Eem>in eight weeks time this little one-street town will be overflowing with people, young and old, who have come from all over the world come to take part in a week of classes, lectures, sessions, recitals, concerts.... in honour of the memory of traditional piper, Willie Clancy
That has been running for over four decades now and has produced some of the finest musicians in Ireland - it's importance being it is a school where people go to learn and teach and is, as far as I know, totally unique

The only thing that's unique about it is that the people involved are under the impression they're unique. I'm going to two weeks of this in August:

Yiddish Summer Weimar

which is basically the same structure but spread out over a longer period. Two years ago I was at this:

Méta tabor

and there are similar events all over Hungary. Next year I'm thinking of going to this one:

Music Village

which has venues in small villages in Turkey and Germany.

There are comparable events in most countries in Europe. If you want to do diatonic accordion for a week in Catalonia, bagpipes in Czechia, trad fiddle in Poland or Italy or manouche guitar in France, you can easily find what you want.


There are other such annual gatherings in Ireland, many dedicated to traditional musicians and singers - Frank Harte, Padraig O'Keefe, Seamus Ennis, Joe Heaney, Joe Cooley, Frankie Kennedy....

Since when does dedicating it to someone famous mean it's going to be any good?


Not much not to like there Jack

What's not to like is YOU, and the arrogant entitled bozos I know personally who constitute the only other people who've been through Willie Week. Even if Irish music were still a priority for me, I'd have no intention of spending a week of expensive vacation time listening to people spitting snooty xenophobic bile about anyone who isn't part of their clique.