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Irish Music for a Week
By Rick | September 25, 2008
I’ll be on holiday in County Kerry for a week from Saturday 27th, so there will be no posts during that time. I’ll be too busy meandering around lakes and mountains and joining in pub music sessions. We have some good friends in Killarney who play a regular spot several nights a week in one of the local pubs. They are kind and tolerant enough to let me bring my mandolin along and sit in. I am pretty crap, so I don’t tend to play any solo tunes or show off - in fact last year they had to nag me all week before I would even play a slow air by myself on mandolin, or a tune on tin whistle.
I’m not interested in being the centre of attention. For me the enjoyment comes from simply joining in with other musicians (and trying not to ruin everything with my mistakes).
There are several different kinds of sessions in Ireland. There are the proper trad sessions which often kick off pretty late in the evening. These are not always publicised, and they are often more for the enjoyment of the musicians than that of the tourists. I wouldn’t recommend trying to crash one of these to join in unless you know what you’re doing and you understand the etiquette a bit. Maybe best not to shout out requests either!
Then there are impromptu ballad sessions where participation is not only welcome, it can be hard to avoid!
Lastly there are ’sessions’ which aren’t really sessions in the usual sense. They are more performances by a set group of musicians in a pub. These are often for the benefit of tourists, and the selection of tunes and songs may reflect that. Authenticity is sometimes compromised in the interests of accessibility. Some of these welcome contributions from visitors, while some prefer to get on with their performance without interference.
If you’ve never been, I do recommend Ireland as a place to experience how live music - and DIY live music! - can be an essential part of the pub environment. You’ll never look at another jukebox again.
Topics: Acoustic, Amplified, Getting Started, Jams/Sessions, Uncategorized |