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.
Stella Maris Hotel hosts a lovely Monday night open seisiún at 9pm with Niamh Casey on fiddle – this Monday, joining Niamh are Matt Heslin on guitar and songs, and myself, Áine on flute and tinwhistle. So why not (after work maybe) throw on something for a walk on the beach or the cliff-walk and end up in the Stella Maris for music and something to quench the thirst! 40 mins drive from Ennis – worth it to smell the salty sea air!! #sea #sand #cliffs #wildatlanticway #irishtraditionalmusic #trad #session #kilkee
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)
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.
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)
Lovely photo of Pat Keating (jnr) on fiddle, Áine on flute and Jimmy Clancy on accordion. Photo by Pat Keating.
Patsy on piano accordion and Paula on concertina. Photo by Pat Keating.
New resident in Ennis – Megan, from Canada. Lovely flute-playing! Photo taken by Pat Keating
Sean Bashford from Limerick on bazouki, guitar and vocals. Photo by Pat Keating.
Flute player Megan, from Canada and Sorcha Curtin on concertina. Photo by Pat Keating.
Michael on fiddle with Paula and one other…also Patsy on accordion. Photo by Pat Keating.
Patricia doing a fine sean-nós dance. Photo by Pat Keating.
Áine on flute and Jimmy Clancy on accordion. Photo by Pat Keating.
Paula on fiddle, Patricia doing a sean-nós dance and Mary Caldwell on accordion. Photo by Pat Keating.
Mick Coffey on flute. More great fluting! Photo by Pat Keating.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
All are welcome to come in to Cruises Bar Thurs weekly at 8:30pm and listen/join in…we’re having a ball! Tunes, tunes and more tunes. Jimmy Clancy has a store of old one and new ones which keeps things buzzin’. Many visiting musicians each week – from all corners of the world! Some photos from last week taken by our visiting fiddler, Betty Connor – thanks for sharing them Betty!
Back in Cruises, Ennis tonight at 8:30pm with Jimmy Clancy and a host of visitors – feel free to come in and join us for the tunes, the broken resolutions, the keeping of the resolve to play/meet with friends and sure where would we be without our great audience who keep us motivated to play our best!
Seisiún-time again for many Thurs 15th at Cruises Bar, Ennis. Join us at 8:30pm for tunes and merriment! I promise to wear the Christmas jumper….. NEXT Thursday! 😉 Here are some photos from last Thurs – including a special birthday lady who sang for us!! (Nóirín!)
Noirín Lynch included us in her birthday in the best way – with a song, beautiful! Thanks Noirín! x
Jerry from Canada and Clara from Ennis (Argentina!) and of Los Paddys de las Pampas
Quentin Cooper (The Fiddle Case) and Paula O’Regan on fiddle with Andy Lambert on bouzouki
Jimmy Clancy, Patsy Hanrahan and Canadian – Jerry!
Come on down to Cruises Bar for 8:30pm where I’ll be playing as usual with Jimmy Clancy and a fine gathering of musicians (or maybe we’ll be quiet tonight due to the weather?? Nah! 🙂 Jigs and reels, waltzes and hornpipes – all very warming!) Order a hot toddy or maybe a nice meal. See you there. Bring your instrument if you play.
Cruises session captured by Patrick Keating
Above is a photo taken on the first night of Tradfest.
We had lovely visiting musicians last Thurs at Cruises Bar (some photos below) and some beautiful old tunes were breathed life into! Also, played a couple of my new tunes and it’s such fun to hear others play them! Jimmy Clancy will be hosting again on Thurs night from 8:30pm – first night of Ennis Trad Fest 2016 but there are at least seven other sessions going on around Ennis Thurs night alone so you’re feet will be tapping right around the town (if you plan to be on the move!!) All welcome.
We’ll be playing in the front bar from 8:30pm till not very late so do come out to hear a few lively tunes – in fact, a great mix of tunes!! Jimmy Clancy on accordion, myself on flute/whistle and we’re always joined by a host of fine musicians. Watch out for the Ennis Trad Fest coming up in a couple of weeks…some of you already packing your bags I hear! Some recent Thurs photos…:)
I am really enjoying these Thurs night early sessions in Cruises Bar (8:30pm – 10:45pm)! Jimmy Clancy has some lovely tunes that I’m picking up and we have great fun with visiting musicians – some regular now! Below are a selection of photos from recent and past Thurs nights…apologies if names are incorrectly spelled or missing!
Áine with Leslie Glassmire
Patsy Hanrahan (in background) and Áine McCarthy Kent.
Christy from Newbridge /concertina as well as a great sean-nós singer
Time has flown by and yes, we are heading towards October so fast that if we trip – we’ll be there!!:) Ceol Cois Tine is a monthly seisiún in Keane’s Bar, Carrigaholt (less than 1hr drive from Ennis) It’s a 7:30pm start this Sun 2nd Oct so there is plenty of time to get home in time for a good night’s rest. Every month Mags Keane asks different musicians to host the seisiún – this weekend it’s myself on flute, Mairéad Considine on concertina (one of the ‘Siarlinn’ founder members) and Martin Noel Tubridy on accordion. All musicians/singers welcome – including the younger musicians who often come to get used to the session scene! http://loopheadclare.com/keanes-bar-grocery-carrigaholt/
Time has flown by and yes, we are heading towards October so fast that if we trip – we’ll be there!!:)
Before I tell you about Ceol Cois Tine this Sun OCT 2ND (:0) I just want to remind you that I’ll be playing my usual weekly Thurs seisiún in Cruises with Jimmy Clancy (such a lovely gig where we always have somebody unexpectedly join but also, a few amazing regular fab musicians like Paula O’Regan, Andy Lambert, Patsy Hanrahan – sometimes Patrick Keating and Michael Brown) Last week we had a lovely musician from Louth, Róisín and her partner Shane who were on an extended holiday because they loved Clare so much! (I’ll post a photo or two below)
Ceol Cois Tineis a monthly seisiún in Keane’s Bar, Carrigaholt (less than 1hr drive from Ennis) It’s a 7:30pm start this Sun 2nd Oct so there is plenty of time to get home in time for a good night’s rest. Every month Mags Keane asks different musicians to host the seisiún – this weekend it’s myself on flute, Mairéad Considine on concertina (one of the ‘Siarlinn’ founder members) and Martin Noel Tubridy on accordion. All musicians/singers welcome – including the younger musicians who often come to get used to the session scene! http://loopheadclare.com/keanes-bar-grocery-carrigaholt/
Martin Tubridy Co. Clare
Great friends of mine at the launch of my album ‘The Tunes Foundry’ in 2015. l to r. Niamh Casey, Mairéad Considine and Orla Coughlan.
I had to mention school, didn’t I?? Surprisingly, many of the musicians that I play with are actually primary school teachers and therefore, are very busy settling into new routines – sometimes new schools – at this time of year. 😦 The sad face is me – missing my summer mates!!
On Mon last though – I had a fine seisiún with Niamh Considine and Matt in the Stella Maris Hotel in Kilkee. We had an unusually attentive audience and the atmosphere was just lovely – Niamh and I played a stormer and they loved Matt’s voice and choice of songs. Watch out for Mon Sept 26th because we’ll be back – 9:30pm.
Tonight! Thurs 1st Sept I’m with Jimmy Clancy at Cruises Bar, Ennis and we have friends coming. Come and join in with us or just come and enjoy the music (if you say it quickly it almost sounds the same!!)
Jimmy Clancy and Aine Heslin – photo by Patrick Keating
Yes, it’s Thursday again – had a wonderful seisiún in Crotty’s Bar, Kilrush on Tuesday – do join us next Tuesday there!
Tonight…Thurs July 14th 2016 – Open seisiún at Cruises Bar in Ennis with Aine Heslin, (myself) tin-whistle and flute, Jimmy Clancy button accordion. Starting 8:30pm and all are welcome to join or listen and enjoy the evening together. I will play some new material too. https://www.facebook.com/cruises.bar/?fref=ts
But at least..the days are getting brighter! 🙂
Aine Heslin Music 
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