Hi all - due to a recent bereavement I’m going to be spending a few months in South Wales - in the Aberdare area. Does anyone know of any current regular sessions anywhere nearby? I don’t mind travelling as far as Cardiff, Swansea or Brecon, say. I’ve done a web search and found some stuff but they were all dead links… I’m interested in Welsh, Irish and Scottish tunes.
Thanks, Rhod
A good while back there used to be a fabulous session in Cardiff. It then did what many do and drifted off as people moved on. A few less years back I found the place pretty much done for diddley but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there wasn’t a quiet something going on in either Cardiff or Newport. Can’t be more specific though sadly. It always seems a tad sad when you know there was a real good thing going and now blank. The ferry from Pembroke to Dublin used to host the odd cracker but that was very much a chance thing and on one memorable night ended with a few of the players locked in a cabin and banned!
If you haven’t already, you might like to check out some of these:
https://thesession.org/sessions/search?day=&q=cardiff&page=1
https://thesession.org/sessions/search?day=&q=gwent
https://thesession.org/sessions/6055
https://thesession.org/sessions/2039
Read the comments to check they are still running, and the type of session. If nobody has commented in a year or more, it would be safest to message the contributor or contact the venue. Most of these sessions appear to be either mixed repertoire or specifially Welsh (and at least one is an ‘open mic’ rather than a session proper). But I would wager that the St. Julians, Newport is Irish-focused, as Mike Lease, the contributor is an accomplished Irish fiddler.
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you might consider venturing north a little (not nearly as far north as The Western Isles) to Llanidloes, Powys, where we have a weekly and a monthly session (both mixed sessions but I, for one, am always happy to play more Irish tunes). We’d be very glad to have you here. There are a handful of other sessions in Powys you might like to try: https://thesession.org/sessions/search?day=&q=powys
Thanks Steve T and Creadur Mawn Organig! I will check out those links. Llanidloes wouldn’t be too far to come once a month. p.s. Did you really emerge fully formed from the peat CMO?! 🙂
Aye Pembroke indeed!
|Stayed there a year ago en route from Ireland to Rottingdean. Got in late off the Rosslare ferry and hit the bed. Down for breakfast later and there was a row of lads along the bar. Early like!
Had the best breakfast ever and hit the road.
Coming back to Ireland, stayed there again, I’ll swear it was the same boys on the barstools. After 2 or 3 drinks I asked the barmaid if I might play my fiddle. Tear on she said! Buckets of drink and all fiddled out, I produced the guitar & the requests started coming. Mighty craic! I was even asked to play The Sash My Father Wore.
Which went down very well. In Wales.
Going to be back there in a few weeks. I’ll ask them if I can put them on The Session as a music friendly house!
“Did you really emerge fully formed from the peat CMO?! 🙂”
Popeth ar wahan y blew.
Shwmae. Sessions around the Tawe Valley….
The Ty^ Tawe session is still going on the second Friday of the month, but there won’t be one in August. This is all Welsh tunes and songs.
There’s a monthly session in the Gough Arms/Cafe Chameleon in Ystradgynlais that varies around the third and fourth Saturdays. I don’t think there’s one planned for August. This is largely Welsh tunes, with a some English and Irish and a few Scandinavian, Breton and French ones chucked in now and again.
There are regular ‘Sesh Sw^n’ sessions in Pontardawe, which are a mix of Welsh tunes and songs. And no, there won’t be one in August either 😉
There’s a regular session in the Rhyddings, Swansea, on the second Saturday of the month. I haven’t been there for quite some time. It was a mixture of Welsh, English and Irish last times I was there. I dunno about August but I could find out!
If you want details of any of these sessions, feel free to send me a message.
We have a session every Thursday at the Cwmann Tavern Lampeter about 9.00. There are usually half a dozen of us playing Irish, Scottish, Welsh and American old time. Even the odd English tune creeps in sometimes along with Swedish and Middle Eastern. We’re a pretty relaxed and easy going bunch. Reg.
Diolch, Pibydd! Ro‘n i’n meddwl am rhoi neges i ti.
The South Wales Uilleann Pipers Club meets monthly in Pontypridd, and we welcome all pipers, learners and pipe-friendly musicians interested in sharing a few tunes.
Also you definitely won’t want miss our annual tional - ‘Piping at the Old Bridge’ - on September 7/8th in Pontypridd. Some great musicians coming over from Ireland and elsewhere for classes, concerts and sessions. Check the Events section on this website for details.
As above. Details of Piping at the Old Bridge: The 9th South Wales Tionol on Septmeber 7th and 8th in Pontypridd
https://thesession.org/events/7290#comment849042
https://thesession.org/events/7289#comment849041
Hi Rhod,
we’ve got a monthly session in Glasbury near Hay-on-Wye, this one: https://thesession.org/sessions/2732
There’s one in August, but it’ll also be the wake of a box player friend who sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. The music might be an unusual mix of all sorts for once; his musician children will be there and they play widely different genres by all accounts. If you don’t mind that, you’d be more than welcome to join us.
The September one might see an influx of harps as it’s also the last day of the Glasbury Harp Summer School. Some students and tutors were at our sesh last year, and it was beyond brilliant!
The Foxhunter at Nant-y-Derry wouldn’t be as far to travel (https://thesession.org/sessions/5788). I’ll have to add though that since I’ve posted it a couple of years ago, it has changed quite a bit. It’s a turn-taking thing now and has turned more and more into an open acoustic rife with bad pop covers, bongos etc. If you’d be brave enough to come to that one, I’m sure quite a few of us would be ready to kiss your feet. Any additional trad musician who knows their stuff would be a blessing.
Quite a few events in the vicinity have gone down that road over the last few years, among them what used to be my favourite session. And when you ask the shaky-egg terrorists, teenage angst singer-songwriters et al. how they heard, not unfrequently the answer is: I read about it on thesession. So when we started a new session a while ago (mostly tunes, fab players, slightly noisy venue though; sometimes slow stuff and a few songs at a later hour when it’s quieter), we decided not to advertise it. It’s on a Thursday. If you’re interested, message me and we’d be glad to have you.