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Stepping up for third Tulla music festival

Seosamh O’Conchubhair, Reachtaire of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, will officially launch the third annual Tulla Traditional Music Festival on Friday week.
The festival will be opened by Mr O’Conchubhair at 8pm on Friday, September 11 with the launch the Tulla Comhaltas Archive CD entitled Humours of Tulla.
This is part two of a three-part archival project on the music, songs and poetry of Tulla, which has been steeped for centuries in musical tradition.

Meanwhile, at 10pm that night Minogues Bar will host a night of traditional music with Mike Rafferty, Willie Kelly and Donal Clancy.
Paula Carroll of Clare FM will host the evening of music, where fiddle and flute duo Rafferty and Kelly will launch their new album, entitled The New Broom.
An iconic figure of the Irish-American music scene, flute player Mike Rafferty is a native of East County Galway but now resides in New Jersey. While Mike is now in his 80s, he still sounds like a flute player at the height of his power.
Willie Kelly, a gifted fiddler, has been described as one of Irish-American music’s best-kept secrets. Kelly is also based in New Jersey. The duo will give workshops on the Saturday morning and will perform at the fiddle and flute recital, which will be held the following evening.
One of the highlights of this year’s Tulla Traditional Music Festival is the Gala Concert, which will feature Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill and At The Racket. This event takes place on Saturday night in St Peter and Paul’s Church, Tulla. Foursome At The Racket, which includes John Carty on fiddle and banjo, Brian McGrath on piano, tenor guitar, and banjo, Seamus O’Donnell on flute, saxophone and vocals and Michael McCague on guitar, will then perform.
At The Racket will also take to the fiddle and flute recital at Tulla Courthouse on Sunday evening, which has been rescheduled to 6.30pm to facilitate people watching of the All-Ireland U-21 Hurling final. 
The line-up for the recital also includes Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Mike Rafferty, Willie Kelly and Donal Clancy, Vincent Griffin and Paddy O’Donoghue, Eileen O’Brien and Deirdre McSherry.
As seating is limited, early booking is advisable and tickets for the recital or the gala concert can be had from the Music Room, post office or the pharmacy in Tulla or online from Custy’s.
Galway concertina player Claire Keville’s new CD, The Daisy Field, will be launched by Joan Hanrahan in Minogues on Saturday at 10pm. This CD also features Liam Lewis and Breda Keville on fiddle and tasteful minimal accompaniment is provided by Geraldine Cotter on piano and Terence O’Reilly on guitar. Claire is extremely well known throughout Clare. 
Workshops have been a significant part of the Tulla Traditional Music Festival over the past three years and this year is no exception and workshops in a variety of instruments, in singing, dancing and Comhrá Gaeilge will take place on the Saturday morning.
Fiddle players will have an opportunity to attend workshops with either Martin Hayes, Willie Kelly or Eileen O’Brien, while Mike Rafferty will offer flute workshops and Mícheál O’Raghallaigh will be this year’s concertina tutor.
Back again this year for traditional singing is Nora Butler, while Suzanne Leahy will be giving in the sean nós dancing workshop and Aidan Vaughan will be there to teach steps for sets.
The Cómhra Gaeilge workshop proved very popular last year and will be of particular benefit for exam students. This workshop will also be held on the Saturday with Sr Eibhlín Ní Challanáin and Caitlín Ní Mhaoldomnaigh.
Céilithe will be held each night at Minogues, with Larry McEvoy providing the music on Friday, Martin Hayes and the Tulla Céilí Band on Saturday night and Martin Hayes, Andrew McNamara, Mark Donnellan and Jim Corry on the Sunday night.
Full details of times on the workshops are available from Mary MacNamara on 087 2378611, or at www.tullatradfestival.com.

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