Sabine,

I'm glad you brought this up. Thirteen of the local musicians and dancers from the area around Shepherdstown, WV (80 miles up the Potomac from DC) are going to be going to Ireland in the last two weeks of August. The musicians have played together for years, while the dancers are cloggers who regularly teach that form of dance in the local area.

The idea started a couple of years ago when my Dad, brother and I traveled across Ireland, attempting to locate our Irish roots, and found them in the Ards peninsula in County Down. I thought then what a great time it would be to actually play some music in an Irish pub with local musicians. I never thought we could do Irish music any better than local musicians, but I thought that bringing back what they sent us some 200 years ago, with some of the tunes recognizable, (and some not), might be worth a pitcher or two at a some local pub with a place to play with some local musicians wanting to trade tunes, or dancers looking to add an "Indian hitch" to their dance step repertoire.

I mentioned this to another musician whose family went last year to the Fleadh Cheoil in Listowel, and had an absolute ball. We thought it would be fun to visit Ireland with a relatively talented group of local musicians who have been playing at local jams at the Great Hall of O'Hurley's General Store, in Shepherdstown for the past ten years. We play what is locally described as "Celtic" music although the truth of the matter is that the music is the Scots-Irish Appalachian traditional music that was brought to this region many years ago by Irish rail and canal barge workers, and over the years acquired an Appalachian overlay. Thus, ceili dancing devolved into clogging, and songs sung at a clip, like "Star of the County Down," evolve into majestic waltzes.

Getting musicians pointed in the same direction is an exercise that is somewhat like herding kittens, but we have done the impossible, and are now ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting Irish population. While each member of the group brings some musical talent to the group, we are honored to have the regions best fiddler, Sharon Hall, assisted by members of the Martin Family Band, (hammered dulcimer, mandolin tenor banjo, fiddle, and keyboards) as well as disgusting intrusions by me on longneck, guitar, and autoharps, and four of the absolute best cloggers in the area. We are looking to trade tunes, and dances with local musicians at any pub that won't throw us out on sight.

We'll be in Doolin, Co. Clare at the Doonagore Farmhouse B&B on August 16-19, then to Listowel, Co. Kerry at Dillanes Farmhouse B&B for the Fleadh Cheoil from August 20 –25, then to Ferns, Co. Wexford at Clone House B&B, from August 26 until most of the group leaves on the 30th. I will stay for a few additional days to visit the North again, and at each of the former locations we do plan to divert to local sites of interest, or a promising chance to play.

I'm convinced that we are not the first to do this, but I must admit that we had to make all these arrangements on our own, as no travel agency would give us a quote on any kind of a package. I will say that, so far, Sceptre Travel (budget travel to Ireland) has given us the best rates on flights, cars and B&B's that we have found, and except for a few passports, we're bound away.

If there are any Mudcatters who know of local pubs, jams, sessions etc. in the above locations, that might want to trade songs 'n steps for pitchers 'n pints, please submit same.

And best of luck to you, Sabine; we'll "Follow in trace" a few weeks later… (And do post your experiences, especially the pub list).