Thurs 8th June at Cruises Bar, Ennis.
Hi all! For those of you looking forward to joining in at the session with Jimmy Clancy from 8:30pm I’m delighted to let you know that you’ll also be playing tunes with Sorcha Curtin – a fine concertina player from Miltown Malbay who is standing in for me there for the night. May there be MANY, many tunes…and maybe a bit of dancing or a song? Have a great night and I’ll show some photos from last week when my signal improves enough to upload!! 🙂 Here are a couple of previous photos of Jimmy and of Sorcha though.. Ps – I’ll see you as usual with Jimmy next Thurs night 15th June!
Last Sunday’s ‘Ceol Cois Tine’
Áine with Caroline Killeen on fiddle and Mairéad Considine on concertina at Keane’s, Carrigaholt.
Tom Maguire singing a lovely song of Kilbaha!
Another fine singer in the audience!
Matt accompanying music and songs – and singing himself too!
Sunday outdoors (1)at Fleadh Nua
Photos by Patrick Keating
Orla Coughlan, Noel Bermingham and Michael McGrath
Áine, Andy Lambert and Jes McNamara
Nuala Kelly (whose flute I’m holding!) holding baby Muireann Considine at the Seisiún, mammy Niamh Considine (fiddle) and myself, Áine Heslin. PK photo.
Cruises Thurs eve session – June 1st!
Open seisiún at Cruises every Thurs night from 8:30pm – hosted by Jimmy Clancy on accordion and myself, Áine Heslin on flute and tinwhistle. Absolutely lovely group of people joined us last Thurs from different countries and from Facebook too!! 🙂 Met with Tony Illanes from Spain who joined us for the night – we’ve met on Facebook and he was happy to play ‘Walking the Dog’, my jig which he had learned from having downloaded my cd! Thanks Tony for supporting a composer!
We had visitors also from New York (Fang, on fiddle), London UK (Shirley and some friends) and closer to home, Wayne from Armagh, Gerry Eustace and Peig from Clare, also some of our regular visitors too; Patsy on piano accordion, Mary Caldwell on accordion, Brian Burke on flute, of course Andy on bouzouki, Michael on accordion, Patricia doing Sean-nós (we hear she won a sean-nós competition at the weekend – well done!) and concertina. Also their friend Mary, sean-nós dancer too. We had a couple more whose names I didn’t catch, sorry guys. Also Suzannah onfiddle and Geraldine on tinwhistle. Hup!
Wayne from Armagh on banjo! Fleadh Nua 2017
Patricia on concertina. Fleadh Nua 2017
In full flight – Tony Illanes from Malaga, Spain! Fleadh Nua 2017
Gerry Eustace singing, also (not in the photo) Peig, who sang a couple of lovely songs too. Fleadh Nua 2017
Andy Lambert on bouzouki, when not taking photos or singing a song!
In the snug beside the seisiún was the makings of another – only got Shirley’s name (on left, concertina) Fleadh Nua 2017
Three lovely sean-nós dancers seated before entertaining the lot of us with their lively steps! Fleadh Nua 2017
Ronan Burrenn (left) capturing the fun of the evening with Facebook Live for his group Ireland’s Inner Beauty!
Fang from NY on fiddle, Michael on accordion, Patsy on piano accordion Wayne from Armagh on banjo and this gentleman (sorry!) on bouzouki/mandolin? Fleadh Nua 2017
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.
Shirley from London on concertina, friend on banjo, Colm Nestor on flute and friend on fiddle! Cruises Thurs night session during Fleadh Nua 2017. Photo by Andrew Lambert
Cruises Thurs night session during the Fleadh Nua in Ennis May 2017. Photo by Andrew Lambert.
Will it 25°C on 25th May? Cruises Seisiún.
Join Jimmy Clancy, accordion and myself, Áine on flute/tinwhistle from 8:30pm in Cruises Bar Thurs 25th May for an open seisiún – could be a mighty session with the Fleadh Nua in town!!
Today we are spoiled, as the photos I have from last Thurs were taken by Pat Keating – accordion player who was not included but I found an older photo – a couple of musicians I didn’t have names for, my apologies. Check out Ronan Burrenn’s Facebook Group ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’ for some previous live videos taken. (People listen live from all around the world)
Jimmy’s set!
As promised, here are the manuscript notes and video of ‘Jimmy Clancy’s Fancy’ and ‘Jimmy will find a relation’ – two reels I wrote last month. There are many of you out there who can do a better job of playing these than I can so please give them a try. (Am not a great trad player – a good musician, I hope!) There are musicians who are used to translating manuscript into abc notation – I’m not very used to it, but will do that for you soon. Thanks Olaf Sickman for asking to be the first to record a composition of mine – Olaf plays a lovely solo guitar version of ‘Bláthú’ on his album ‘Cafe Rialto’!
Áine Heslin and Jimmy Clancy. Photo by Betty Connor.
From Friels to Cruises
CRUISES seisiún tonight from 8:30pm.;)
Had a wonderful night in Friels Lynches Pub in Miltown on Sat night last with Sorcha Curtin and Caroline Tubridy. We were joined by Dolores Hamill who was looking forward to some West Clare tunes as was Denya DeVine from Cape Cod! We had a friendly and appreciative audience too, thanks all. Some photos below mixed in with some snaps from last Thurs night’s session in Cruises! That was a great night of music, which was fitting as Jimmy had laid to rest a dear friend and relation who loved the music always! Ronan from ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’ came in and took several Facebook Live videos during the evening (I captured a shadowy pic of him in the process!) Jimmy nor I feature in the photos but I’ll drop in one so you don’t forget us!!! 😉
Caroline Tubridy on concertina.
Sorcha Curtin on concertina and Denya DeVine on fiddle.
Dolores Hamill on concertina.
Áine Heslin and Jimmy Clancy. Photo by Betty Connor.
Michael on tinwhistle being Live videoed by Ronan from ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’!
Brian Burke on flute, Theresa on concertina Mary Caldwell on accordion, Michael McGrath out of sight! And Seanie on guitar.
Seanie on guitar/vocals.
Seanie on guitar and Andy Lambert on bouzouki – both sang songs during the night!
Paula O’ Regan on fiddle (beside her Patsy Hanrahan on piano accordion) Brian Burke and Michael Coffey on flutes
Sat 29th April in Miltown Malbay.
Looking forward to a lovely night of tunes in Friels Lynchs Pub tomorrow night. Playing with Sorcha Curtin (concertina) and Caroline Tubridy (fiddle/concertina) and anyone else who might drop in to us! Check out Miltown Malbay too; http://www.westclare.net/miltown.htm – and – http://www.clare.ie/place/miltown-malbay/
https://www.facebook.com/Wilsons.Friels
Mike Coffey and Sorcha Curtin
Happy Birthday Jimmy Clancy! :)
Happy birthday Jimmy! I have enjoyed this past year and a half playing in Cruises with you and all our friends – old and new!! I have two reels written for you – hope you like them! 😉 Don’t worry – I don’t expect you to learn them overnight! Plenty of time for that. (I’ll post them here next week for musicians interested)
Thurs 27th – Cruises (photos from 20th)
Join us any Thurs in Cruises from 8:30pm…..here is a taste of last week!
Great photo by Patrick Keating of Satoshi doing his sean-nós steps!
Lovely black and white by Patrick Keating of Andy Lambert and Áine Heslin.
Lovely black and white photo by Patrick Keating of his son Pat and also Paula O’ Regan on fiddles.
Great black and white shot of Paula O’ Regan, fiddle and Michael Coffey on whistle! Photo by Patrick Keating.
Patrick Keating took this lovely photo of Mary Caldwell in conversation with Satoshi Aoki – planning a sean-nós dance? 🙂
Colm Nestor, Michael Coffey and Bernie Kirwin playing for Satoshi Aoki and Mary Caldwell sean-nós dancing. Photo by Andy Lambert.
Jimmy Clancy on accordion, Hannah on fiddle, Patrick Keating on accordion and Pat Keating on fiddle.
Mary Caldwell on accordion.
Colm Nestor on flute and Pat Keating on fiddle.
There is a fine video clip of our sean-nós dancers – taken by Colm Nestor!
Thurs 20th (reviewing Thurs 13th! :))
Cruises Bar in Ennis (https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/) hosts our seisiún every Thurs night at 8:30pm (Come in on 20th!) and I usually have some photos from the previous week to show – don’t always show everybody (Colm was gone again by the time the snaps were happening) Long post ahead warning!!
What a sad time for my friend Frank Corr over from Reading, whose mum passed away the previous week in Shannon. His brothers and spouses brought him in to the session so that he could be with us and he sang a beautiful rendition of ‘A mother’s love is a blessing’. He shared many great tunes with us over the night and we were delighted to have the Corr family with us.
Also, a musician who joined our seisiún last year pledged to return and true to her word, Lillie arrived last Thursday. Lillie is an artist as well as a fiddler and was running a workshop in Listowel with a friend. She has an exhibition starting THIS VERY FRIDAY there! Check it all out on https://www.facebook.com/LillieMorrisFineArt/?pnref=lhc.
Our very good friends Bill and Betty Connor returned once again before they head back to the States (Seattle) and we shared more good tunes and laughs too! Bill will be immersed in the flute workshop https://www.facebook.com/cruinniunabhfliuit/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf as we read this post!! Betty was joking that she might come up to our seisiún but that’s a BIT of a journey…..!!
Bill on flute and Lillie dancing ‘Shoe the Donkey’ with step-dancer Michael who came up with his wife and Lillie from Listowel to the session. He also danced a hornpipe later!
Bill Connor on my left and Betty Connor on my right! Thanks for six mths of new friendship you guys – Jimmy enjoyed your company too.
Lillie Hardy Morris, artist/fiddle player from Georgia.
We welcomed back our friend Patsy Hanrahan who, at the end of the night gave Paula and myself a lovely gift each of handmade crotchet gloves (Patsy had been busy during her time away!!) Photo incl. below.
Had to take a picture of these beautiful gloves made by our friend Patsy!
Here are some photos. Paula, Satoshi, Michael and Colm rejoined us – Bernie and John I think had not been before..but hopefully will return!
Betty and Bill Connor on fiddle and flute, John Moloney on banjo and Michael McGrath, accordion
Paula O’ Regan on fiddle.
Betty sang beautifully ‘Irish ways and Irish laws’ a favourite of mine!
Frank Corr on banjo (borrowed from our mutual friend Pat Costello, thanks Pat)
Patsy Hanrahan on piano accordion.
Lillie Hardy Morris from Georgia on fiddle
Michael McGrath, my friend from Ballynacally Bernie Kirwin on flute and Satoshi Aoki also on flute! Great night. Missing from this photo – Colm Nestor on flute.
Easter in Doonbeg photos
Was very happy during the night to play my two reels ‘Mairéad’s Paradise’ (written a few years ago especially for Mairéad) and Orla’s Intent!’ (written for our mutual friend Orla Coughlan) and it’s always great to hear the tunes on instruments other than my own! Having awesome times in the seisiún in Cruises, Ennis – where sometimes as many as six musicians are playing a couple of my tunes!! Don’t know how to react but I try to thank everybody. 🙂 Happy days! Happy out! (Ps these tunes and more on my album ‘The Tunes Foundry’ which can be purchased on this site if you are curious – grateful for all purchases)
Matt Heslin singing at Easter seisiún at Madigan’s, Doonbeg.
Mairéad Considine playing mighty tunes!
Delighted to have Tara O’ Malley join us in Madigan’s, Doonbeg
Áine with Mairéad Considine on concertina at Madigan’s Doonbeg.
Photos of Easter Saturday seisiún in Madigan’s, Doonbeg with Mairéad Considine, Matt and Áine Heslin and joined by Tara O’ Malley.
Easter Saturday in Doonbeg – April 15th
Join us in Doonbeg, this great little village in Co Clare, for a seisiún and some songs on Saturday night in Madigans Bar. Marty, Emily and family always have a warm welcome for visiting musicians. With Mairéad Considine on concertina, myself on flute and Matt Heslin on guitar/vocals – the tunes will be hoppin’! Looking forward to Easter! 😉
https://www.facebook.com/Madigans-Doonbeg-113455898988530/
April 13th – It’s a musical Thurs! ;)
Join us at Cruises again – 8:30pm in the Bar. Jimmy Clancy on accordion, myself on flute and always a nice collection of visiting musicians for this open seisiún. (Have already heard from a couple of returning visitors).
For the last couple of weeks we’ve had the company of Colm Nestor and though he was gone before the photos were taken – I’m sure I have one somewhere…! Also, Bill and Betty from Seattle who have nearly spent 6mths in Ireland soaking up the traditional music and uniting with relatives of Bill’s – came in for one of their last visits. (Betty took a few lovely photos too!) Andy Lambert was with us before going on a tour with a Galician group ‘A Gramola’. He sent me some nice photos too. Paula O’ Regan joined and I reminisced on some tunes we had learned as youngsters eg; Star of Munster jig into reel and another old jig into reel that the name escapes me…sorry. We played Tripping Down the Stairs as a jig into reel (the jig of which I’ve recently picked up from Paula) – great fun!! Jimmy and Colm steered us through a host of old Kilfinora tunes and stories too which was lovely!
Satoshi was with us again too this week on flute and once again stepped it out on the floor with his sean-nós dancing! The tinwhistle was brought out this week too. So, onto this week and whatever comes…. can’t wait!
Satoshi stepping it out with Bill Connor on flute and Paula O’ Regan on fiddle. Photo by Andy Lambert.
Bill Connor on flute, Paula O’ Regan on concertina and Betty Connor on fiddle. Photo by Andy Lambert.
Áine Heslin, flute, Paula O’ Regan on fiddle, Jimmy Clancy on tinwhistle and Bill Connor on flute. Photo by Andy Lambert.
Áine Heslin on flute with Paula O’ Regan on fiddle. Photo by Betty Connor.
Paula O’ Regan on fiddle and Jimmy Clancy on tinwhistle. Photo by Betty Connor.
Áine, Jimmy, Bill, Patrick, Jerry and Colm. Previous week’s photo for Colm playing flute (front of picture!!) 😉
April – Aibreán. Thurs 6th: Cruises Bar!
I must admit that I don’t speak enough Irish – I’d like to do more but…I’ll get there. Was helping my son with his Irish spellings last week and was reminded of the names of the months!! (My musician/teacher friends are tutting as they read this.);) So this Thurs with Jimmy Clancy on accordion and whichever of our regular visitors (we might have some new musicians again) beidh an craic againn! (We’ll have the craic) Drop in to us. Open seisiún.
Pat Keating.
Pat Keating, accordion and Satoshi Aoki, flute and sean-nós dancing.
Pat Keating (Jnr), fiddle and Pat Keating (Snr), accordion.
Jimmy Clancy, accordion and Pat Keating, fiddle.
Jimmy had his accordion tuned last week by Brendan Mulhaire and when we played at Cruises I heard the lovely new tone that he had given it – Jimmy was adamant that he wanted the box to sound well with a flute – and so it did! Amazing. We had some lovely sean-nós dancing from Satoshi at the end of the evening too.
30th March 2017
Hi again – it’s time for a session in Cruises Bar, Ennis from 8:30pm Thurs.
Some photos from last Thurs – we had more new visitors along with a few of our more regular participants – Aongus on pipes from Limerick originally but now residing in Belgium and Vincent on accordion from Holland.
Satoshi Aoki
Vincent (Holland), Michael McGrath and Aongus (Limerick/Belgium)
Also (but not in the photos this week) Paula O’Regan, Jimmy Clancy and myself.
23rd March (Thurs) Cruises Bar
Well, after all the Saint Patrick festivities of last weekend – it’s back to a normal night of tunes in Cruises Bar. Or is it?? 😉 Come on in and join us from 8:30pm – can’t guarantee what it will be like as it is different every week – but that is the joy of live music. We had a lovely night last week and great musicians – some photos below. (A few missing from photos – Andy Lambert, Steve Brown, Jimmy Clancy..)
Pat Keating, Michael McGrath, Brian Burke and Howard Winrow.
Des Mulkere, Paula O’Regan, Pat Keating.
Smokey McKeen from Maine.
Michael McGrath and Smokey McKeen
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!
Heading to Miltown tonight. :)
So happy to be joining Sorcha Curtin and Caroline Tubridy in Friel’s, Miltown Malbay tonight – wow – it’ll be great! Music and merriment. As always – happy to see you there too.
From 10:30pm in https://www.facebook.com/frielspub/
Thurs 2nd March Cruises session
Join Jimmy Clancy tonight at Cruises (Ennis) Thurs night open session at 8:30pm – I’ll be playing too (and who knows what visitors tonight!) and we’ll have musical craic for a couple of hours! Jimmy (if he has time) will work out not only who you are but who you are related to in Clare!! Even if you are from Sweden or Vermont – well ok, maybe who you KNOW in Clare. 😉 Here are a couple of photos from last week.
Brian, Paula, Adrian, Mike and Sorcha. Photo by Andy Lambert.
Áine, Jimmy, Brian and Paula. Photo taken by Andy Lambert.
Mike Coffey and Sorcha Curtin
#Summer2017
I’m dreaming ahead now because, even though this is the second month of our spring it feels like the first month of winter!! 
But at least..the days are getting brighter! 🙂
I have wanted to visit Scattery Island for some time now and this year I’ve noticed more promotion of the day trips out to the island so, it’s now on our summer game-plan. I know already that it will be an inspiration for new music so it’s a must for me.
People might say – isn’t there enough new music – but, when new music comes out that everybody loves…nobody cares how old/new it is – it just ‘is’! You’ll all know examples of this. Well, I’m not saying that any of mine will be that ‘one’ but, just as a good musician keeps playing anyway knowing that they may not be the best out there – so must I write.
https://www.facebook.com/scatteryislandtours/?fref=ts
PS Pencil sketching is a form of therapy and inspiration for me – if I do some that day that are presentable 😉 I’ll upload them.
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!
Aine Heslin Music 
Recent Comments