definitive dry season there. You are as likely to get rain in November and December as in June. On the flip side, even if it does rain most days, you often will get a few good hours or more.

--
Bill

[Hallatauer]

While we was in Doolin, we actually stayed in a B&B one town over, Lisdoonvarna. It was May, a little crowded but, no musicians looking for money. O'Conners had an open session going and it was quite fun.

Traveling around we went around Co. Clare, Galway, around Connemara, including Roundstone which has a great Bodhran shop. Westport, and eventually to Dublin.

Next trip will be south into kerry, Cork, waterford, etc.

Dan

[avanutria]

On 2002-10-08 06:23, Martin Milner wrote:
Beth,

I have the Tin Bicycle Whistle roundabout Ireland book, and Last Night was quite Fun, and Eric Newby's Round a Gear of Low Ireland, and several others, some still unread. Save your cash & borrow them off me!
Martin

Thanks Martin, but too late! I have the Tin whistle and Last Night ones on the way, and am about to go return the Low Gear one as it's boring. Shall I steal the rest from you in August? *grin*

[Zubivka]

On 2002-10-08 09:00, Peter Laban wrote:
[Weather is unpredictable, you may get a brilliant winter or it may rain for three months, we had it all over the past few years.
Clare for music.

Thank you for your advice.
Id actually sounds (reasonably) optimistic. Would sound worse if you "had it all over the past few days".
Never know with west shores : we have a brilliant Indian Summer in Brittany, 6th week of blue sky with just one single meager night rain in-between, not enough for a single mushroom coming out.
But this obviously compromises my training for the mist, etc. (which we normally get a-plenty around here).

B) Go for Clare, which I suspected. Any more specific indication ? Or should I stick to a basically unprepared way of travelling ? I often enjoyed getting lost and ending up in really small villages in the midst of nowhere. Worked great in Cornwall, but here's talking of a bigger country, and only one week to spare...

[Azalin]

Well, I'd like to give you a little piece of advice since I've been cycling around Ireland for three months with only my whistles and a tent, and some clothes. If you enjoy less touristic, but more authentic stuff, it's true that you need to avoid Doolin. Anyway, for me, amplified sessions arent sessions, they're stage music trying-to-look-like-a-session. But since you're going at winter time, I'm sure you're gonna have access to much better music, but believe me or not, it's very hard to *find* music during winter even in some parts of Clare.

What I will suggest is:

1) Don't book any B&B in advance... There's plenty of them anywhere and very easy to get a room at any time

2) Altough you love adventure, stay away from very small towns (unless you're in Clare) as you'll likely end up in a Karaoke or western music night as the irish don't really seem to like irish music!

3) When you find a good session, ask the players where you can find other sessions, they'll give you some good hint on where you can find very good sessions only a few people know of (that's if you're not trying to play Kesh jig as your first tune). Also, ask the B&B owners, they know a lot!

4) County Kerry has some amazing scenery, and maybe the very touristic Killarney would be a good place to start searching for music around town

5) Finally, well, Clare is your best bet for music, especially at winter time! Go in Miltown Malbay and go visit Peter Laban, I'm sure he could send you to a few good places

[Zubivka]

Cool! This looks like a program, might even sound like one.
I like your advice "not reserving B&B". Good : I couldn't force myself to. Kinda kills all the magic of a journey to have to plan each stop, you end up looking at your watch to keep your average speed! I guess I had too much travel planification too early--but this was way back, back in the USSR...

[Cayden]

There's a lot of music in Ennis and nice music shops too, in Miltown you have sessions most nights of the week. You can play with Jacky Daly four nights a week here, which by all accounts gets too much for anybody after a while. Conor Keane plays in Clancy's on the friday, seriously nice accordeon music. We play on the sundaynight for the set dancers in a country pub, can't get more 'real' than that even though we play on stage and on busy nights we get the mikes up. Jacky and usually Henry Benagh and rakes of others play on the saturday in the Crosses of Annagh but in the pub formerly known as Friel's you can play with Bernadette McCarthy and Brid Donohue, doesn't get better than that. Unless you go to Bridey Kearneys near Kilmaley and walk into Eamonn Cotter and Peter O LOughlin playing but they play irregular night to 'keep out the riff raff'. You'll find nice sessions all over West Clare and it being winter, you do need to go to Doolin, just to have a look at it and walk by the ocean and look at the waves crashing into the Cliffs of Moher, just don't stay around too long.

[burnsbyrne]

Peter,
My wife and I are planning an Irish trip to coincide with the Fleah Nua in Ennis in late May. Do you know, are the crowds manageable and are there B&Bs/hotels available in Ennis at that time? I know you are not a travel agent and I am a bit presumptuous to be asking all this and I greatly appreciate any insight you can give.
Best, Mike Burns

[Azalin]

Well, I was in Ennis last may and I got a single room in the Abbey's Hostel. It's not like a B&B, but it's cheap and at least you're the only one sleeping in the room. There's also double rooms.

[Zubivka]

On 2002-10-09 04:19, Peter Laban wrote:
There's a lot of music in Ennis and nice music shops too, in Miltown you have sessions most nights of the week (...)

Dense as usual, no CR so I held my breath reading further. Finally copied it all, pasted on my desktop reminders (next to "Remember calling the doctor").

Thank you, Peter

[Azalin]

Zubivka,

What Peter gave you is worth gold. If I were you, I'd put the paper in a safe or something You have a chance to see the real irish dancing and playing real irish music. Darn, too bad I'm stucked in here for now!