famous schools and festivals in the USA

Hi folks,

Im looking for the names and info on some of the past and present famous ITM schools (e.g. Mulvihills in the bronx) and festivals in the USA. Can anyone help?

Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, NY.

The Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, this summer.
http://www.swangathering.org/Catalog/CL/sgclsched.htm

"famous schools and festivals in the USA"

Are they better than the infamous ones? Or non-famous ones?

Please… treat yourself to Catskills Irish Arts Week this summer. So many of us just live for the next one! Can’t wait, wish it could go all summer….though I’d drop of exhaustion! There is just so much great stuff to do, such incredible music all week.

What do you play?

Silver Spear… have you been to CIAW? All the way from Glasgow? If you are going this summer, let’s meet up for a few tunes!

@ dissillusioned - think of it as most popular or well known

I think I’d rather go to the infamous ones.

I wish I was going to CIAW, Irish, but I doubt it. I’ll be at Willie Week, though.

I went in 2006 (I think) when I was still living in the US.

Some events:
• Catskills and Swananoa are probably most famous.
• 2010 Comhaltas convention in Parsipanny, NY April 8-10
• Midwest Fleadh Cheoil taking place this year in Chicago.
• Lots of Feiseanna and Tionoil in many states – check out the Southern California Pipers Club for links.
• Lark in the Morning Camp in California (not primarily Irish but strong Celtic presence, I’m told)

• Just outside of the US is the wonderful Goderich school/festival in Goderich Ontario.

Some schools:
• Irish Music School of Chicago (Sean Cleland, I think)
• Murphy Roche School
• Riley School in Cincinnati (nice site)

Try the links on the nav bar on the right, especially “EVENTS”

There are a few in the Midwest too :grin:

Milwaukee Irishfest Summer school (and festival) - The largest Irish cultural festival in the world, mostly because it is run by Germans.
O’Flaherty’s Retreat, Midlothian, TX in October
St. Louis Tionol in April
Dublin, Ohio Irish Fest
Chicago Irish festival


MIke Keyes
http://www.mikekeyes.com

Thanks guys, i really appreciate this!

Don’t ignore the smaller festivals like the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp which just finished and ZoukFest which is coming up again June 6-12 in Albuquerque. Both are noted for the high quality of instruction. This year ZoukFest will have, among others, Luke Plumb, Andy Irvine, Martin Hayes, Roger Landes, and more.

John

Just curious, Beanstalk – why do you want to know? Are you thinking of visiting somewhere, or are you building a database or researching a paper? You mentioned Mulvihill’s, which I think is really interesting and an important part of the history of The Music in the US. In that spirit, I just thought of James Morrison’s school in New York in the 30s. I expect a lot of prominent musicians taught, only not in organized schools. O’Neill’s Irish Music Club in early 1900s Chicago might not qualify as they may not have actually offered tuition.

Would love to hear how your research (if research it is) turns out.

John Carty is the Irish fiddle tutor at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend this summer, and Kevin Burke will be teaching at Mark O’Connor’s string camp in New York

There’s a great one in Elkins, W. Virginia at Augusta College. Unfortunately the greatest one, Gaelic Roots at Boston College, has been gone for some time.

Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp. Just finished up for this year- great instructors and sessions and a wonderful setting on San Juan Islande

Disilussioned, you really like infamous festivals? I have one just for you. The concerts are organized on a stage adjacent to main railroad line, with trains passing every 10-15 minutes, the acoustics guy has no idea how to amplify acoustic instruments, and everything gets drowned in bass. The sessions usually draw a breathtaking number of spoon and goblet drum players, and most of musicians can play arrangements of well-known bands, but are not able to play with each other. All this in a nice ambience of a rundown industrial town.

I won’t mention the name in public, but this festival exists for real, and is fairly infamous. if you are interested, I can send you the details.

Busman’s holiday………..we live next to a railway mainline!

Michael Keys mentioned this one in Midlothian Texas which is 30 minutes SW of Dallas. There is some info that has just recently been added to their website. "An exceptional lineup of instructors will teach including such great musicians as Michael Black (singing), Kevin Burke (fiddle), Tom Creegan (uilleann pipes), Grainne Hambly (harp), Oisin Mac Diarmada (fiddle), Darren Maloney (tenor banjo), Sean McElwain (guitar), John McEvoy (fiddle), John Nolan (button accordion), and John Wynne (flute). They will be joined by 22 other respected teachers from throughout the U.S." This is a well organised retreat in a beautiful setting. The cost is reasonable; 200.00 for three days. http://www.oflahertyretreat.org/
I have no financial intrest.

EastPole, that sounds like one of the outdoor stages at the Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, Missouri. This stage is set up in a parking lot next to a railroad track because the parking lot is on the site of what was the location of the Maple Leaf Club where Scott Joplin was performing when his first big "hit" (the Maple Leaf Rag) was published in 1899.

The Augusta Heritage Center Irish Week at Davis and Elkins College, Elkins West Virginia is a nice one, more than 25 years old.

This is probably not what you’re looking for, as it is not Irish music, nor famous, but Prince Edward Island is having it’s first music camp this summer. Fiddle, accordion, smallpipes, Border pipes, banjo, guitar, piano, dance, etc. It’ll be infamous.

http://peifiddlecamp.com/

Oh, and it’s not in the US either!

http://www.fridayharborirish.com/faculty.html
The camp changed their location this year and it was pretty comfy compared to the ‘Labs.’ And they had great instructors, most of them new. …and not so huge a group as some ‘schools’ can be, although the sessions still got pretty big,,,But folks came from all over the States and Canada and the craic abounded.

Bethlehem, PA. Celtic festival is huge, September.

Northern California, the Sonora Festival in March is really good.