Reviews
Click for a review of the Acoustic Concert at the Courthouse 2011 by blogger Cathy Desmond
The 2011 festival took place on the 13, 14, 15 & 16 of January 2011.
About 100 musicians & singers participated in the weekend activities.
Featured artistes included:
Eleanor Shanley, The Special Consensus (USA), Sliabh Notes
Diversus Guitar Ensemble, Jimmy Crowley, Colum Sands, Loudest Whisper, Frankie Lane & Paul Kelly, Johnny Reidy Ceili Band
Hot Lips & Chilli Fingers(England), Poit Dubh (Scotland), Bow Triplets (Switzerland), Brigid O'Neill & Friends (NI)
Higglers, Mutefish, McDarragh, Brendan Walsh, Christy McNamara
Plus lots more musicians and singers.
2010 Festival Report
It's hard to do the Winter Music Weekend justice in words, but I did my best to get to as many events as possible, so I feel reasonably qualified to try!
The new slot on Thursday night was a nice gentle run-in to the whole thing, with Brendan T. Walsh playing a classical guitar set before accompanying fiddler Orla Harrington for a set of Irish traditional tunes. The locals supported their own, and the courthouse was full for a most wonderful evening. A small number of visiting musicians made it on Thursday, and were duly impressed both by the venue and the music on show.
As the festival was taking over the Courthouse for a full Friday, the Bridge Active club were left without a venue for their weekly get-together, so a casual concert was put on for the local senior citizens. The younger section of Sixmilebridge Folk Club provided the first half of the show, and the Buffalo Gals – our early arrivals from the UK – played a set to complete a great afternoon's entertainment. The Gals – actually 3 gals and two guys – were to be one of the favourite acts of the weekend, with their lovely harmonies, great humour, and lively tunes.
Next up was the well-established Big Friday Night Concert, this time featuring Frankie Gavin and the New De Dannan. First local man Kieran O'Loughlin – now based in Sweden - and his friends played an impressive support slot before retiring to Casey's for a session that went on until the wee hours. Then Frankie and his new band took to the stage to belt out some cracking sets of tunes with gusto and skill and with entertainment a priority. The large crowd loved it all, and gave Michelle Lally their full attention for her sweet renditions of songs like the Edith Piaf gem “If You Love Me” and the old Maura O'Connell favourite “My Irish Molly-O”.
A rousing set and encore set the festival mood, and most of the crowd stuck around for the big discovery of the weekend. Txutxukan (“choo-choo-can”) from France took the place by storm with their frantic gypsy beats, their passionate singing, and their wonderful playing. Accordian and clarinet led the way and the backing of guitar, double-bass, and cajon (a Spanish sit-on drum) provided an exciting, fun sound that had the dancefloor hopping. When they played another set of tunes in front of the stage among the crowd after the PA was turned off, I was certain we had a festival winner on our hands!
Saturday started with a full house again at the Courthouse for the Pickers' Session. Guitarists and singers from all over the place came along to play and listen, and for almost four hours the place was simply acoustic heaven! Many of the artistes appearing over the weekend came along to deliver at least one or two numbers, and these tasters whetted many an appetite for those who had yet to plan their evening's listening.
After the bargain-priced yet delicious courthouse lunch, the Mill Bar beckoned. The Rough Deal String Band from Northern Ireland played their lovely brand of oldtimey songs and tunes, and were barely finished their early afternoon set when they were replaced by an unscheduled trad session that I was delighted to catch. Uilleann Pipes, banjo, and guitar (this last played by Blaise Phelan of Shannon) sounded simply excellent, and the tunes went on until 7:30.
Next it was back up to the Courthouse, where the Acoustic Concert started at 8pm. Txutxukan and the Buffalo Gals were followed by a too-short set from English singers Lynn Heraud and Pat Turner, who delighted with their wonderful voices and risqué comic songs. The Broken String Band completed a very tasty first half of the concert, as news filtered through of capacity crowds and maximum craic all through the village!
The headline act at the Courthouse was the trio of Paul Brock, Enda Scahill and Ryan Molloy. Their breathtaking mastery of their respective instruments, and the wonderfully paced sets of tunes guaranteed a smile on every face leaving that venue at 11:30. Ryan Molloy's sublime rendition of The Mountains of Pomeroy on piano deserves special mention.
Sunday morning had music for the soul as the Shannon Gospel Choir played and sang their hearts out at Mass in the 'Bridge, to an appreciative congregation, and indeed the plaudits of Father Harry himself!
Next to the Courthouse again, for a session with the folk club. This was a relaxed affair, with great tunes from a mostly local group, but it got a rush of adrenaline with some lightening-speed polkas from a Kerry accordion player!
The last Courthouse event was the Sunday afternoon classical concert, and the Slovak Dulcimer Ensemble attracted a number of followers who had seen them in McGregor's the night before (“strange but lovely” according to one report!). They played lots of popular classics with an eastern touch, like the Dr Zhivago theme and tunes from Fiddler on the Roof, along with traditional tunes from Slovakia and Romania. The playing was brilliant, by turns sublime and exciting, and the show was a sheer delight.
In the Greyhound on Sunday afternoon, Peadar McNamara hosted the well-established Singers' session with Brian O'Rourke of Galway and our English friends Lynn and Pat guesting. The songs went round, and the laughs were aplenty, as well as the tales of hearts broken and love unbounded. Contributions from the crowd were top quality, including the lovely Eilidh Grant from Scotland giving us Robbie Burns' “Ae Fond Kiss”, and this thoroughly great session went happily past its scheduled finishing time.
The Folk Club session in Gilly's on Sunday afternoon is always a lively affair, and this was no exception. Again, the craic was mighty, and went on beyond the scheduled two hours.
The finale at the Mill Bar was well under way by the time I got there. Shannon singer/songwriter Dave Hope and his Henchmen were playing their rock-oriented set to a full house, and sounding great. Next the Buffalo Gals went down a storm, breaking the rules with their encore!
The night finished with an astounding set of tunes and songs from the legendary Shaskeen, who kept everybody happy with their selection – dances and airs, country songs and solo pieces. It was a very special night.
Talking to friends, locals and visitors alike, in the mellow afterglow of the last moments of the last gig of the weekend, the feeling was that it was the best festival yet. They said that last year, I reminded them. After a short pause, the reply was “Yep, I didn't think it could live up to last year, but it did, and better!”
I couldn't argue.
2009 Festival Review
8pm Friday 16th January 2009 saw the diehard bluegrass fans head to the Courthouse to usher in the tenth Winter Music Weekend while the rugby fans watched Munster take care of business down the road in Thomond Park.
Special Consensus from America’s Midwest gave a wonderful concert to a full house, despite the harsh weather. Four friendly guys, each one in full command of his instrument, melded a wonderful sound to delight and enthral. And then their voices did similar – it was a perfect start to the Winter Music Weekend.
At about ten o’clock the festival began in the rest of the village, as Clive Barnes took to the stage in the Mill bar, Fiddle Case struck up the traditional tunes in Gilly’s, the Prison Love advance party – charmed a packed house at Casey’s, and Moonshine welcomed the company of the Boat Band in the loud surrounds of McGregor’s.
The last event of the Friday night was a late double-bill at the Courthouse with Tchobello opening for the aforementioned Boat Band – heroes of the weekend, and without doubt the hardest-working folk band I’ve ever encountered. Neither act disappointed, and Brendan Walsh was heard to comment that he might have been at the best gig of the weekend already!
All the while, just a couple of miles up the road, a trad session and a Kimbers’ Men concert had kicked off the weekend in style at the Bunratty Castle Hotel. The tenth Winter Music Weekend was well and truly in full swing!
Saturday started slowly as ever, but numbers gradually built up at the courthouse, where the Pickers' Session started before midday. Brendan Walsh hosted the first half with Clive Barnes guesting, and Alph Duggan took over from Brendan at half time, while Paul Kelly and Frankie Lane took centre stage. Tunes went round, songs were sung, laughs were had, and this most relaxed of sessions gave much more than the five euro entry demanded. As the afternoon went on, the Pickers designation was relaxed, and fiddlers, pipers, and acapella singers took their turns.
Shortly after three o’clock, the lights went out, and we were reminded of the outside world and the storm that was raging. A line was down between Sixmilebridge and Shannon, and it would be some time until we had power again. Not to worry – within half an hour, a generator was procured to be used if necessary to light the evening’s concert at the Courthouse.
Down the village, candle-lit sessions carried on, and fine sessions they were, with the Broken String Band playing a storm of their own(pardon the pun), aided and abetted by the Boat Band in the small bar at the Mill. The Golden Star Morris Dancers were ushered outside when the rains cleared to have pictures taken for the Clare People – it would be fair to say the enthusiasm levels were mixed – it was damn cold – but the photos turned out well! As the evening drew in, Dennis McAuliffe and his friends from UL music department got a session going in the main bar at the Mill and that grew and grew! Tchobello were at McGregor’s, having fun and delighted when light returned to the proceedings. Early-bird diners at the Bunratty Castle Hotel caught the swinging jazz and blues of the Mick Cummins trio.
Saturday night was party night at the Mill, with Tchobello supporting Prison Love, and giving them a run for their money by all accounts. An early evening gig saw the Boat Band play to a “tough crowd, but all in all, it was a draw” down at McGregor’s, and Kimber’s Men sang to the masses who ducked in to the Greyhound Bar. The flagship gig of the weekend, if there is one, is the Saturday Acoustic Concert at the Courthouse, and this year’s event was sheer bliss start to finish. Kate Purcell, Fiddle Case, and Niamh Parsons with Graham Dunne delivered three very different, very beautiful sets for the first half. The second half was just as good, with Paul Kelly and Frankie Lane warming up for their late gig at McGregor’s by warming us up for the Broken String Band. The old-timey boys from East Belfast gave us a fabulous set of songs and tunes, sprinkled with their hilarious banter with each other and their audience, who loved every moment. And who could forget Geordie dancing with Mrs McLeod, a visitor from Florida, USA, whose 60-year-old daughter captured much of the weekend on camera!
The festival club session was hosted this year by Brendan “Winter Music Weekend” Walsh, and was lauded as the best ever. Enough said.
Reports from the Bunratty Castle Hotel were mixed, as the dancing failed to draw the hoped-for crowd, but Hooks and Crookes had a good night singing shanties in the Bar.
Sunday arrived too soon for many, not least poor Brendan who had to line up with the Kilmurry church choir at eleven o’clock Mass after a late finish in the Courthouse. All sounded beautiful, I was reliably informed!
A small session at the courthouse entertained the choir as they had their well-earned tea and cakes, before seats had to be arranged again for the Classical concert. Brendan T Walsh played a solo classical guitar concert, to a full and hushed house, and impressed every ear there, resulting in a spontaneous standing ovation!
After Brendan Junior’s show, there was plenty to see and hear, with Mick Cummins trio at Gilly’s, Kate Purcell and Niamh Parsons in session at the Greyhound, ably hosted by Peadar McNamara of Ennis Singers’ Club, while the ubiquitous Boat Band were in Casey’s and a trad session broke out in McGregor’s. Oh, and there was the little matter of a Ceilidh in the GAA hall (in fact, the biggest single event of the weekend!) Meantime, Prison Love’s lunchtime session at the Bunratty Castle Hotel went on all afternoon. All this was too much distraction for the crowds who lost out when Dave Hope and Lou McMahon played stunning sets of original songs at the Courthouse to a small group of friends and family. The New Music slot deserves more support (writer’s opinion here) – maybe it’s a matter of timing, maybe it’s the location, but this should be reviewed for next year.
By now the Folk Club traditional session was in full swing at Gilly’s, and it was hard to get the locals to the Mill for the weekend’s Finale concert. I Draw Slow, or at least part of that wonderful band, opened proceedings and drew much praise for their beautiful songs delivered with skill, passion, and a certain intangible flair that makes them a very special band. The Mick Cummins Trio whipped up a mighty set of jazz and blues, with Sweet Georgia Brown and Lady Be Good sparkling and setting the feet tapping.
Josephine Marsh’s trio – herself on Accordion, Declan Corey on Madolin, and Tommy Carew on guitar and vocal – played a rousing set of tunes and songs to end the official proceedings. The only disappointment was a lack of dancers; perhaps they had danced themselves out at the GAA hall earlier in the day.
So ended the Winter Music Weekend 2009. I had to stay at the Mill, I couldn’t leave the buzz, and I was grinning from ear to ear – I was part of it, the best one yet!
Fiach Mc Hugh