Irish Music Part 2

Here’s a bit of info about the clips/groups in this video:

The first clip is a trio from a party I crashed. We were having dinner at a hotel near the castle we stayed in when I heard the music and went to investigate. I asked the party organizer if I could listen in and she said it was ok. Her grandson is on the right playing guitar but he also sings. The group is called Mad 4 Trad and I was really impressed with the whistle player. I would guess they’re all teenagers. 

The second clip is a duo we listened to in Clifden. 

Following that is the well known flute player (and flute maker) Marcus Hernon with his son on accordion. The man on the cajon drum was from Boston and just sitting in. This is my favourite clip!

The 4th clip is Conall Flaherty - also in Clifden and playing flute, low d whistle, and regular whistle. Great skill. 

The last group is a session (less formal) in Ennis. 

If you don’t like the weather....

......well you don’t even have to wait 5 mins. We decided to golf in Ennis at an average course (no amazing coastal scenery); the weather was a bit windy and it looked like it might rain. To be fair it’s looked like that most days on the coast, with very little actual rain, and the chance of rain was only 20% so it seemed promising   About hole 3 it started to drizzle with a few major gusts, but it stopped shortly after so we carried on. About the 6th it started up again and didn’t looked good and since we were near the clubhouse we made the decision to pack it in. We got to our car, opened the trunk to start packing up and not only did the sun come out but within a matter of seconds there was only blue sky so we headed out again to finish. 

The next morning with a 10% chance of rain predicted we thought we might visit the Aran Islands. Before we even checked out of the hotel the rain had started and again we hesitated. When we got to the ferry terminal in Doolin the wind was howling but we bought tickets for Inis Oirr, the nearest island. 

The ferry ride over was quite a roller coaster but when we got there the sun was out. We hired a 'trap and pony' for a short jaunt around the island. It turned out to be a good decision. The island is unique and our driver Sean kept us entertained for the hour ride. 

The island has an amazing array of rock walls - we’ve seen lots on this trip but this was over the top.

On one side of the island is a shipwreck which is kind of famous due to it being shown in the opening credits of a local-based TV show called Father Ted (think British comedy). The wreck happened in 1960 and all on board survived. 

 

 

 

The pub was decorated with flags and we happened to be sitting under flags that were meaningful to us, from South Africa, Canada, and Australia (plus a few others). 

We stayed the night in Doolin, in a very pretty room. 

Here’s a little clip - enjoy the ride.  And definitely don’t trust the weather forecast in Ireland. 

Irish Pubs - we couldn’t get to all of them ....

...but that didn’t stop us from trying.

Here are a few of our favourites (so far):

Patsy Dan's is in Dunfanaghy, Donegal, and filled with locals on Fridays and Saturdays. The session the night we were there had about 8 musicians with more arriving as we left. 

In Crolly, Donegal, we stayed at Teach Tessies (Teac means house in Irish). Our Airbnb host Catherine also ran the pub downstairs which sat about 10 people. The locals were watching an important Gaelic Football match when we came in. Donegal won. 

Across from Tessies was Leo’s Tavern - it’s famous for its music and it didn’t disappoint. Leo died 3 years ago so now his son runs the place. Leo was Enya's dad (she was born here) and the walls are covered in her gold records.

We had a delicious serving of mussels at Leo’s. 

In Donegal town we spent an evening at McCafferty's. The duo singing had powerful, raw voices and filled the room with sound. The bartender joined in on fiddle at times and the men at the bar sang along to the songs. Two older men, at different times, walked up and sang a tune, while the musicians accompanied. It was all very spontaneous. 

At The Open we were having a beverage before heading back to our BnB when we started up a long, involved conversation with some Irish folks. After learning we were going to Enniskillen they insisted that we go to Blake's of the Hollow for Friday night music. The music started at 10:30 and was a 3 man group - 2 accordionists and a fiddler but they were joined by another fiddler (not part of the regular group). You can see by the photo that Blake’s is not very big. At least it’s not wide but it stretches very far back. It’s made up of little 'snugs' which are small rooms that seat 4-8 people. Well we ended up in a snug with the musicians which was incredible.

Heading back to the coast (Wild Atlantic Way) we spent a couple of nights in Clifden, a very scenic area. The place is FULL of pubs with music and we had a difficult time getting into one for a seat. Mostly because it’s quite touristy and the pubs serve food until 9:30. The vibe here is very different as well - the musicians were more 'performers', had a tip jar (or hat) on the table along with CDs for sale. We had not seen this anywhere previously. 

We finally got a seat at Griffin's, luckily right next to the musicians. Wow what a performance. The flute player was the amazing Marcus Hernon who is also a well known flute maker. (I found out by asking about his flute). Irish flutes are a bit different than concert flutes. He invited me to come to his place (down in Carna) to try one, although it takes 2-6 months to actually get one. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Ennis is well known for its music and we stopped the first night at a session at Knox. 

Again it was back to more spontaneous jamming and started with flute, fiddle, concertina and bodhran. They were shortly joined by a couple of woman from the US one on fiddle, one on whistle. 

Of course we visited many more pubs but these were particularly memorable - mostly for the musicians, atmosphere, food/drink, people or all of the above. 

More music from some of these events will be posted in a video shortly. 

Castle Ghosts

Ireland is full of castles, many serve as accommodation for tourists. I thought it would be fun to stay in one so I found one called Ross Castle near where I thought we were going. It turned out to be in an entirely different location but after checking it out I decided to book it anyway. 

In 1533 construction began and the tower was completed a few years later. We spent the night in the tower. 

The tower has a room on each of  the 3 floors and we stayed in the lower room, although there is a tricky set of stairs even to reach our room. 

The stairs narrow significantly as you reach the top and if you rent that room I’d advise you only take what you need for the night!

Halfway between the 2nd and 3rd floors is the 9 3/4 Harry Potter room. It has a very low ceiling and is for kids. If you’ve read the books (I haven’t) you’ll understand this better. 

The room at the top is spectacular. 

Of course our room was nothing to sneeze at. To get there you first went through the sitting/eating area which is decorated with trophy heads such as the menacing buffalo in the corner. 

Then through a library with similar decor (kudu?). 

Our room was The O’Reilly Room named after The Slasher. 

But it is beautifully decorated and spacious with a modern en-suite that Myles likely didn’t have in 1644!

It also had its share of dead animals (see the fox pelt hanging in the corner) and a huge fireplace. 

The castle has other accommodation available but it turns out we were the only people staying. No one else was here (not even the owner) and with stories about the ghost of Sabrina, the daughter of the Black Baron, it was a different experience that’s for sure. Read about Sabina's fate here: https://ross-castle.com/history/ghosts

It was a stormy night and there was no shortage of unusual sounds but no ghosts were seen. 

Irish Entertainment

Here’s a bit of a taste of what we’ve heard so far. 

Golfing in Ireland - a few unusual hazards

Ireland has some great famous courses - beautifully maintained, pristine condition, pothole bunkers, lavish clubhouses. Ballybunion, Ballyliffen, Portrush, Lahinch etc. 

Yeah we’re not playing at any of those. We prefer to spend the €200+ those ones charge for a round on something like Guinness! Apparently we prefer the quirky, barely playable ones for €30-60. With more interesting challenges than mere bunkers or water holes. 

Our first one was Cruit (pronounced Crutch) Island. Follow a very narrow road for about 4 kms then make sure you honk to warn the golfers you’re coming since the road runs right through a couple of holes. 

Since there’s not much differentiation between the rough and the fairway, it’s almost impossible to know where to aim your ball and there are only two holes where you can see where the green is from the tee box (par 3s). Mostly it’s a guessing game. 

One hole has a gaping drop off to the ocean in front of the tee. 

 

But some of the views are stunning. 

Below, the view toward the green where Ross advised me my shot was about 100 yards, but turned out to be 70. Never saw the ball again after it dropped toward the ocean. 

Dunfanaghy golf course had its challenges as well. The road to the beach went right through the course so along with cars, there were groups of walkers and families with kids on bikes to watch out for. Most of them didn’t notice the golf happening. 

Also the locals took the liberty of walking their dogs across the fairway - you can see them up on the right in the photo below while Ross waits 'patiently'. 

But what a view. 

The most fun was at Gweedore. I believe it is technically a sheep pasture where golfers are allowed. They greeted us at the entrance. 

A few gates to pass through after teeing off. 

This green is surrounded by an electric fence. I guess the sheep cut down on the mowing. 

Sheep on the tee box rarely got in the way. You did need to watch where you stepped!

Finding the next hole could be an issue. This path was long and uphill. 

Then on 9 and 18, a fence, a ditch, a road, and another fence on your approach shot. Wait for the cars going to the graveyard or beach to pass. Also this course only has 14 holes so you get to play some twice. 

But again some stunning ocean views. 

They may not get any write ups in Golf magazines but we'll remember these courses much longer than if we played a regular course. My advice? Skip the famous ones and try a few rounds at the lesser known local courses that don’t require a second mortgage to play. 

Fabulous County Donegal

Even though we’ve barely been here a week I feel that if our holiday were to end today I would be satisfied. We’ve done and seen so much already that it’s hard to put into words. Maybe some pictures will help!

Bonnie plays in a Gamelan orchestra (Indonesian instruments) and she took me to see the instruments which I really enjoyed as I’ve always had an interest in them. I even took a lesson while in Bali. They are metal xylophone-like instruments with large gongs and bells. Apparently there are several of these groups in Ireland. 

After leaving Belfast and a stay in Malin Head we drove to Donegal to stay at Mary's sister and her husband's place (Hillary and James). Actually their holiday home. Many people from NI come here for the holidays. 

View from the top of Hillary’s spectacular garden. 

On the way over we ventured off the main roads and stopped at some very scenic headlands. 

We arrived in Dunfanaghy and stopped in town at the pub where we saw a notice for live music at the castle so we headed over there for a bit. The castle is Glenvaugh, in a national park, and although it was late in the afternoon we caught a few acts performing. 

The next day we golfed at Cruit island (more about that later) and met the gang at Patsy Dan's pub in Dunfanaghy. It was late afternoon, the music had already begun and the place was crowded with babies, grandparents and every age in between. 

 

The next day we went early to the local fish market - Ross decided we would cook (his famous) seafood gumbo for dinner so we managed to score some delicious scallops and prawns/shrimp. Then more scenic views and a stop at the Harbour Bar jammed with holiday goers. 

We downed our beer while being entertained by the traffic including this farm vehicle with a trailer trying to make its way through the jumble of cars (that red vehicle is parked and it’s a 2 way road). 

Many of the people in Donegal speak Irish, for some it’s their first language. As we drove south toward Crolly it became even more so with many road signs only in Irish. Fortunately our room in Crolly was directly above one pub and immediately across from another that had live music. A trad group started the session but a visiting youth group from Scotland played a set.

Finally the trad group was joined by 3 youngsters- the Kennedy family - 2 fiddles and a mandolin.. I’ll post some videos of the music later so you can enjoy it too. 

We’ve taken advantage of a few days of (relatively) sunny weather to take in some golf which has been an adventure itself (see next post). 

These photos show the scenic beauty and good times to be had in Ireland. But no photo can capture the sheer exuberance and warm welcome shown to us by the many, many people we’ve met and chatted with. As an example, below you’ll see Seoirse (George in Irish) the shopkeeper where we purchased a few items. Shopping took about 10 minutes. Checking out took about 20. George had to find out where we were from, where we've been and where we were going. We learned about his history, his kids and the house he grew upon which is now the shop. By the time we left, we’d had a few good laughs and you’d think we were old friends. Oh and he threw in my chocolate bar for free. 

Thanks Seoirse!!