Thousands expected for 41st Willie Clancy festival

THE 41st Scoil Samhradh Willie Clancy will bring the cream of traditional musicians and followers to Miltown Malbay from this Saturday to Sunday, July 14.

The festival will be officially opened by Orlaith McBride of the Arts Council on Saturday at 8pm. This will be followed at 8.30pm by the Breandán Breathnach Memorial Lecture entitled The harp that once now dances a jig: the harp in Irish traditional music 1900-2010. The lecture will be delivered by Dr Helen Lawlor, author and lecturer in Irish music, ethnomusicology and music education at Dundalk Institute of Technology.

The festival will feature an array of classes and workshops throughout Miltown Malbay, with thousands of visitors expected in the West Clare town.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Miltown Malbay musician Edel Fox and Neill Byrne from Waterford will release their new CD, The Sunny Banks, at Scoil Samhradh Willie Clancy.

Edel and Neill have been playing music together for the past three years. Edel grew up in Miltown Malbay and over the years has become well known as a Clare concertina player, specialising in the music of her native county. Neill was born and raised in Ferrybank, Waterford, where he grew up in a very musicial household. His father and sister are also musicians.

Having won the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award in 2004 at 18, Edel is no stranger to the international stage. Over the years she has toured and performed with acts such as Cherish the Ladies, The Kane Sisters, Jackie Daly and Ronan O’Flaherty all over Europe, Asia, the US and Canada. Her newest project, The Sunny Banks, with fiddle player Neill has been very well received in Ireland.

While Edel and Neill’s influences range from duos like Noel Hill and Tony Linnane; Caoimhín Ó Raghaillaigh and Mick O’Brien; and Tony O’Connell and Andy Morrow, they have a new fresh sound. The lively dancing rhythm from West Clare is still evident but their repertoire is completely different. Their music is a mixture of older traditional melodies and newer compositions, which showcase their fun and bouncy style.

Together, they share a common interest in unusual versions of tunes and uncommon compositions from composers such as John Dwyer, Finbar Dwyer, Tommy Peoples, Charlie Lennon, Joe Liddy, Sean Ryan, Ed Reavy, Lorna Davey, Brendan McGlinchey, Paddy O’Brien (Tipperary) and Paddy O’Brien (Offaly). There repertoire also includes compositions by Edel.

The Sunny Banks also features 2012 TG4 Young Musician of the Year from An Rinn, Waterford, Caoimhín Ó Fearghail and Cavan bodhrán player, Richie Lyons.

In August, Edel and Neill will embark on a three-week tour  of the USA, taking in Boston, Cape Cod, Assonet, Burlington, Portland, Richmond, Fairfield, Coatsville, Washington DC, Baltimore and Syracuse along their way.
Meanwhile, organisers of the Armada Willie Week Festival of Music and Dancing have announced a major expansion of the festival programme this year to coincide with Willie Clancy.

The annual festival, which will be held at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point from this Friday to July 14, will feature a 10-day programme of afternoon and night-time set-dancing sessions and, for the first time, a nightly country music programme from July 8 to Saturday, July 13.

Also, as hordes of musicians make their way to the festival, they should keep an eye out for RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s roadcaster, An Ródaí, which will also be making its way to West Clare for the week.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has been supporting the Willie Clancy Summer School since its first year in 1973 and continues to do so this year. They will be broadcasting all week from the heart of Miltown, bringing listeners live music, interviews and a taste of the atmosphere.

Their live broadcasts will start with the Éirinn is Alba concert on Sunday from 8pm to 10pm. The concert in the community centre will celebrate the links between Gaelic Scotland and Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy. Musicians taking part will include Allan MacDonald, Grúpa John Kelly, Iain and Mary MacGillivray, Seán Mac Craith, Therese McInerney and friends, Aoife Ní Argáin, Kirsten Allstaff, Mick Kinsella and Josephine Marsh, Eimear Coughlan and Francis Cunningham, Eóghann MacEannruig, Niamh Talty, Alanah MacInnes, Charlie Harris, Eamonn and Geraldine Cotter and the West Clare dancers.

From Monday to Friday, from 2pm to 4pm, Seán Bán Breathnach will be speaking to musicians and visitors in the Ródaí on programme SBB i Sráid na Cathrach.

RnaG music editor and talented flute player Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha will be bringing her programme Ceol Binn ó na Beanna to listeners live from Miltown on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm. Musicians will be playing live in studio in the Ródaí, discussing new albums and upcoming tours with Neansaí.
More details are available on www.scoilsamhraidhwillieclancy.com.