So, I figured why not do the next
best thing and attend one of the Irish music summer schools that are
offered right here in the United States? They basically bring Ireland to
you for a week. As a relative newbie to sessions and trad music in general, the
promise of a week of total immersion under the tutelage of master musicians seems
invaluable.
I chose Augusta Heritage Center's Irish/Celtic Week in Elkins, WV for a number of reasons, including:
- Proximity. It’s only a 4 hour drive from my house in
Virginia.
- Curriculum. They offer instruction in both Irish tenor
banjo and bodhrán so my wife and I can attend together.
- Setting. It takes place on the hilly, tree-lined campus
of a small liberal arts college with views of the Appalachian Mountains.
- Reputation. Founded by Mick Moloney and modeled after the famed Willie Clancy Week in
Miltown Malbay, Ireland, Elkins Irish Week is
celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and is regarded as the granddaddy
of all domestic Irish music schools.
Augusta also offers an old-time week with a mandolin course open to
players of tenor banjo, so I’m also scouting it out for the possibility of
attending the old-time week at some point in the future.
- Coordinator Dr. Daniel T. Neely. I’m familiar with Dan through his writings
and music and am confident that he will do a great job in this role. Plus, having another gifted tenor banjo
player there to learn from can’t hurt!
- Craic. In addition to the class time, I’ll be looking
forward to the after-hours sessions in the 110 year old ice house pub.
The tenor banjo instructor is Pauline Conneely, who studied under Brendan Mulkere and plays in the group Chicago Reel.
The tenor banjo instructor is Pauline Conneely, who studied under Brendan Mulkere and plays in the group Chicago Reel.
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| Tenor Banjo instructor Pauline Coneely |
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| Bodhrán instructor Máirtín de Cógáin |
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| Valley view of Elkins, West Virginia. Credit: Jennifer Haney USFWS |
Augusta Heritage Center’s
Irish/Celtic week takes place July 22-27 in Elkins, West Virginia. In addition to Pauline Connely and Máirtín de Cógáin, the staff consists of Patrick
Ourceau (fiddle), Dennis Cahill (guitar), Cillian Vallely (uillean pipes), Ivan Goff (flute), Donna Long (piano), Marla Fibish (mandolin), Joey Abarta (whistle), and more.
I do hope that you enjoyed your visit to Augusta Irish Week! I don't believe we met. I was in Jimmy Crowley's Ballad class and had a wonderful time. This year marked my 23rd year of attending Irish Week and it never disappoints. It was a wonderful week of reuniting with old friends while making new ones. I hope you come back next year and perhaps meet. My drive is also only about 4 hours from NE Ohio and I love Augusta for its intimate setting on the D&E campus and very walkable quality of it. If you're staying on campus in a dorm, at the Conference Center or at Graceland, you basically park your car for a week and walk everywhere. Can't be beat! And the view of the blue green Appalachian Mountains is breathtaking. Walking outside in the early morning and seeing the mist clinging to the mountaintops is a sight to behold! Lovely and magical! Truly an amazing experience! Hope you had a "grand" time and hope you come back next year!
ReplyDeleteHi Sally! Thanks for your comment. I did enjoy the week and am already considering next year. We didn't meet, but I think I know who you are through process of elimination! Jimmy Crowley is great, as were all the instructors. I'm planning on writing a post-Augusta Irish followup. Attendance was really small this time, compared to other years wasn't it? I thought Dan Neely did a good job in his first year and there are definitely some kinks that will be worked out before next year, making it even better.
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