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 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.
Who would think it – in January?!:)
In Cruises Bar last Thurs at our open session there were at least ten musicians besides ourselves – isn’t that just a statement about Irish traditional music? We love to get together in a relaxed atmosphere and just play tunes here in Co Clare – and of course the bit of chat and fun helps but mostly, it’s the music. (Thurs 11th Jan 8:30pm Cruises Bar, Ennis)
Ronan did a bit of recording for his Facegroup Group, Ireland’s Inner Beauty and Andy Lambert took some great photos in between playing lots of bouzouki and singing too! Here are some, and a couple I took myself. (Colm Nestor was gone before the photos began but played lovely flute for the first half)

Photo by Andy Lambert.

Monochrome by Ronan Burrenn

Fiona Kerwin. Photo by Andy Lambert.

My friend Rosaleen came in to listen! 🙂

Gerry Denis with Andy Lambert.
Busy few nights ahead…(tunes! :))
Tonight(Thurs 27th) from 8:30pm in Cruises with Jimmy Clancy and our wonderful, forever-growing set of friends! Join us there!
Tomorrow night(Fri 28th) from 9:30pm in the Stella Maris, Kilkee, with Niamh Casey on fiddle and Matt on guitar and song – open session too!
Saturday morning (29th) meeting my Facebook friend Olaf Simpson for the first time 🙂 and bringing him to the Dan Furey Set Dancing Weekend, Labasheeda, where I’m hosting a kid’s session at 2pm (all welcome) and partaking in the commemoration concert at 3pm.
Saturday night (29th)from 9:30pm looking forward to having a lovely session in Fafa Considine’s, Parnell St, Ennis with Sorcha Curtin and Caroline Tubridy.
Sunday 30th July you will probably find us at the early evening open session in Labasheeda 6pm (with Singer’s Club after) to end the Dan Furey Set-Dancing Weekend! Join us somewhere this weekend!
https://www.facebook.com/Dan-Furey-Set-Dancing-Weekend-Labasheeda-164517380280892/
Thurs 20th July in Cruises, Ennis
Make your way into town tonight and join in with our open session at 8:30pm in Cruises Bar! I’ve a few photos from last Thurs (- some of you may have looked up the Facebook Group ‘Ireland’s Inner Beauty’ for the several Live videos taken that night;)) We had a lovely night with Andy, Paula and Patsy joining myself and Jimmy. We were delighted to have Andi again from NYC on fiddle and met David and his sister Angela on whistles and low whistles from Germany/Norway – friends of my friend Olaf Sickman! Maybe see you later. 🙂

Andi Leahy from New York visiting and adding to our session!

Paula on fiddle and Patsy on accordion.

Andy Lambert on bouzouki and vocals.

Paula and Patsy. Note in the foreground the wild rose from The Burren that Ronán brought in to us – with seed bulbs too!

David Westphal with his sister Angela from Germany/Norway! ( Áine Heslin, centre)

Áine on flute and Jimmy Clancy on accordion. Photo by Pat Keating.

David Westphal with his sister Angela.
Thurs 15th at Cruises 8:30pm
Yes, looking forward to getting back to Cruises Bar and tunes with Jimmy, our regulars and visitors! Thank you Sorcha, for sitting in for me – you played a stormer last Thurs I heard (not a bit surprised!) I had a chilled week on Achill Island, Co Mayo with the family last week – stunningly beautiful! 🙂 Come on, the summer!! 🙂
Here are some old photos (2 weeks) of Cruises session. Maybe see you there soon!!

Michael on fiddle, Bernie on flute and Patricia on concertina.

Flute player from Clare (sorry about your name – will get it soon), John on banjo

James on bodhrán, Mary on accordion, Mary on concertina, another concertina-player (sorry about the name)

John on banjo and Andy on bouzouki.

Jimmy, James, Mary and Mary.

Cruises Thurs night session
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.
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