Saturday, March 27, 2010
Programme for Féile Átha Dá Chab, Ballydehob Traditional Music, Song and Dance Festival 2010
At last, for your eyes only........the programme for this year's Féile Átha Dá Chab, Ballydehob Traditional Music Song and Dance Festival. Please avoid disappointment by booking in advance for the workshops. The fiddle workshop is already full up, but there are limited places left in the others. There is no need to book a place in the brush dance workshop. Just show up on time and make sure to bring your own sweeping brush with you. All students in the instrument and singing workshops get in free to the concert. Hurray!!!!!
Bígí Linn agus Bain Taitneamh As!


Friday April 16


9.30pm Session in Rosie's Bar with Conal Ó Gráda and Friends

9.30pm Session in The Irish Whip bar with Richard Lucey and Friends


Saturday April 17

10am-1pm Scoil Bhríde. Fiddle workshop with Tommy Peoples, Button accordion workshop with John Brosnan, Flute workshop with Catherine McEvoy. Admission €20

10am-11.30am Sean-nós singing workshop with Tim Dennehy (trí mhéan na Gaeilge/conducted through Irish) Admission €10

12-1pm Traditional singing workshop with Tim Dennehy, through English. Admission €10

2.30pm Scoil Bhríde. Seminar on Lilting with Séamus Fay and Martin Donohue Admission €5

2-4pm Ballydehob Community Hall. Sean-nós brush dance workshop with Edwina Guckian. Admission €10

4pm Traditional Music Session in The Sandboat Bar with Garry Walsh and Dave Hennessy

5pm Traditional Music Session in O'Brien's Bar for younger musicians with Mary Tisdale

8pm Concert in Ballydehob Community Hall
Featuring Tommy Peoples, Catherine McEvoy, Eileen O'Brien, John Brosnan and John Coakley,
Tim Dennehy, and Edwina Guckian. Admission €20
Doors 7.30pm

10pm Session in The Irish Whip with Maria Cotter and Pat Fleming.

10pm Session in Rosie's Bar with Christy Leahy and Friends

After the Concert Singers' night in O'Brien's Bar with Tim Dennehy


Sunday April 18

3pm Session in Levis Bar with Eilís O'Sullivan and Friends.

3pm Céilí with Andy O'Connell, John Coakley, and Pat Fleming of Duggans Lane Céilí Band. Admission €10. Teas Served.

6pm Session in Rosie's Bar with Anne Redmond, Ivan and Noel Camier, and Maria Cotter
Posted by Féile Átha Dá Chab at 9:56 AM 0 comments
Labels: Féile Átha Dá Chab 2010, Programme for Féile Átha Dá Chab 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Séamus Fay, the Cavan Lilter, to Appear at Féile Átha Dá Chab 2010


This year's Féile Átha Dá Chab will include a talk on the art of lilting by the great Séamus Fay from County Cavan. A champion lilter with no less than four All-Ireland titles under his belt, Séamus has a remarkable talent in an art form that tends to have been overlooked in the traditional arts in recent years. However, with Séamus as inspiration, that is all set to change at this year's Féile Átha Dá Chab, where Séamus will give a talk explaining and demonstrating lilting with musical accompaniment from the Cavan box player, Martin Donohue.
For those of you unfamiliar with Séamus Fay, he is a charming man, who talks about music with a passion that's matched only by the twinkle in his eyes. He was crowned all-Ireland lilting champion in 1959,1960, 1961 and 1969. Incidentally, these are the only competitions he has ever entered.
Known as "The Cavan Lilter", Séamus hails from Drumconnick, Cavan town, where he picked up the art of lilting from listening to his mother and grandmother, both experts in the craft. His grandmother in particular, was much sought after to perform at weddings in the early 1930s.
"In the late 30s and early 40s my mother would send the children up to my grandmother's house after school on a Friday night. There was no TV or radio in those days so we had to make our own amusement, and that's where I picked up lilting," Séamus tells us.
Since retiring from active competition, he has performed regularly around the country and also abroad. Samus recorded 33 tracks on his debut CD "Cavan's Lilter" in 2003. One of the CD's highlights is a duet between Séamus and his late mother Kathleen. Séamus is no stranger to media attention, and has appeared on both TV and radio.
Earle Hitchner of New York's IRISH ECHO wrote that "Séamus Fay can put to shame Irish traditional musicians half his age by dint of his inexhaustible energy, enthusiasm, and mastery of the ancient musical art known as lilting", and that he has earned himself the title "king of the lilters." The renowned critic adds that Séamus is an extraordinary lilter, bringing lift, rhythm, style and soul to this often overlooked art form within the Irish musical tradition.
So there you have it, a fine pedigree if ever there was!

And to top it all off, Séamus's pal and protégé, Martin Donohue is going to chaperone Séamus in Ballydehob for the weekend and provide a bit of musical accompaniment to the lilting while he is at it. As well as giving the talk, the two of them will perform at the festival concert on Saturday April 17.




A household name throughout County Cavan, Martin is also known in traditional music circles countrywide and indeed overseas. "Legendary", "a star" and "a tourist attraction" was how the musician was described at a ceremony held in November 2005 where Martin was honoured with the Vodafone Passion for the World around Us Award.
Martin is highly regarded in traditional circles for his dynamic personal style on the accordion with his choice of tasteful settings, improvisation and his unique individual interpretation of the music. He has travelled all over the world, and his recordings have been widely acclaimed. His live performances, as well as his own charm and wit have made him a favourite with all lovers of Irish Music. According to the Shetland Times of October 2005 : "This man can knock a tune from that little box like nobody I've ever seen before and fling's heart and soul into every performance, sometimes playing in a frenzy, as though a million leprechauns are biting at his heels".
What more can I say about this pair, except miss them at your peril!