Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?

Subject: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Julie B at home
Date: 10 May 02 - 04:34 PM

I fancy visiting Eire during the next few months, but haven't been before. Someone just handed me details of the Boghill Centre in Kilfenora, Ireland (Eire) that runs folk workshops all through the summer www.boghill.com.

Have any Mudcatters been to Boghill? Would you recommend it? Also, do you know of any other places in Ireland running residential week/weekend folk music courses? (e.g. particularly fiddle/song).

Thanks,
Julie B

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Julie B at home
Date: 10 May 02 - 04:36 PM

...correcting above blicky www.boghill.com

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Julie B at home
Date: 12 May 02 - 03:23 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Raggytash
Date: 12 May 02 - 07:31 PM

NO, Over priced nonsense, catering to the uninitiated. Just find yourself a bar and some locals. If you're going to Clare try McGann's in Doolin

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Noreen
Date: 12 May 02 - 07:52 PM

Any evidence for that statement, Raggytash? Or just your personal prejudice?

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 13 May 02 - 06:36 AM

Boghill isn't a pub; they have courses. If you don't feel comfortable playing in a session - esp. when you don't know people and their repetoire, it might be the thing. There are also a lot of 5 day summer schools cum festivals in Ireland where you can get tuition – Scoil Éigse Willie Clancy, South Sligo summer school in Tubbercurry, Achill, Leitrim … I probably don't know the half of them. Those probably work out cheaper and are probably less synthethic but also less intimate/personal attention than Boghill. I was never at Boghill. It got some good comments at the IrTrad-L website.

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:00 AM

If you are at all interested in Donegal style fiddling, there is this site which lists summer and winter schools:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6464/cairdeas.html

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Julie B
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:13 AM

Blue clicky for above:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6464/cairdeas.html

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:49 AM

Here is a quick list of the summer schools where tuition in fiddle is considered to be very high caliber. Now, whether the individual school actually offers the type of experience you are hoping for is a bit too subjective to comment on.

However, you should know that many of the summer schools are in conjunction with festivals where A LOT of partying takes place, so if you are looking for serious tuition, do your research before choosing a school and be prepared to sit in at evening sessions which can run late into the night, and then having to be up fairly early (for Irish people that is!) in the morning for your classes.

There are some other very good opportunities for tuition in Ireland outside the summer months as well. If you are serious about really getting something out of the courses, you should perhaps consider looking at the better North American options for summer courses, and Ireland in the fall/winter when you don't have to battle the crowds and travel costs are lower.

Joe Mooney Summer School in Co. Leitrim:

http://homepages.iol.ie/~nwoods/index.html

The king of the summer schools for Irish trad, Willie Clancy Summer School:

http://www.setdancingnews.net/wcss/

The Cape Breton Ceilidh Trail school:

http://www.ceilidhtrail.com/welcome.html

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann's Summer School in Listowel, Co Kerry:

http://www.comhaltas.com/education/scoil.htm

The on-line music school, Scoiltrad:

http://www.scoiltrad.com/

Blas Summer School, hosted by the University of Limerick's Trad Music MA program:

http://www.ul.ie/~iwmc/Blas/

And this page tells you a bit more about it:

http://www.ul.ie/newsonline/ulwebsep01/news/page2.htm

South Sligo Summer School:

http://www.sssschool.org/Open.htm

Also is Co Sligo is the Coleman Irish Music Centre, which offers classes in Sligo style fiddle:

http://www.colemanirishmusic.com/school.php

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Julie B
Date: 13 May 02 - 11:03 AM

Mnay thanks for those links, guest. Sorry, I should have said that I'm actually based in the UK (Milton Keynes, England), so travel to Eire is cheaper for me than travel to the USA! :)

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: janey
Date: 13 May 02 - 02:31 PM

A friend of ours has been to the Boghill Centre quite a few times now. He plays fiddle and had a fantastic time. His playing certainly improved after a week there. He said the food and the atmosphere was great, quite intense learning I think but they also got out and about for sessions. I should imagine that if you are travelling on your own and are also keen to improve your instrument without getting too ensconsed in the pub culture then it would be a lovely week with good companionship. Nice part of the country too!

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 May 02 - 04:04 PM

Noreen, Since 1995 I've been organsing trips to Ireland for groups of people, up to 17 in number. The whole package, travel, accomodation, ferry, food and sight seeing tours work out about half the cost of a week bed, board & tuition at Boghill. You can make your own mind up as to the value, I really don't want to get into a slanging match with anyone over this as Julie B asked for imput. Cheers Raggytash

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 May 02 - 04:07 PM

Noreen, I should also add I have visited Boghill, having said that, it was before the tragic fire, so it may have changed since then.

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: Noreen
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:15 PM

Raggytash, I have no axe to grind for the place, and I apologise if I gave offence: what I was looking for was some evidence for your opinions, since, as you say, Julie B asked for input. I like to know whether peoples' opinions are based on fact or prejudice.

I would imagine that a week's tuition would work out rather more expensive than a sightseeing tour, and tuition/workshops is, after all, what Julie is looking for. They have some good names down as tutors, too.

Julie, I recommend Scoil Éigse which is run by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the Irish Musicians' Association. It's a full week of tuition, sessions and merriment leading up to the All-Ireland Fleadh every year, which this year will again be in Listowel, Co. Kerry, which has hosted many magnificent festivals (and happy memories!)

Let us know what you decide to do.

Noreen

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 14 May 02 - 01:55 PM

there are also music learning weeks in England and Scotland (I haven't come across any in Wales. Would you be interested in people giving further info on those in this thread? What is your instrumeni(s)? You may also want to take into consideration what regional styles you are interested in. I think Janey has given you the info. you require on Boghill.

Subject: RE: Help: Eire: Residential Folk courses? Boghill?
From: GUEST,Julie B at home
Date: 19 May 02 - 12:50 PM

Thanks all, & Philippa. Yes, I wouldn't mind people mentioning other residential folk music courses in the UK on this thread. I've already been to some held at various ARCA (Adult Residential Colleges Association) colleges in England, and recently attended my first Capers folk activity holiday.

Last summer I also spent a week up in Durham at the Folkworks summer school.

Links: ARCA: http://www.aredu.org.uk/
Capers: http://www.folkcamp.clara.net/
Folkworks: http://www.folkworks.co.uk/

Cheers,
Julie