Irish Music
Summer school ready to shine on trad skills
 MEITHEAL in Co.
Clare is a summer school like few others — with a greater intensity
of activity. Pupils rise at 7.45am and the schedule continues until midnight
when they retire to their sleeping quarters.
The programme is also innovative — with composition, arrangement,
folk orchestra and the full professional concert experience in the sophistication
of a top venue. The main attraction is that it is an all-in package offering
everything on one campus including meals and accommodation.
All students receive a commemorative DVD of their week’s activities
and they can also download a multitude of excellent photos, audio and
video clips from the website www.tradweek.com
Tutors are Séamus Connolly fiddle, Louise Mulcahy flute and pipes,
Ivan Goff flute & pipes, Sean Óg Graham box and guitar, Tony
O’Connell concertina, Enda Scahill banjo and Máire O’Keefe
fiddle.
The festival runs from July 17 to 21.
Application forms are available by contacting Garry Shannon (087) 6704465
or e-mail: meitheal2@eircom.net.
You can also download an application form from the website at www.tradweek.com.
Applications close February 24.
McGoldrick’s wired for sound
 MIKE McGoldrick’s third
solo album Wired should have been entitled Inspired.
The spark is definitely there as he plays like a man possessed —
sorcery flowing from flute, pipes and whistle.
Few could crank out a set of reels as fiery as his versions of Spike Island
Lasses and Skyedance with tablas, trumpet and other trimmings going almost
unnoticed behind such vibrant music.
Amhrán an Bhó is simply stunning on solo flute.
Itís his ability to take tunes of any tempo and bring out their
magic which makes McGoldrick such a master musician.
With Asian samples, electric guitar, exotic percussion and a few other
surprises, it may not be for the purist but like his previous album Fused
it’s all great and brings Irish music to a wider audience.
Mike became the first piper/flautist to win the acclaimed BBC Radio 2
Young Tradition Award in September 1995 and is an inspired player with
a true feeling for and dedication to traditional music.
He has the capacity to make traditional tunes come alive in an exciting
and relevant way and the ability to write some cracking tunes of his own.
Though Wired is billed as a solo album, Capercaillie keyboardist and composer
Donald Shaw is heavily involved.
As well as producing and directing Donald has collaborated with Mike on
many of the compositions and arrangements.
|
