Willie Clancy Summer School returns this year

The 50th anniversary of the Willie Clancy Week will be celebrated in July this year.

This significant date will be marked by the return of a full  summer school to the communities associated with the event: Miltown Malbay, Mullagh, Quilty and Spanish Point.

The Covid crisis necessitated a hiatus of two years during which the summer school functioned virtually via Zoom and other platforms and thereby maintained crucial links with tutors, students and followers. But the real event is what everyone is waiting for and that will run from 2nd to the 10th July this year.

Registration

Please note that all students must pre-register for this year’s summer school. Registration details will be posted on this website in due course.

Registration Fee: €140 (euro) for the week. Registered students have free access to lectures, recitals, afternoon events at Mill Marquee, Irish and Scottish Gaelic language classes, and reduced admission to all céilithe.

Piping students must pre-register with Na Píobairí Uilleann. Contact info@pipers.ie or 01 873 0093.

Only the piping classes take musical instrument absolute beginners. Beginners may attend singing and dancing workshops and Dúchas an Cheoil/Scope of Irish Music.

Programme  contacts: 

Harry Hughes 087-877 3747, Éamon McGivney 087-950 0006, Séamus Ó Rócháin 087-926 4256,

Deirdre Comber 087-673 5172.

Summer school email: scoilwclancy73@gmail.com 

Accommodation contact: Maureen Kilduff 087-688 9239 email: kilduffmg@gmail.com

​The full programme will be posted in due course but the following outline gives an overview of what is scheduled for 2022.

Note: all public lectures and concerts will be held at Community Centre. Recitals venues as indicated.

*Classes and Workshops venues to be finalised.

Saturday 2 July

8.00pm: Official opening by Patsy Hanly, renowned traditional musician and TG4 Gradam Ceoil Award winner.

8.30pm:  Breandán Breathnach Memorial Lecture:

When It All Started: The Traditional Music Landscape of 1973.

Presented by Dr Nicholas Carolan.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marque, Miltown Malbay and Quilty  Tavern, Quilty.

Sunday 3 July

10.00am: Aifreann i nGaeilge (Mass in Irish) at St Joseph’s Church, Miltown Malbay.

3.00pm: Musical Tribute at Willie Clancy’s Grave, Ballard Cemetery.

8.00pm: Éire ‘s Alba, a concert celebrating the links between Gaelic Scotland and Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy agus á chraoladh beo ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Monday 4 July

10am – 1pm: Classes & Workshops.

3.00pm: Lecture: From New France to La Belle Province: Québec’s Traditional Soundscape.

Presented by Professor Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin.

5.00pm – 7.00pm: Harp Recital at Mill Marquee.

8.00pm: Fiddle Recital at Community Centre.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Tuesday 5 July

10.00am – 1.00pm: Classes & Workshops.

3.00pm: Tribute to the renowned accordion player Bobby Gardiner.

8.00pm: Whistle & Flute Recital at Community Centre

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Wednesday 6 July

10.00am – 1.00pm: Classes & Workshops.

3.00pm: Lecture: Bill Stapleton and the Irish Recording Company.

Presented by Harry Bradshaw.

5.00pm – 7.00pm: Banjo Recital at Mill Marquee.

8.00pm: Uilleann Piping Recital.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Thursday 7 July

10.00am – 1.00pm: Classes & Workshops.

2.30pm: Lecture: Welsh Medieval Harp Music: Structures and Parallels with Irish Music Traditions.

Presented by Dr Paul Dooley and Ceri Owen Jones.

4.30pm: Button Accordion Recital at Community Centre.

8.00pm: Exhibition of Old Style Step Dancing, Conamara Sean-Nós and Set Dancing at Community Centre.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Friday 8 July

10.00am – 1.00pm: Classes & Workshops.

3.00pm: Traditional Singing Recital at Community Centre.

5.00pm – 7.00pm: Harmonica Recital at Mill Marquee.

8.00pm: Concertina Recital at Community Centre.

9.30pm: Céilithe at Mill Marquee and Quilty Tavern.

Saturday 9 July

10.00am – 1.00pm: Classes & Workshops.

2.30pm: Film Documentary on the life and music of fiddler Seán Keane.

7.00pm: Ceolchoirm Chuimhneacháin Mhuiris Uí Rócháin/ Memorial Concert.

Mon-Sat 4-9 July, 10am-1pm

Workshops

Traditional Singing Seminars & Workshops at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point, conducted by Brian Mullen and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin. In addition there will be afternoon singing workshops on  4, 5, 6, 7 July,  4.00pm -6.00pm, at the National School, Mullagh Road, Miltown Malbay, conducted by Seán Garvey and Máire Ní Cheilleachair. These are confined to  students attending the Singing and Dúchas an Cheoil morning courses.

Dúchas an Cheoil/Scope of Irish Music at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point.

A week-long immersion course on the history and heritage of Irish traditional music, conducted by Cathal Goan and Paddy Glackin. This course is accredited by the University of Limerick – for details see www.blas.ie.​

Dance Workshops

A variety of set dance workshops, Old-Style Step Dances and Conamara Sean-Nós Dance workshops will take place in Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point.  Venues to be finalised.

Dance tutors include Aidan Vaughan, Betty McCoy, Mick Mulkerrin, Mairéad Casey, Mary Clancy, Mary Kate Clancy, Paddy Neylon, Noel Devery, Maureen O’ Reilly, Brooks Academy.

Details on céilí bands and additional afternoon events at the Mill Marquee to be finalised.

Language Classes

Conversational Irish and Scottish Gaelic, 2pm-3pm, National School, Mullagh Rd, Miltown Malbay. Confined to registered students.