The William Irwin Symposium is being held in Gt Langdale, May 4-7.2012 I am involved in the organisation, along with Carolyn Franice of the Lakeland Fidlers. The event is being hosted by Ian Hunter and Littoral Arts, who run the Cylinders Estate in Elterwater. This is part of the old Elterwater gunpowder works where William Irwin worked as a cooper. Ian is involved as Kurt Schwitters, the famous Austrian refugee artist, started making one of his installations in the barn there just after World War II. Littoral Arts have become custodians of this bit of land and the Merzbarn. This fortuitous association, one hundred years apart, of Schwitters and Irwin has helped provide the dynamic to get this event going. They run weekend Schwitters events from time to time, now it is Irwin's turn!
I will be doing a talk and a workshop, and I hope Sue Allan(see ealier in the thread) will also be contributing. It is a weekend of music and discussion, mainly outdoors in a Lake District wood(weather permitting, we have wet weather back-up!). There will be a public gig in a marquee on the Saturday night, otherwise it is for "dedicated practioners"(I think that was Ian's phrase, in a recent discussion).ie there won't be any beginners bodhran workshops or whatever, it's not that kind of do. But if you have an interest in northern fiddle styles, or sitting under trees looking at the Langdale Pikes at close range, this could be for you. If you feel you would like further info, send me a personal message.
And, as everyone writing about Irwin poiints out: his notebooks are still missing! If you have any clues as to where they might be, get in touch, with me, or the EFDSS, or anyone relevant.