Irish Music & Dance Associationirishmusicanddanceassociation.org/images/IMDA_January_2013... · Irish Music & Dance Association 31th Year, Issue No. 1 January ... She has been recognized

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www.IMDAwww.IMDAwww.IMDAwww.IMDA----MN.orgMN.orgMN.orgMN.org

Irish Music &

Dance Association 31th Year, Issue No. 1

January 2013

Eanáir

The mission of the Irish Music and Dance Association is to support, coordinate, encourage and promote high quality activities and programs

in Irish music, dance, and other cultural traditions within the community and to insure the continuation of those traditions.

Minnesota Boasts Five Nominees for Irish Music Awards Here in Minnesota, we live in a state of abundance - and we Irish music enthusiasts

realize that doesn't just refer to the long cold winters: we are fortunate to be home to a wealth of Irish musicians. This year, no fewer than five of our deserving neighbors are nominees for the 2012 Irish Music Awards hosted by the Irish Music Association.

The Irish Music Awards are an annual event to support and promote Irish music and musicians worldwide. The public submits nominations, and an IMA committee reviews the nominees and chooses four candidates for each of the 18 categories.

Minnesota's candidates and their categories are: Top Group (Altan - featuring Saint Paul resident Dáithí Sproule), Top Button Accordion (Paddy O'Brien), Best Female Vocalist (Katie McMahon), the Tommy Makem Award (Máirtín de Cogain), and Top Harpist (Chad McAnally). IMA 'patron' members can vote at:http://www.irishmusicawards.com.

♣ The surprise nominee is native Minnesotan Chad McAnally, who is just gaining recognition, having released his first solo CD in 2010. Chad credits Bill Margeson of 'Live Ireland' for boosting his visibility when he lauded Chad's CD on his radio show in July. About his nomination, Chad says, “I'm thrilled! Being nominated is an honor- and a big deal for me, and my instrument." Chad stands out among the harp nominees not only by being male, but also by playing the original wire-strung Irish harp which he is dedicated to reviving.

♣ Máirtín de Cogain of Cork is known far and near for his humor. And, well, beard. He is the recipient of two CCÉ All-Ireland's for Storytelling and is a fine fit for the Tommy Makem Award, which reflects Makem's own performance style, philosophy, and traditional approach to Irish music.

♣ Katie McMahon of Dublin is best known worldwide as the 'Voice of Riverdance;' here, her annual Celtic Christmas Show has become a family tradition. She has been recognized as Best Folk and Acoustic Artist by the Minnesota Music Academy.

♣ Paddy O'Brien of County Offaly, tune virtuoso (and encyclopedia), storyteller, and now author, has earned many awards; most recently, the 2012 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Composer of the Year.

♣ Dáithí Sproule of Derry is a pivotal member of Altan and our local sage. He is known internationally as a DADGAD guitar pioneer and locally as the soft-spoken teacher of Irish, Celtic mythology, and songs in Irish and English at the Center for Irish Music. He is a 2009 Bush Artist Fellow.

Your vote makes all the difference for our Minnesota artists – particularly for Chad as he ventures out on the

world's stage. This year, you must be a paying member to vote; the membership fee is $15. Join the IMA at: www.irishmusicassociation.com/irishmusicawards/join.php. A membership account is automatically created for you when you complete the checkout process. Check out the full list of nominees - several of which are regular performers in MN - on the IMA website: http://www.irishmusicawards.com/ . Voting closes on Jan 12, 2013.

Inside this issue:

Tune of the Month 2

Gaelic Corner 3

IMDA Annual Meeting 4

January Calendar 8-9

Northwoods Songs 10

Ceili Corner 14

Smidirini 15

Chad Máirtín Katie Paddy Dáithí

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

�une of �he on�h by Amy Shaw

It was my great good luck to meet mandolin player Bob Douglas shortly after I took up the flute. Bob has long been revered by players of bluegrass and old time music, and he has an amazing repertoire of Irish tunes. He’s a good singer and guitar player, too. I’ve been trying to learn his tunes for years now…if only I could catch up to him! If Bob were ever to put together a musical resume, it would be very long indeed. Back in the 1970s, he logged many miles touring with string bands, travelling as far away as Europe. During the early years of A Prairie Home Companion, he was a member of the show’s house bands, the Powdermilk Biscuit Band and the New Prairie Ramblers. He appeared in The Prairie Home

Companion movie in 2006 and still performs on the radio show occasionally. Over the years, he’s performed with Pop Wagner, Adam Granger, Mary DuShane, Peter Ostroushko, Bill Hinkley, Dakota Dave Hull, Dan Newton, and Tom Schaefer, to name a few. If you’ve looked carefully at the photos hanging in Keegan’s Pub, you’ll know that Bob was a member of the Plough and Stars Ceili Band led by Martin McHugh “back in the day.” Besides being a fine musician, Bob is just a fine human being. I’ll never catch up to him, but I’m going to keep trying. I hope you enjoy this four-part jig from Bob’s big bag of tunes. Usual disclaimers: Any transcription errors

are my own. The notation here is not meant to be a substitute for listening. It is simply an aid to learning the tune.

The IMDA Board is: President: Lisa Conway

Treasurer: Mark Malone

Secretary: Jan Casey

Board Members: John Concannon Juli Acton Paul McCluskey Editor: John Burns

IMDA Board Meetings are open to the membership. The Board meets regularly on the First Tuesday of each month at 6 pm at Perkins in HarMar. Members are encouraged to verify the time and location shortly before, as meeting times and locations can change.

Contact Information Write to:

Irish Music and Dance Association 236 Norfolk Ave NW Elk River, MN 55330

Call: 612-990-3122 E-mail: [email protected]

Newsletter Submissions We welcome our readers to submit articles of interest, news, and notices of events to be published in the newsletter. The deadline is the 20th of the preceding month. Send to: [email protected]

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Wind is an important indicator of what is to come, in Minnesota, especially during the winter. When the wind shifts to the northwest, we know that cold temperatures are ahead of us. That northwest wind is known in Irish as a gaoth

aniar aduaidh, literally a "wind from west from north." The first thing you might notice is that while we have winds from the northeast and southwest and so on, in English, in Irish, the east-west dimension comes first. That is, you could sort of say that the Irish have winds from the eastnorth and westsouth. The second thing worth noting is that Irish direction words like aniar contain both the "from" and the "west" part in them. In fact, Irish direction words often indicate whether something is stationary or in motion, and whether it is coming toward you or going away from you. To put it simply, directions are just hell in Irish, one of the most confusing topics students ever tackle. Lets start with that word aniar. That describes a wind that is blowing toward you, from the west. But we use a different word for moving toward the west, and we have yet another word for just being west of someplace, without any movement. Thus, St. Paul is on the east side of the Twin Cities, and that means it is on the taobh ("side") thoir of the metro, that is, the stationary east position. Minneapolis is on the west side, or thiar. If you are in St. Paul and you drive to Minneapolis, you go siar, that is, "to the west." When you come back home from Minneapolis to your family, they say you come aniar, "from the west" (like the wind). Suppose you went from St. Paul to Minneapolis to visit a friend, and when you returned, your friend decided to travel along with you to St. Paul. In that case, on the trip to the "east" (thoir) side of town, you could be headed aniar ("from the west") while your friend is going soir ("to the east"). You may have noticed a pattern in these directions. They start with th- for the stationary version, with s- for the "going towards" version, and with a- for the "coming from" version. In fact, exactly the same system applies to "up" and "down" directions, which can be even more confusing. But you would be

foolhardy to assume that you can rely on it for all directions. When it comes to north and south, we use aduaidh for

"from the north" and aneas for "from the south." For the stationary versions, the north or south side of town, say, we use ó thuaidh and ó dheas, respectively. But when we go toward the north or the south, we use the stationary forms again, ó thuaidh and ó dheas.

Don't ask me why, that's one of those linguistic mysteries. I can only tell you that I've been dealing with Irish direction words for decades, and I use them correctly most of the time, I think, but they still make my head hurt. Oh, and by the way, when something comes completely out of the blue and catches you unawares, it is said to come aniar aduaidh -- just like that northwest wind we mentioned earlier. We had a great Christmas Dinner at Kieran's, especially with so many people sharing a poem or a story or a joke or a song. Best band you can imagine, with Martin McHugh, Pete Tritz, Dáithí Sproule and Laura MacKenzie providing the tunes. And we're proud of student Sue Clark, who took home the traveling trophy. Special thanks to Suin for pulling this event together. Pencil in the afternoon of the last Sunday of the month, January 27, for Gaeltacht Minnesota's annual

fundraiser. Good music and entertainment, good company, and a few door prizes to boot. We're still finalizing details, so please stop by our web site at www.gaelminn.org for confirmation of time and location. We really depend on this event to keep us going all year, so we'd love to see you, but we'd especially love to see your five bucks. And if you are looking to join our classes, be aware that we are offering our "Intro" course, four classes starting January 28. You have to register online with St. Paul Community Ed beginning January 3. Again, you can find the details on our web site. Dearg aniar, is ionann é agus grian,

Dearg anoir, is ionann é agus sioc. "Red from the west is a sign of sunshine, Red from the east is a sign of frost."

Will

�he �aelic �orner By Will Kenny

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Irish Music &

Dance Association MINUTES

Irish Music and Dance Association – Annual Membership and Board Meeting Dec. 1, 2012 – 1:00 PM

The Dubliner Pub, St. Paul, MN Attending: Juli Acton, Mike Casey, Jan Casey, John Concannon, Lisa Conway, Beth Engelking, Trude Keating, Tom Lockney, Mark Malone, Paul McCluskey

Approval Minutes of November Meeting: Approved as written. Mark moved, John seconded.

Treasurer’s Statement – Mark Malone, Treasurer: The Treasurer’s Report (attached) was approved. Jan moved, John seconded.

IMDA Highlights 2012 – Jan Casey, Secretary: A summary of IMDA activities and accomplishments in 2012 is attached.

Election of Board Members and Officers ♣ Juli Acton, John Concannon, and Paul McCluskey were elected unanimously to the Board for 2-year terms. Jan moved, Mark seconded. ♣ Mike Casey also reported that the Nominating Committee has a couple of additional people who may be interested in joining the Board in

2013 and that Joan Portel will be attending coming board meetings in preparation for joining the Board. Members are reminded that there are many ways to be involved with IMDA without joining the Board and that monthly board meetings are open to the membership.

Thank you to Ruth McGlynn ♣ Lisa thanked Ruth for her service on the Board over the last several years. Ruth will continue to lend a hand as a volunteer.

IMDA Honors Kieran Folliard ♣ The evening was great fun for Kieran and it certainly appeared that everyone had a great time. While final bills are still coming in, it

appears that the evening was also a financial success. There was a bit of fast pedaling to bring in some 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey for the bar (thanks to Mike Casey and Mike Lynch for their help). IMDA appreciates Finnegan’s generous donation of beer.

♣ Juli commented that these events serve two important purposes: it recognizes the contribution of an important member of our community and it serves to help strengthen the community by sharing the history. Mike also mentioned the “warm fuzzy feelings” that persist after the event.

♣ Thanks to everyone who was involved: MC, musicians, volunteers and guests!

Planning for St. Patrick’s Day 2013 ♣ Entertainment planning is 98% complete, and within budget. ♣ Marketplace. John is getting his arms around the marketplace and would like some additianl help. Action Item: Lisa will forward updated documents and a draft floor plan. ♣ Volunteers: Paul wants to continue our relationship with Hands On Twin Cities as a source of volunteers, but not participate in the

Volunteer Expo. Action Item: Jan will renew our membership. ♣ Facepainting: Juli has agreed to do facepainting in the Children’s Craft area as an additional service to families, with proceeds going to

IMDA. (The Ladies of Landmark have not been consistent in staffing their booth.) ♣ Photo policy: Discussion on the need to limit photography on the 4th floor outside the dressing rooms. We will not allow photographs in

this area beginning in 2013. The rule will be posted and Volunteers are empowered to enforce this and all rules.

New Business ♣ Give to the Max Day, Nov. 16. IMDA received total donations of $285 from 6 donors. ♣ Modification of the IMDA By-Laws. The proposed changes to the By-Laws, restructuring membership, were approved. Paul moved, John

seconded. The change establishes three types of membership: Supporting members (those who make a contribution of cash, in-kind or volunteer hours), Courtesy members (key members of the greater community), and Newsletter members (who sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail).

♣ Two members expressed a request that IMDA make it easier to become a supporting member and another member expressed concern about a delay in having their membership check cashed. There was discussion about the logistics of accepting electronic payment for membership. The Board will consider options. No decision made.

Meeting adjourned at 2:12 pm. Jan moved, Mark seconded. Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 8 – 6:00 PM – Perkin’s in Har Mar

Respectfully Submitted, Jan Casey, Secretary

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

�u �eoil " Music to the Irish is a living delight, a mysterious key to a host of undiscovered emotions hoarded in the

secrets of the soul." Mairtin Byrnes

Our music hound this month is Todd Menton. Todd is a multi-instrumentalist solois and the lead singer in Boiled in Lead, a Twin Cities-based punk/folk/world-music band. His music is a combination of original and traditional Irish

tunes and songs, rendered in a unique, edgy style. The bodhran and mandolin are featured prominently on his

recordings, and are his two favorite instruments.

Once in a while a bodhran student will ask me a version of the question: “How will I know when I can actually play this instrument?” There’s no real answer, of course, but more than once I’ve suggested that when they are able to accompany the tunes on the album Kitty Lie Over by piper Mick O’Brien and fiddler Caoimbhin O Raghallaigh, they will have cracked it. However, while I love the CD, it’s hard for me to describe just what it is that makes it so enjoyable, and even harder to explain to my students why it’s such a challenge for a bodhran player.

The performances on this remarkable CD are very straight-forward, relatively unadorned, and… I’m already at a loss for the right words. Deliberate, measured, elegant. All appropriate words. Solid, warm, clean. True, but still not quite what I mean.

Sorry, I’ll need to resort to a strange comparison, so bear with me.

Some friends of ours have a wonderful little dachshund named Buster. Great doggie, Buster. He’s very affectionate, and often, when you pet him, he will assume a sort of stillness. He doesn’t merely stop moving, but actually makes himself more present, more available to you. For a moment, he’s just more there.

That’s what O’Brien and O Raghallaigh seem to have done to the jigs, reels, slides, and other selections on Kitty Lie Over, and their playing has inspired me to try to frame my playing on the bodhran and on melody instruments, even vocals, in the same way. I can’t ask Buster how he does what he does, but maybe someday I’ll get a chance to ask these excellent players what their secret is.

O Raghallaigh’s double-stops combined with O’Brien’s fluidity and spare regulator work create a bed of rich, near-continuous tone in which the tunes stretch and bloom. Hear O Raghallaigh pull a drone string with nearly every note in Rolling in the Rye Grass, or descend to the lowest octave available on his fiddle (equipped with low-tuned strings to match O’Brien’s sonorous B flat set) in the Hare in the Corn. The players don’t match their phrases note-to-note, but the complimentary textures meld to create a sound far more broad and dense than that which one usually hears from a duo. There is one musical mind at work between these master players, to our great good fortune. They use the merging of their respective styles to bring a new, unexpected life to each piece.

That “life” is why I direct my students to these recordings. The bodhran player’s goal, in my opinion, is to play the melody of the tune using the rhythm elements of the tune. The strokes of the tipper correspond to the pushes, pulls, breaths, spaces, ornaments, and ideas of the tune at hand. One doesn’t imitate or mirror the tune, but responds to the musical statements made by the tune itself and the other player’s interpretation. And in no other recording I’ve ever heard are the ideas behind the tunes allowed to so clearly shape the presentation. They employ moderate tempos and classic-sounding versions of well-known tunes, and completely avoid any non-traditional inflections. And yet the

music absolutely rocks. The tunes themselves are the drivers, the arrangers, on this CD,

with O’Brien and O Raghallaigh setting each one as though setting stones in jewelry.

They’ve caused the music to… how to say it? To exist more fully in time? In sound?

Get Kitty Lie Over, all you rambling tradsters, pub rockers, and hard-shoe angels. Someone please tell me how they do it, because I haven’t figured it out yet. Somehow, the tunes are just more there.

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Minnesota Dancers Shine in Mid-America Regional Competition

Congratulations to all the dancers from our Minnesota Irish dance schools who competed in the Mid-America Regional Oireachtas held in Grand Rapids, MI over the Thanksgiving weekend. While these results are an interesting snapshot of one brief moment in time, they demonstrate the strength of Irish dance in the Mid-America Region.

The Mulhern School of Irish Dance, with classes in both St Louis Park, MN & Chicago, IL qualified 25 dancers for the 2013 World Championships! Three of the 25 qualified dancers are from their Minnesota class, none of whom have ever competed at the World Championship before! The Mulhern School came home from the Regional Championship with (4) Titles, (6) 2nd places, (3) 3rd places, (2) 4th Places, (4) 5th Places - making (19) Top Five placements, (27) Top Ten placements and (40) Top Fifteen placements to name a few! We look forward to representing the Mid-America Region at the World Championships being held in Boston, Massachusetts in March 2013 and the North American National Championships being held in Los Angeles, California in July 2013!

World Championship qualified Minnesota dancers from the Mulhern School are:

♣ U12 - Mandy Ausman - 8th place

♣ U14 - Sammy Ausman - 12th place

♣ U15 - Maria Cline - 10th place

Big congratulations to all of our Minnesota solo dancers: Emma Oman - U14 - 27th place, Maria McDonald - U14 - 42nd place, Anna Cline - U10 - 66th place & Bailey Smith-Dewey!! Evelyn Hemler also danced in her first Oireachtas and placed 7th in the Traditional Set competition! Teachers, Eileen and Coleen Mulhern, couldn't be prouder of the hard work these young dancers have put forth in their first year with the Mulhern School and look forward to their continued progress ahead!

¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨

O’Shea Irish Dance had by far the most positive experience they have had at a major and credit the wonderful OID parents, dancers and their families for that success. Cormac and Natalie O’Shea are proud of each and every one of their Oireachtas dancers, both in teams and in solos - well done, all! They are delighted and looking forward to the future!

Here are some highlights from O’Shea Irish Dance:

World Championship qualified dancers from O’Shea Irish Dance are:

♣ U15 *Amy Green 15th place

♣ O20 *James Anderson 2nd place

♣ U17 *Evan Lowe 2nd place

♣ U15 *Liam Slattery 3rd place

♣ The U15 Mixed Ceili team placed 1st

♣ Traditional Set: ♣ U14 Josie Langevin - 4th place ♣ U16 David Ochs – 1st place ♣ O16 Makenna Habegger - 3rd place

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

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The Shamrock School of Irish Step Dance had four students who were highly commended on their Trad Sets:

♣ Abbey Taffe, Mary Dombeck, Emma Freebersyser, and Grace Lofstrom.

♣ And John Drew was recalled for his solo rounds, placed 9th and will automatically be attending the Nationals.

Scottish Island Concert on St. Bridget’s Day

Friday, February 1

Olivet Congregational Church 1850 Iglehart Saint Paul, MN 55104 Time: 7:30 pm Warm up a cold win-ter's night with this lovely Scottish tradi-tion! Join us on the Scottish Island; it's our eleventh year for tradi-tional tunes and songs, readings by Audrey McClellan from her latest Scottish Island book, and a lovely tea! Dunquin presents the annual Scottish Island concert on Friday, February 1st at 7:30 p.m. at Olivet Congregational Church's Fellowship Hall. Enjoy the finest in traditional Scottish hospitality. $15 at the door includes the complimentary tea. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

IMD

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1 Athbhliain Fwoi M

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St. Dominic’s Trio

Nye’s, Mpls

2 7pm Traditional Irish Session

Hogan Brothers Cafe, Northfield

77:30p

m Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, St Louis Park

7:30pm Irish Social Dan

ce

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, St. Paul

3 6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, Mpls

7:30pm Lock

lin Road

The 3 Crows Café, Delano

9:30pm Live Music


4 8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


5 2pm First Saturday Ceili


9:30pm Live Music


6 Noon: Traditional Session

Kieran’s Pub, Mpls

1pm Locklin

Road

: Women

’s

Christmas at Keegan

’s Pub


4pm Learners Irish Session

6pm Advanced Irish Music

Session


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


7 9:30pm Live Music


8 5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music



Nye’s, Mpls



7:000p

m Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns

Tapestry Folk Dance Ctr, Mpls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, St Louis Park


ce

9:30pm Live Music


10

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music


11

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9pm Locklin

Road

Manitou Station, White Bear Lk

9:30pm The Tim

Malloys


12

9:30pm Live Music


13

Noon: Traditional Session


3p4p

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Session


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


14

7:30pm 2n

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Shan

ty Sing


9:30pm Live Music


15

5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music



Nye’s, Mpls

16

7pm Traditional Irish Session


7:000p

m Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Kieren’s Pub, Mpls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls


ce

9:30pm Live Music


17

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz


8pm9:30pm Live Music


18

7pm Monthly Ceili

The Celtic Junction

7:30pm Hounds of Finn

Charlie’s Irish Pub, Stillwater

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys


9:30pm Live Music


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7:30pm Hounds of Finn


8pm Daithi S

proule & Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Riverview Café, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys


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Irish Music &

Dance Association

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Session


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, St Paul

Songs of Robert Burns: Ross &

MacKen

zie

Holy Nativity Lutheran, New Hope

28

29

7:30pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music



Nye’s, Mpls

30



7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls


cing

9:30pm Live Music


9:30pm Live Music


31

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music


1 3:30pm Mike Wallace

McCormick’s Pub, W

ayzata

7:30pm Dunquin: Sco

ttish

Island Concert

Olivet Congreg Church, St. Paul

7:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

n


8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

O’Shea Irish Dan

ce Feis

Mall of America, Bloomington

9:30pm Live Music


2 2pm First Saturday Ceili


3:30pm Mike Wallace


ayzata

7:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

n


O’Shea Irish Dan

ce Feis


9:30pm Live Music


3 Noon: Traditional Session




Session


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


O’Shea Irish Dan

ce Feis


4 5 St. Dominic’s Trio

Nye’s, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music




7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls


cing

9:30pm Live Music


7 6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music




ayzata

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music




ayzata

9:30pm Live Music


Halfway to Irish

Fair

Keiran’s Pub, Mpls

20





Session


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


21

7pm 3rd Monday Pub

Singing

Merlins Rest, Mpls

22

5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz



Nye’s, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


23



7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls


cing

9:30pm Live Music


24

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz


9:30pm Live Music


25

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music


9:30pm St Dominic’s Trio


26

9:30pm The Tim

Malloys


9:30pm St Dominic’s Trio


Burns Night with Ross &

MacKen

zie

Ramada Hotel, Bloomington

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Northwoods Songs: Irish Songs from Lumberjacks and Great Lakes Sailors By Brian Miller

My research has been primarily in songs that were collected from men (and some women) who lived in the

white pine region that stretched from New Brunswick, Canada west through northern Minnesota/northern

Ontario. There was a whole culture of singing in lumber camps and on Great Lakes ships throughout the

1800s that was hugely influenced by the Irish ballad tradition and celebrated much of the Irish ballad

repertoire while also adding new North American songs based on the old ones. Lots of the singers were Irish

too. In the Midwest it was mainly second-generation guys - children of famine immigrants in many cases.

That's the stuff I plan on drawing on for the series. And there's a lot of it! Once you include Wisconsin,

Ontario, Michigan, Upstate New York, Maine and New Brunswick there are piles of great songs out there.

YOUNG SALLY MUNROE

Come, all you lads and lassies, I pray you will attend, And listen to these few lines that I have lately penned, And I’ll tell you of the hardships that I did undergo, ’Twas all for a lassie called Sally Munroe. My name it is Jim Dixon, I’m a blacksmith by trade, And ’twas in the town of Erie where I was born and raised; From that town to Belfast to work I did go, A distance in the country from Sally Munroe.

But I promised that fair lady a letter I would send, And I gave it to a comrade I took to be my friend, But instead of being a friend of mine, he proved to be my foe, For he never gave that letter to young Sally Munroe. But he told her old mother for to beware of me, That I had a wife in a strange country; Then says her old mother, “If what you say be so, He never shall enjoy my young Sally Munroe.”

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

This month’s song is another for which I transcribed the melody from a 1924 wax cylinder recording of Minnesota singer Mike Dean. The text is, again, from Dean’s 1922 songster The Flying Cloud. The song is a rather rare one dating back to the 1830s when it was printed as a broadside (cheap song lyric sheets sold on the street by singers) in northern England and Scotland.* It was likely inspired by an actual event: the 1830 shipwreck of the ship “Newry” which sailed from Newry town with 400 Irish emigrants aboard bound for Quebec but wrecked off Bardsey Island near the Welsh coast where 100 perished. In some of those early broadside versions, Jim Dixon is born in Ayr, Scotland, goes to Belfast to work where he meets Sally and then sails from Newry but shipwrecks en route to Quebec. The song crossed over to North America where it was collected mainly in Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Place names vary between most versions. Dean’s version is special because it is the only one collected from a Great Lakes region singer. Also, the abundant place names in Dean’s might indicate it came from southeastern Ontario. Fort Erie, Belfast, Norwich and Williams’ Point are all places in that part of Canada. This was an exciting one to hear on the recently rediscovered cylinder recordings! Dean has a very striking melody for the song which is different than any other I have found. *For a detailed discussion of early printings of Sally Munro see Roly Brown’s article here: http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/bbals_36.htm You can read Northwoods Songs online at

www.evergreentrad.com/northwoods-songs

It was two years and better and never did I hear A word from the lassie that I once loved so dear, Till one bright summer morning down by a shady row, It was there I by chance did meet young Sally Munroe. I says, “My bonnie lassie, if you’ll gang along wi’ me, In spite of our auld parents it’s married we will be.” She says, “I have no objections along with you to go, For I know you will prove loyal to your Sally Munroe.” It was in a coach from Norwich to Belfast we did go, And there I was married to young Sally Munroe; There was a ship at Williams’ Point all ready to set sail, With five hundred passengers, their passage all were paid, I paid down our passage for Quebec also, And there I did embark with Sally Munroe.

We sailed down the river with a sweet and pleasant gale, And left our old parents behind to weep and wail, While many were the salt tears that down their cheeks did flow, Oh, I was quite happy with young Sally Munroe. About four in the morning came on a dreadful blow, Our ship she struck a rock and to the bottom she did go, With five hundred passengers that were all down below, And among that great number I lost Sally Munroe. It was from her old parents that I stole her away, And that will shock my conscience for many a long day; It was not for to injure her that ever I did so, And I’ll mourn all my days for young Sally Munroe.

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Saturday, February 23rdSaturday, February 23rdSaturday, February 23rdSaturday, February 23rd 5:30 5:30 5:30 5:30 ---- 10:30 p.m.10:30 p.m.10:30 p.m.10:30 p.m.

The Center for Irish Music and Honorary Event Chairs Maeve O'Mara and Liam O'Neill

invite you to attend a semi-formal fundraising event at The Celtic Junction.

Dinner and Concert GuestsDinner and Concert GuestsDinner and Concert GuestsDinner and Concert Guests

At 5:30 p.m., sit down with Maeve O'Mara and Liam O'Neill of Irish On Grand, the CIM Instructors, and the Advanced Youth Ensemble as we kick off the evening with a dinner by Cara Irish Pubs. Following the program, dinner guests will be joined by concert-only guests in the Silent Auction Reception. The Dinner and Concert tickets are $50.00 per person. For $500.00, sponsor a dinner table with seating for 10. Sponsors may choose to completely fill a table with 10 guests, or may ask to include a CIM musician or two at their table for dinner. Special thanks to all who gather a table of friends in support of CIM!

ConcertConcertConcertConcert----only Guestsonly Guestsonly Guestsonly Guests

Arrive at 7:00 p.m. to enjoy the Silent Auction reception and a stellar concert featuring the CIM Instructors. Concert-only tickets are $20.00 per person and may be purchased in advance or at the door on February 23rd.

Ticket Reservations Ticket Reservations Ticket Reservations Ticket Reservations

To make dinner and/or concert reservations visit the Ticket Reservations Page or submit a completed Reservation Form. Note: For catering purposes, Dinner Tickets must be reserved by Friday, February 15th.

Silent Auction Reception Silent Auction Reception Silent Auction Reception Silent Auction Reception We are gathering a wide assortment of Silent Auction items, including a new Great Experiences section, to support the mission of handing down the tradition of Irish music. To donate a Silent Auction item, visit the Silent Auction Page, send a completed Silent Auction Donation Form to Emily Flagstad at [email protected] or call 651-815-0083.

The Volunteer TeamThe Volunteer TeamThe Volunteer TeamThe Volunteer Team

If you would like to support CIM with the gift of your time, we'll thank you with a meal, fantastic music, and excellent company! For volunteer information, visit the Volunteer Page, check out the Éigse CIM Volunteer Form, or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Becky Bollinger at [email protected].

Éigse [eg-shuh] is an Irish word used for festivals celebrating traditional Irish arts and culture. It is in this spirit that we gather for a sparkling evening to raise funds for The Center for Irish Music and their mission of handing down

traditional Irish music.

The Center for Irish Music is

a non-profit, 501(c)(3) community music school dedicated to handing down the tradition.

13


Irish Music &

Dance Association

An LeabhragánAn LeabhragánAn LeabhragánAn Leabhragán (The Bookcase)

The Road from Castlebarnagh by Paddy O'Brien Orpen Books available at http://www.paddyobrien.com/, and soon at Irish On Grand)

Here is a long-awaited memoir from one of Ireland's legendary musicians. The renowned accordian player, Paddy O'Brien, was born in midcentury rural County Offaly and spent his formative years experiencing a country life not much changed from the century before his birth. The rhythms of the seasons, farm chores, tending animals, cutting turf, thatching a roof and helping neighbors, all contributed to a childhood and adolescence of simplicity and steady purpose through the seasons. Paddy, the only boy in a close-knit family of five children, grew up expecting an ordinary life. But The Music caught hold of him, transformed him, flowed through him and from him, and he has led no ordinary life. As he says in his memoir, "music was my conversation". It was also his destiny. This lad with great musical gifts shows the Ireland that was, and the country that was just coming into being. Paddy O'Brien tells of house parties, musicians cycling rough roads for miles to share a bit of music, and the excitement which thrilled him to the bone when he heard his first instrument---fittingly enough, the accordian. Two great things happened for Irish music in the 1950s. The first was the availability of music on the radio, that godlike device bringing music from all over Ireland, and indeed the world, into every remote hamlet and corner of the country, with such programs as Ceili House and The Job of Journeywork. Paddy's family didn't have electricity until well into the 1960s, so their radio was battery- operated and needed to be charged at the local mechanics' garage every other week. Listeners could hear ceilidh programs and recordings and Paddy O'Brien learned many of his first tunes off the radio (training the now-famous musical memory as he did his chores and walked the countryside). The second great advance was the formation of the cultural organization, Comhaltas Ceiltoiri' Eirinn, to promote traditional Irish music, dance, and literary traditions. Meetings of the CCE allowed musicians to swap tunes and learn from each other. It was a new an exciting era in Irish national pride and heritage. The daily cycle of work and chores was burnished by the occasional pleasure and pastime: holidays, house parties, ceilidhs, sports matches. They were all the sweeter for their rarity and cherished as special times between neighbors and friends. Although midcentury Ireland may seem simple and uncomplicated now, musicians had profound and lasting experiences which shaped their lives and Irish culture.. With a foot in both old and new worlds, musically gifted Paddy O'Brien soaked up all he heard and then transformed it into his own inimitable style. His memoir is a rare gift: not just a retelling of personal history but representative of the development of great musicians everywhere: the crossroads where heritage and individual talent meet.. Having learned from and played with the best, Paddy O'Brien has now mentored another generation or two of young musicians and is still actively performing, recording, and writing new music. All Irish musicians, and anyone interested in the passing of old ways into new times, will find this memoir rewarding and worthwhile. Sherry Ladig, frequent contributor to this column, is a former reviewer for the Hungry Mind newsletter, Fodder, and a Saint Paul Irish trad musician. Sherry welcomes suggestions for books of Irish interest to review---or write one yourself! She can be reached at [email protected]. Happy winter reading!

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

�eili �orner By Bhloscaidh O’Keane First Saturday Afternoon Céilí - Dubliner Pub, 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul, from 2:00 to 5:00. The suggested donation is $2.00 per person. The dances are taught and called by Paul McCluskey. First Saturday Night Set Dancing Céilí - The Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave., No, St. Paul. Third Saturday Night Céilí - The Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave., No, St. Paul. Irish Dance Classes: Céilí Dancing - Wednesday Nights Dubliner Irish Pub - 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul. Learn Irish dancing in a genuine Irish pub with a wooden floor that has known a whole lot of dancing feet. Steps and dances are taught by Paul McCluskey, Súin Swann, and Kirsten Koehler. Basic beginning steps are taught beginning at 7:30, with advanced lessons and dancing continuing until 9:30 PM. Year-round; no children, and must be of legal drinking age. Free. Set Dancing - Wednesday Nights Tapestry Folk Dance Center - 3748 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. This class is taught by Tim McAndrews. The cost is $40 per person for eight weeks. The class runs from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.

The Center for Irish Music

Come check us out at

The Celtic Junction 836 Prior Avenue, St Paul MN

Please check the website for information on

our full range of instruction in traditional Irish music, language , culture and fun.

For class schedule and other information call or email 651-815-0083 [email protected]

Or visit our website

www.centerforirishmusic.org

Dedicated to Handing Down the Tradition

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Just tear out the above form and send it with a check made out to “IMDA” to: The IMDA Membership Coordinator c/o Jan Casey 400 Macalester St. St. Paul, MN 55105

Name: Today’s Date:

Address:

Membership Type:

New? Gift? Renewal? Corporate? Family?

Interests:

(Mark all that apply)

Music

Dance Theatre Gaelic Volunteer

Where did you hear about the IMDA Newsletter?

IMDA Membership Want to know what’s going on in the local Irish scene? Interested in music, dance, theatre and culture? Be the first on your

block to subscribe to the IMDA Newsletter. It’s a mere $20 for an annual individual membership and $25 for a family membership. Sign up yourself or sign up a friend, but whatever you do, support your local artists!

Phone Number:

E-mail:

We will send your monthly newsletter electronically via e-mail unless you would prefer to have it mailed. _____ Prefer US Mail.

Smidirini* By Copper Shannon (*Irish for ‘Bits and Pieces’)

♣ Local bands in demand across the country! We hear that The Wild Colonial Bhoys will be heading to Washington in March for the DC

Shamrock Festival. And the Bhoys are off to play the RiRa Irish Pub in Las Vegas in January. Rumgumption will be returning to Fargo for their Celtic Festival, also in March. Plus the Irish Brigade is heading back to St. Louis for an extended run at McGurk’s Irish Pub and

Garden in January. And the Hounds of Finn are heading to Toronto for the 25th International Folk Alliance Conference in February.

♣ Comhghairdeas le (Congratulations to) the Wild Colonial Bhoys. The Band was very pleased to be included in a brand-new compilation album featuring some of the best Celtic musicians around! Titled Together for Christmas-A Contemporary Celtic Christmas Collection,

the album features some of the heaviest hitters in Celtic rock and traditional music, including the Elders, Cherish the Ladies, The Celtic

Tenors, The High Kings, Larry Kirwan (of Black 47 fame), Damien Dempsey, and the Wild Colonial Bhoys! Their original Christmas ditty

“Santa, See You Tonight” was recorded specifically for inclusion on this awesome Christmas collection. The CD is available through

Cosmic Trigger records, or online from iTunes and Amazon (but a bit late for Christmas giving).

♣ Go raibh feabhas ar John McCormick and Dan Sexton. (May John and Dan improve.) Both gents have sustained injuries to arms – John to an elbow, Dan to his arm. Both are on the mend – hoping to be back in fine piping form with the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band in time for St. Patrick’s Day! As my dear old Irish mother-in-law would say – must be something going around!

♣ Maith sibh! (Good on you!) to the Langer’s Ball. Their new CD “The Devil or the Barrel” ranked number 3 on the BEST OF CELTIC ROCK & PUNK FOR 2012 from Paddy Rock, the Chicago based Celtic Rock and Punk streaming radio show and podcast - http://www.paddyrock.com/home/best-of-celtic-rock-punk-for-2012/.

♣ Plans are in the works for a FOURTH FEIS (traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival including Irish dance competition) here in the Twin Cities. Look for more news coming soon about the OIDEA (O’Shea Irish Dance Education Association) Minneapolis Feis to be held April 27, 2013 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

♣ Big news about 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey! Beam Inc. has acquired the 2 GINGERS Irish Whiskey brand. Kieran Folliard tells us that this partnership will allow 2 GINGERS to expand to states outside of Minnesota. Kieran will be doing a bit more travel between America and Ireland, but he'll still be heading up U.S. operations of 2 Gingers from his original offices in northeast Minneapolis. Congratulations!

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Postmaster: Time/Dated Material

236 Norfolk Ave NW Elk River, MN 55330

presents

From The Stage To Your Heart

Saturday, February 16th, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets Adults and Children $21, $27, $32 College Student $12**

**This option is only available over the phone or in person at the ticket office. Tickets include a $2 restoration fee. Enjoy an evening of traditional Irish dancing featuring over 150 of Rince na Chroi’s dancers, accompanied by the music of the Two Tap Trio Dance Band.

Buy tickets at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=c4f18f23ec8e4b9db7c3cc931fc52549&t=tix

Documents

Irish Music & Dance Associationirishmusicanddanceassociation.org/images/IMDA_January_2013... · Irish Music & Dance Association 31th Year, Issue No. 1 January ... She has been recognized