Thurs 22nd March at Cruises, Ennis!
We had a really great night last Thurs (see pictures below taken by Andrew Lambert)! Join us this Thurs 22nd March from 8:30pm and we’ll see what tunes we’ll play and who will play them with us! We love company!!
#loveirishmusic #lovethecraic #alwaysdifferent #coclare #wildatlanticway

Orla McGovern, Patricia Kerwin, Jim Maher, Lenka Hoffmanova, Bernie Kerwin, John Malone and Aoife. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Áine Heslin, Jimmy Clancy, Orla McGovern and Patricia Kerwin. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Orla McGovern, Jim Maher, Patricia Kerwin (dancing), Bernie Kerwin, John Malone and Aoife. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Orla McGovern, Patricia Kerwin, Jim Maher, Lenka Hoffmanova, Bernie Kerwin, John Malone and Aoife. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Lenka Hoffmanova, Brian Burke, Bernie Kerwin, John Malone, Aoife ? Yoshinori Fukuda, Misaki Fukuda and Mary Caldwell. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Áine Heslin, Misaki Fukuda, Yoshinori Fukuda,and Orla McGovern. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Lenka Hoffmanova, Brian Burke and Bernie Kerwin. Photo by Andrew Lambert.
Thurs March 15th at Cruises Bar – Irish music!

Open session with Jimmy Clancy (accordion) and Áine Heslin (flute) from 8:30pm. Join us for a cosy pre-St Patrick’s Day session indoors and get geared up for the actual St. Patrick’s Day festivities!!
Feeling very sad though at Ireland having lost a master-piper today – Rest in Peace Liam Óg O’ Flynn, and to celebrate his contribution to Irish music we will play something in his honour – ‘Newfoundland’ from Shaun Davey’s suite The Brendan Voyage.
Here are photos from last week’s session and most of them lovely shots from Patrick Keating who also played accordion with us! Note Ronan Burrenn from ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’.

Geraldine on whistle and Lisa on fiddle. Photo by Patrick Keating.

Patrick, Jim, Geraldine and Lisa.

I think this was Lisa? on fiddle. Photo by Patrick Keating.

Matt on guitar and song.. Photo by Patrick Keating.

Howard on tinwhistle. Photo by Patrick Keating.

James on low whistle. Photo by Patrick Keating.

Colm on flute and Ronan. Photo by Patrick Keating.
Open session on International Women’s Day! Cruises Bar, Ennis – 8:30pm.
Join us for some music, song and whatever else comes up on Thurs 8th March at 8:30pm! Jimmy Clancy on accordion and Áine Heslin on flute/whistle and all of you taking part in the fun.
No photos from last week other than snow photos and you’ve probably enjoyed enough of them so I’ll post a video soon with sunshine (maybe) in the background..
We’ll play some lovely tunes with reference to ladies/girls and if you want to offer some ideas please do comment below! (See some archive photos!)

Áine, Jimmy Clancy and Tony Illanes, fiddle. (Brian Burke on flute behind and Gerry Eustace on mandolin) Fleadh Nua May 2017 Cruises. Photo by Andrew Lambert.

Áine Heslin on flute with Paula O’ Regan on fiddle. Photo by Betty Connor.

Áine Heslin and Jimmy Clancy. Photo by Betty Connor.
Thurs Feb 22nd – Open session at Cruises Bar, Ennis
Lots of photos from last week – we were extra busy as we had a large contingent from the US of Old Time musicians warming up for their Old Time Festival in Lisdoonvarna last weekend!! How exciting our night was!! Come join us tonight at 8:30pm for our regular (??) Open Session of Irish trad music with Jimmy Clancy, Áine Heslin and friends.
This session means a lot to Jimmy and myself – we love and encourage the new friendships made every week – it is as important to us as the music. Even though I have written over 100 tunes I don’t consider a session to be the place to demonstrate them (I usually play one or two popular sets though) and that was why I did my mini-summer concerts last year. People come to play, with others, tunes they have in common and we all appreciate the tunes that new instrumentalists bring that we might not have heard for years!
Having said that I love it when one or two of my tunes touch a chord with musicians and they take the time and effort to learn them – TUNES have a life of their own I’m convinced!!
#sessions #irishtraditionalmusic #oldtime #coclare #wildatlanticway #shannonairport #cruisesbar

Emmy Truckenmiller, Dan Levenson, Howard Winrow, Jim on accordion, Paula and Patsy on concertinas!

Jim, Paula, Patsy, Greg Smith and Bob Denton.

Old Time Flatfoot dance meets old Irish Sean-nós dance!! Thanks Dan and Patricia.

Greg Smith, Orla McGovern behind on keyboards and Bob Denton.

Lorene Smith on double bass.

Can’t decide which I love more – Bob’s bright banjo or his fab smile!!

Andy Lambert (organiser of the Irish Old Time Festival last weekend in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare) and Lorena Smith.
Open session in Ennis tonight.
February 15th – (Thursday) from 8:30pm at Cruises Bar with Jimmy Clancy, Áine Heslin and friends. Had a great session of visiting musicians last Thurs – see photos below (missed some people, our apologies.) We also had some lovely sean-nós dancing from Patricia and a little from Mary – but no photos I’m afraid. Next time! Come join us tonight.

Aoife from Kilmaley on concertina.

Michael on fiddle and Jim on accordion.

Aoife on concertina and Andy on bouzouki.

Mary and Patricia discussing sean-nós steps and Patricia and Aoife playing concertinas.

Sorcha on concertina, Mike on flute and Howard on whistle.
Thurs night open session, Co. Clare.
Jimmy Clancy and Áine Heslin invite you to join the session from 8:30pm Thurs nights at Cruises Bar, Ennis – a great group of musicians come in whenever they can make it so there are nearly always old friends to meet – new people come in for tunes/songs too – so friends to make!
(A good time to make arrangements to come to Ennis and experience a 3 day Irish Traditional Music festival called Fleadh Nua which is held in May! See link: http://www.fleadhnua.com/)
See some photos from last week:

Damien on banjo, Jim on accordion and Howard on whistle.

Orla on keyboards and Ronán recording the music for his Facebook group ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’.

Seamus on flute, James on whistle and low whistle and Damien on banjo.

James on whistle, Damien on banjo and Jim on accordion.
February 1st 2018 – a session in Cruises.
Well, last week’s session must have been our last in Jan because this one coming…..is
Join us at 8:30pm in Cruises Bar Thurs night… 1st Feb!
Last week there was Jimmy Clancy on accordion and myself, Áine Heslin on flute. As always we had lovely guest instrumentalists and we had tunes all evening even though for the previous two weeks we had four singers at least each night! But then, a young singer who had made her way up from Tipperary just to give us a couple of songs…..arrived as we were finishing and gave us a couple of beautifully-sung songs, accompanying herself on guitar. Ronán from Ireland’s Inner Beauty recorded some videos.
#enniscoclare #sessions #irishtraditionalmusic #accordion #flute #tinwhistle #irelandsinnerbeauty
Some photos below of last week.
Eve of St Patrick’s Day – session in Ennis

If you are in Ennis on 16th March, why not drop in to Cruises from 8:30pm and enjoy the session – or join in if you feel so inclined! All welcome. Jimmy Clancy and Áine Heslin leading the session. Here are only a couple of photos from last week (phone settings went awry)

Michael McGrath.

Pat Keating snr and Pat Keating jnr. Father and son having fun!
Cruises Thurs night sessions 23rd Feb
While I still have the time – I’m uploading photos from the previous week. As time moves on things will get busier…less photos! Some of you will be happy about that maybe, but for the rest of us – here we go! (Don’t forget to call in this Thurs 8:30pm Open Session, before heading to Doolin for the weekend!) Ps also, we’ll be here the night before St Patrick’s Day.

Áine Heslin and Jimmy Clancy. Photo by Betty Connor.

Paula, Satoshi and Michael.

Andy! 😉

Michael and…Michael!
Make it a ‘Valentine’s Thurs?! (16th)
Here we go again and, have we a LOT of lovely photos from last week?? Yes, thanks to our good friends Andy and Pat! More even, by Ronan at ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’ facebook group – check it out! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1561847780795422/ Matt and I had a lovely visit from our good friend Frank Corr who lives in the UK/plays guitar, mandolin, banjo and sings! And of course all our other new and old friends as pictured below (hopefully with names correct..).
Join Jimmy and myself at Cruises again this and every Thurs from 8:30pm. Bring heart!

From the left – John, Adrian, Pat, Áine, Jimmy Matt and Frank. Photo taken by Andy Lambert.

Matt, Frank, John, Paula, Adrian, (Mary behind) and Satoshi. Photo taken by Andy Lambert.

Andy, Matt singing and Frank Corr (our good friend from England) Photo taken by Pat Keating.

Adrian on flute with Howard on tinwhistle behind. Photo taken by Pat Keating.

Satoshi on flute. Photo by Pat Keating..

Howard and Paula. Photo by Pat Keating.

Áine, Jimmy, Andy, Matt and Frank. Photo by Pat Keating.

John and Howard. Photo by Pat Keating.

Michael in the zone! Photo by Pat Keating.

Áine, Jimmy and Andy. Photo by Pat Keating

John and Howard. Photo by Pat Keating
The Easy Club (reel in Amaj)
The Easy Club – not necessarily an easy tune but a lovely one. We play many more besides that every Thurs night in Cruises Bar from 8:30 till about 11pm. Join us there this week or whenever you’re around. https://www.facebook.com/AineHeslinMusic/

Bill on flute, Paula on concertina and Brian on flute.

In the background; Brian on flute, Michael on accordion. In the foreground; Betty on fiddle.

Martin singing a lovely song about Co. Clare.

Howard in the background on tinwhistle and Satoshi on flute.

It’s all a blur!! 😉
What’s upcoming!
Easter is coming and we start with Thurs night once again in Cruises Bar. Ennis will be full of atmosphere this weekend and trad music is a big part of that. Jimmy Clancy is hosting an open seisiún on Thurs from 8pm with me and anyone else who is up for a few tunes! We had a big gathering last Thurs St. Patrick’s Day and some are returning to us this week too. https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=tshttp://www.cruisesbar.com/
On Easter Saturday night I will be playing in Doonbeg at Madigan’s Bar along with Mairéad Considine on concertina – one of the best-in-the-West! Matt will be singing some great songs!! He will be accompanying us on guitar too of course…Our hosts Marty and Emily Madigan wished to ring in the Easter with some traditional music and song so we hope you can join us there 10:30pm. https://www.facebook.com/Madigans-Doonbeg-113455898988530/?fref=ts#
On Easter Sunday night ( after family celebrations maybe or many chocolate eggs??) I will be joining Niamh Casey and Róisin Considine in Myles Creek Bar, Kilkee. http://mylescreekbarguesthouse.ie/ 8:30pm in front of the open fire! Join us there!
I’m very excited to be playing again on St. Patrick’s Day and this year (2016) it’s at Cruises Bar in Ennis! http://www.cruisesbar.com/
I’ll be joining Jimmy Clancy at 8:30pm after an exciting day in Kilrush where I will have (with success and happiness hopefully!) enabled a group of local young tin-whistlers to march in the parade there! It’s a special year as we know – commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising – and Jimmy and I will endeavour to include some lovely old traditional airs and tunes at the open seisiún in Cruises later that evening; St. Patrick’s Day 17th March.
So if you have spent a lovely day in Ennis with their parade (which will also be spectacular I’m certain!) or are travelling in for the evening and some music – be sure to stroll into Cruises for the craic is bound to be good!
Some photos from the Sunday night session in Myles Creek in Kilkee 21st Feb. Great music!
Roisin Considine, Noel Bermingham and myself played host to a fine selection of visitors – local and not so local! Tom Gorman from Boston (the US one!) and Cree, Co Clare on bouzouki; Harry (didn’t catch the surname) from North England on accordian (left) and his wife who sang (not pictured), Tom from Limerick – a regular visitor – on tinwhistle; my Dad, Jim Connolly on accordian (right) also Christy O’Malley from Kilrush who gave a lovely rendition of The Minstrel Boy. Harry had played for many years in a ceili band in the UK and had some great old tunes that we knew but are seldom heard locally.
Looking forward to .. this Sunday Feb 21st 2016 – open seisiún with Niamh Casey and friends at Myles’ Creek, Kilkee 8:30pm. http://mylescreekbarguesthouse.ie/ we hope some of you can venture out and can promise a warm atmosphere with lots of lovely tunes!!
Was at Cruises last night with Jimmy and we had a lovely seisiún – playing at a (for me!) nice manageable pace all evening! Great tunes were unearthed from the dusty corners of the brain – tunes like ‘The Battle of Aughrim’ – haven’t played it for …centuries. 🙂 See you there next Thurs night 11th Feb if you are in Ennis.
Thursday Jan 28th 2016 – Open seisiún at Cruises Bar from 9pm with Jimmy Clancy on accordion. http://www.cruisesbar.com/
Thanks to the hard work of a new friend in Brazil (Marcus Disessa) nearly all of the tunes from my album ‘The Tunes Foundry’ are on thesession.org!! See this link (if it works..) https://thesession.org/recordings/5006
Thursday Jan 21st – Open seisiún at Cruises Bar from 9pm with Jimmy Clancy on accordion. http://www.cruisesbar.com/
Jan 17th 2016 (Sun) – seisiún with Niamh Casey and friends at Myles’ Creek, Kilkee 8:30pm. http://mylescreekbarguesthouse.ie/ hope to see some of our regular friends and of course our musician friends too.
Had the pleasure of playing at the early reception of a wedding in Co. Clare on Saturday last with Matt (Heslin) and Niamh Casey! Trad music was really appreciated and of course some lovely songs by Matt were enjoyed too. Our best wishes to the bride and groom.
Thurs 10th December 2015 – Live performance (Áine on tinwhistle/flute and Matt on guitar/vocals) in the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith after the screening of the new film ‘Connected 2 Each Other’ at 8pm.
Podcast of a lovely interview by Pat Costello of Clare FM on his program Gentle Folk 10pm Sunday nights. He plays several tracks from the album and also plays the tune ‘Bláthú’ where I am accompanied by Graham Dunne on guitar (Pat mentioned my husband!!) https://www.mixcloud.com/clarefm/gentle-folk-with-pat-costello-25th-october-2015/
Thanks for the mention in Irish Music Magazine –
(I’ll be performing after the screening of film ‘Connected 2 Each Other’ in the Irish Cultural Centre at Hammersmith Dec10th http://www.irishculturalcentre.co.uk/?q=content/irish-film-club-return-thursdays)
Playing in Cruises Bar, Ennis on 5th Nov (Ennis Tradfest 2015) from 9pm with Jimmy Clancy.
Sunday 15th Nov 2015 – Open seisiún with Niamh Casey and friends at Myles’ Creek, Kilkee from 8:30pm. All welcome.
Oct ’15 Here is a link to the IRISHTV program Limerick Matters taken at the premiere of the ‘Connected 2 Each Other’ film. It is featured in the last section of the program. http://www.irishtv.ie/limerick-matters-52
Sept ’15 What an amazing night at the premiere of Patrick O’ Neill’s new film “Connected 2 Each Other”. So honoured to have a piece in the soundtrack – this is it playing during the video-clip of the night! (Piece is named “Bláthú” and I will have the notes on the website soon.)
If you would like to book Áine for an event, please contact her at aineheslinmusic@gmail.com for available dates. See also Contact page.
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