Composer/Irish Traditional

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Sun 19th Kilkee :)

Sun June 19th (Father’s Day!!) playing in Myles’ Creek from 8:30pm.

Open seisiún with Niamh Casey, Áine Heslin and friends at Myles’ Creek, Kilkee 8:30pm. http://mylescreekbarguesthouse.ie

Looking towards Kilkee ! (photo by Pat Keating)

'The Tunes Foundry' Aine Heslin 2014

Overlooking cliffs at Loophead.


16th/17th June

Well – Thurs 16th so time to get into Ennis for our Cruises session. Join me,  Jimmy Clancy and friends for some midsummer music and a bit of craic thrown in for good measure!!

Fri 17th It’s time for Fitzpatrick’s Pub in Kilkee playing tunes/songs with Niamh Considine on fiddle and Matt on guitar – call in about 10:30pm and we’ll entertain for the next couple of hours!! Musicians welcome to join.

See https://aineheslinmusic.com/upcoming-events/ for more details of gigs.

Can you believe we’re almost at the longest day of the year already? Hope the good weather returns soon! 🙂

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Session in Cruises Bar with Áine Heslin (flute), Jimmy Clancy (accordeon) and Michael Brown (bodhrán)

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Fitzpatrick’s Bar, Kilkee


Thurs 9th in Ennis

Yes, it’s time for Cruises Bar again tonight. 8:30pm till 10:30/45pm. Looking forward to playing with Jimmy Clancy and I hear there are some visitors coming too! 🙂 Please drop in for a few tunes if you are near. https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=ts

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the tourists/visitors who give great attention to our session – it makes our night special.


We’re in June!!

Next few gigs are Thurs June 2nd in Cruises Bar, Ennis 8:30pm with Jimmy Clancy,

Friday June 3rd with Matt and Colin Sheehan 10:30pm in Fitzpatrick’s Bar, Kilkee

and Sun June 5th with Matt and Niamh Casey at 8:30pm in Myles’ Creek Bar, Kilkee.

 

Last Thurs in Cruises, our session was part of the Session Trail of the Fleadh Nua 2016 so Jimmy Clancy and I had some new visitors – some I didn’t get photos of and some I did. Special hi to Ronnie Brack from Belgium, Suzanna from Germany but living in Dublin and others that I didn’t get names of.


Thurs 26th May

Well it’s back to Cruises Bar this Thurs (TONIGHT) with Jimmy Clancy back this week and friends too – of course the Fleadh Nua is in full swing around the town so there could be ..well, just anybody visiting the bar! For details see http://www.fleadhnua.com/ And for Cruises Bar see  https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/

I sneaked in a lovely seisiún in Myles’ Creek last Sunday with Niamh Casey and Roisin Considine and Tom Gorman joined us as did my Dad, Jim.

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In seisiún at Myles’ Creek with Niamh Casey on fiddle (left,) and Roisin Considine on accordion (right), and Tom Gorman on bouzouki.

And last Thurs was lively at Cruises Bar – I was with Conor Lynch, Joe Hanrahan joined by his brother John on drum-box (cajon maybe?) and Paula on fiddle. See photos below.

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Conor Lynch

Joe Hanrahan

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Paula McMahon

John Hanrahan


Thursday 19th May

Joining me tonight in Cruises Bar, are two people I’ve played with regularly over the past few years out in Daly’s Bar, Ballynacally – Conor Lynch on uilleann pipes and Joe Hanrahan on banjo/bouzouki! Please feel welcome to join us.
Jimmy – along with many musician friends – has lost a good friend/relative,  and lover of music -Joe O’Connor (May he rest in peace)  yesterday and cannot be with us tonight.
I’ve missed getting to post the last couple of weeks so for the past two Thurs nights – here are some photos…
On Thurs 5th Jimmy and I were joined by his good friend from North Carolina Mark on guitar and vocals, also Matt on guitar and vocals. Towards the end of the evening we were joined by a lady from Kilkenny on accordion and her son on mandolin (whose names have slipped my mind – so sorry!).

Last Thurs Jimmy and I were joined by Mark again and Andrew Lambert on bouzouki – both great singers! What a great night! We also had a visitor from the U.S. sing a beautiful rendition of a Bob Seger song

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Mark – from North Carolina

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Visiting musicians from Kilkenny!

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Andrew Lambert on bouzouki

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Jimmy Clancy!

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Visiting from the U.S. – sang a Bob Seger song beautifully!


Thurs 5th May Ennis

Looking forward to our next seisiún in Cruises Bar, Ennis where we are hoping for more visiting musicians like last week to sit in and join us for the few tunes! Don’t be shy – starting at 8:30ish this Thursday! Jimmy Clancy, Áine and friends.

See https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=ts for directions.


Ennis April 28th Thurs night seisiún

Back again in Cruises Bar (https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=ts) this Thurs night after asking Niamh Casey to replace me for the past two weeks – took an unexpected break!! Thanks Niamh for playing a stormer the last two Thursdays and I’m sure they’ll be seeing you again soon in Ennis! Up the West! Isn’t it lovely to have a flavour of different parts of the county – the Fleadh Cheoil will of course add huge varieties of flavour this August.

So maybe you’ll be able to make it in for a pint or a few tunes or just to listen and enjoy – either way – it’s an open session with myself and Jimmy Clancy (below) and a lovely way to while away a couple of hours.

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Jimmy Clancy accordian Áine Heslin flute/whistle


Ennis Thurs April 7th

Back in Cruises on Thurs night from 8:30pm – the storm should be quietening down by then?? Not that storms have ever stopped the music, but….the winds they be shakin’ the barley, I’ve heard say! 🙂

It’s an open seisiún so come and join us – Jimmy on the accordian and I’ll be playing tinwhstle and flute. Friends coming also.  https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=ts


Ennis.

Tonight’s seisiún in Cruises will be starting at the later time of 8:30pm – so plenty of time to get the instrument in the case….:)

Hope to see you there.

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Jimmy Clancy accordian Áine Heslin flute/whistle


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!

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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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Áine Heslin is a composer/flute player, having started on tin-whistle and traditional music and moved on to playing classical music for many years. She has a lot of varied experience in performance – solo classical, orchestral, musical society pit-orchestras, concert band, solo trad, group trad, trad pub gigs, wedding and funeral services. She completed with honours a Master’s in Irish Traditional Music Performance in 2004 at UL.