Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?

Subject: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Shiamsa
Date: 27 Oct 06 - 11:41 PM

I notice that a lot of the Mudcat discussion relates to folk clubs. Are there any in Ireland? I've been involved in the "folk"/traditional scene here for about 3 years but besides the Goilin Club can't think of any others. There are of course lots of sessions/gigs/singarounds, etc., especially here in Dublin where I live, and I'd consider the Pipers Club and the Comhaltas setup don't fit into this category.

And if not, why not?

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 01:29 AM

Hi Shiamsa
Here'a list of singer's clubs if of interest to you. You probably find links to other places of interest, too.

Nenagh Singers Circle
Irish Traditional Music Archive
Folk Music Society of Ireland
Irish World Music Centre
Inishowen Traditional Singers Circle
Club Sult
Seamus Ennis Centre
Belfast Folk

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Shiamsa
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 01:55 AM

Thanks, Barry. But my query related to English-style "Folk Clubs", of the sort that seem to have been discussed among Catters for years in dozens of threads, with booking organisers, guest artists, floor singers, etc. As I said, there are lots of sessions/gigs/singarounds, etc., here in pubs and back rooms and parish halls or whatever, informal and without entrance fee, but organised "Folk Clubs" of the English model...??

Regards, Don Conlan

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 04:56 AM

In the '70's and early 80's, there was an extensive network of clubs in Ireland such that artistes from the UK and the mainland Europe could be regularly imported by ferry at one end of the country, passed around from club to club to club for a week or a fortnight, and poured on to the ferry at the other end of the country! I first heard Martin Carthy, the Battlefield Band, Pierre Bensusan and many others at the weekly Athone Folk Club in that way. As a measure of change, that club still exists but manages at best one gig a month. I know there are some others.

That said, the culture was never the same as a typical English folk club, of course - nor the atmosphere.

Regards

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 05:50 AM

Shiamsa - A bit of thread drift , but if you are at a loose end om the second weekend in February next year , why not have a run up to Portaferry - There will be quite a few MudCat singers and musicians there , ask in Fiddlers Green or at Barholme Hostel for us !

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 09:22 AM

If it's any help, the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann website shows the folowing for my locality:

            Crusheen Singers' Session, Fogarty's Pub,
            Crusheen, Co. Clare. 2nd & 4th Weds.

            Ennis Singers' Club, Brandon Bar,
            O'Connell St., Ennis, Co. Clare
            Contact: Peadar McNamara, Magowna, Inch,
            Co. Clare, phone: [phone]st & 3rd Weds.

There are many others shown for the other counties of Ireland but they all appear to be singers' clubs.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 09:26 AM

CCE website: "irishrochester.org".

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 12:54 PM

an spalpin fanach, cork city, unaccompanied singers club , books guests . Iplayed there recently. Dick Miles

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: harpmaker
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 01:49 PM

Yes, three.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Shiamsa
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 10:12 PM

Many thanks folks. I'm not looking for a place to play--I was just wondering why, considering the huge amount of discussion on the subject, there are all these "Folk Clubs", with their particular structure as I mentioned above, in England and few or none of that sort (that I've heard of anyway) in this country.

I think Martin Ryan best caught my drift.

Leadfingers, I usually play in Dublin Saturdays and Sundays, but might fancy a break--excuse my ignorance, but where is Portaferry? Is there a website or further info for this weekend?

Regards, Don

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Declan
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 05:57 AM

There's also Howth singing circle on th fist Thursday of each month in the sea angling club on the pier nearest the DART station. This isn't actually a folk club in the sense you mean. There's a voluntary contribution to defray costs of sandwiches etc.

I'm told there is a folk club (open stage type of thing) in Grange Woodbine centre near Raheny on first Monday of the month, but I haven't been there myself.

As Martin says there were many folk clubs in Dublin in the 70s and 80s most with a cover charge on the door, places like Slattery's of Capel Street, The Meeting Place in Dorset St, An Béal Bocht and the like. Most are gone there. Nearest thing I know of are the Gig room at the Cobble Stone, Whelan's etc.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST,Elizabeth
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 08:46 AM

Was the Goilín singer's club the first of its kind in Ireland?

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 10:11 AM

Yes, in the senses of being a place of unaccompanied singing only. And from it sprang many others.


Regards

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 11:14 AM

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94530 is the thread about Portaferry next year !

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST,Elizabeth
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 05:30 PM

Thank you!

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Declan
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 08:50 PM

The best I can offer as to why the folk club model fell away during the 80s in Ireland is to say that around that time pubs started to pay traditional (not getting into the threads about this word at the moment) musicians to play in sessions in a lot of the Dublin pubs (and eventually in other parts of the country).

This meant that musicians didn't have to organise themselves into bands to make money. They could get 'gigs' playing sessions - something they had previously done for free, or for the price of a few drinks. And the music was free for the punters also - so why should they pay into folk clubs when there was high quality music available for free.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 04:48 AM

Declan
...and the audience wasn't expected to listen either!

Regards

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 05:09 AM

I dunno, I've had this discussion before. I was hoping to come over to Ireland in May and take a look - as nothing seemed to make sense from the mudcat threads. Unfortuantely some business came up so I didn't make it.

My feeling is that guys like Paddy Casey didn't get his shit together in a vacuum. there must be something pretty exciting going on over there - even if Mudcat members don't know about it

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 05:25 AM

Nobody said it wasn't happening - just that it's no longer a "folk club" scene!

Regards

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 05:32 AM

Martin is right there might be an odd folk club somewhere but as an old follower of the scene for many years, it is the Pub or nothing and at times, nothing is what you hear.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 05:35 AM

I know of Ceoltas sessions in gaelic league and GAA halls and any overseas visitor would be made welcome.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST,Beachcomber
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 10:12 AM

As regards "Folk Clubs" in Ireland, I wonder why people expect Live, Spontaneous and Organised Session Music in Ireland to conform exactly to the pattern in other countries. I come from a rural area of Ireland and , subject to some cyclical occurences when other types of music became , briefly, more popular, folk music has nearly always been performed in pubs or at private house gatherings, christenings, weddings, wakes,burials,long term leave takings or victory celebrations (come to think of it, defeat "celebrations" have often been just as good !)
That 's the way it always was and still is, over here. We never really divided ourselves into "clubs" for musical affairs except, to some extent in the Dublin of the late 60s,70s perhaps. Maybe another city or too also.
I think our more bucolic life style lends itself to more spontaneous performances.
If anyone intends to visit here from abroad to join in some musical events, then buy the local newspaper for whichever area you favour. You'll find reams of notices concerning live music of varying degrees of excellence all over the place.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 02:42 PM

has anyone heard of this young duo - Two Gallants from Dublin - apparently acoustic, obviously taking their name from the james joyce story in Dubliners. they have had a brilliant write up in Guitarist magazine and a four star review for their album.

These guys, like Paddy Casey must have been gigging somewhere. there must be a sizeable interest in acoustic singer/songwriters to produce this kind on frisson in the music industry.

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Shiamsa
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 07:31 PM

weelittledrummer, I read of your intention to come to Ireland earlier in the year, and the curt reply you received. As Guest above remarked foreign visitors are usually made welcome to sing a couple of songs at any singing session I've ever seen. In fact, as I mentioned in another thread, we almost compel them to sing at the singarounds I attend in Dublin! Here's my email address if you're thinking of coming over (I live in Dublin city): [e-mail]

Beachcomber, thanks for the info. I was abroad during the eighties and most of the seventies, and didn't know anything about folk clubs here, and was just curious. Am playing trad at a wedding and a christening next week--the same things go on here in the city...

I'm not familiar with the Two Gallants, but there's an awful lot of talented young folkies around Dublin, who often start off at Comhaltas or sessions/singarounds like our own in Devitts, Nash's, Pale, Brazen Head, Cobblestone, etc., or open mikes in Left Bank or Dame Tavern, then go on to gig at places like Whelans. Don't know too much about the younger scene though, as I'm an old fogie myself!
Cheers, Don

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Effsee
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 09:21 PM

WLD, the Two Gallants appear to come from San Francisco if Google is to be believed.
Shiamsa, Portaferry is at the bottom of the Ard Peninsula in north west Ireland. I would be there myself next year if my health problems didn't prevent me. Go there, and have a great weekend of sessions with a lot of helluva nice folk!

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 02:29 PM

North-East

Subject: RE: Are there any folk clubs in Ireland?
From: Effsee
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 02:32 PM

OOPS!