The Uilleann Pipe Blog

Paddy Keenan to perform at London Irish Centre

2012-02-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

Cover of Paddy KeenanThe Jimmy Hendrix of Irish piping will delight traditional music enthusiasts in London. Paddy Keenan, a former member of The Bothy Band, performs at the London Irish Centre on Friday, February 3. Born in Meath to a Travelling family steeped in traditional music - both Keenan’s father and grandfather were uilleann pipers. Paddy himself took up the pipes at the age of 10,

Karl Jenkins releases new choral work ‘The Peacemakers’ on EMI Classics

2012-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

Cover via AmazonKarl Jenkins is to release The Peacemakers, the follow-up to his highly successful The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, on EMI Classics. The 17-movement work for chorus and orchestra features texts by some of the most famous advocates of peace and compassion in the 20th century, including Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and

Far away fields are greener, but Irishness runs deep

2012-01-17T05:22:00.000-08:00

Neil Goodwin, who considers himself as “a nomadic Irishman, indigenous to the world but belonging to Ireland”, has returned to live in the country of his birth after 16 years travelling the world. Neil Goodwin on Lough ErneI was born here in Ireland, in 1976, to a 17-year-old girl. Sadly for her, and many others like her, she had to give her child up for adoption. This does not tend to

Martin Meehan, Barry Kerr and Paul Meehan

2012-01-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

Few takin’ high road on winds of change at Gaelic College | The Chronicle Herald

2011-12-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaWell, it’s no Battle of Culloden. The moors of Inverness lie far across the sea, and Bonnie Prince Charlie retired to his grave many years ago. And yet, recent developments at the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts — North America’s lone and long-considered pre-eminent institution devoted to the preservation and promotion of Gaelic language, traditions and music — seem

Candlelit non-commercial parade - Drogheda-Independent.ie

2011-12-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

A NON-COMMERCIAL and spirit orientated candlelit procession takes place through the streets of Drogheda on Wednesday December 21st from 5pm to 6.45pm. The event will begin from St Dominic's Park on the occasion of the Winter Solstice and march to St. Peter's Church via Dominic's Bridge and West Street. 'We will gather in Dominick's Park at 5pm on Wednesday 21st December, candles in hand -

Celtic Sojourn Lights Up Music Hall

2011-12-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia The Christmas spectacular that has sold out shows throughout New England returns to The Music Hall this season for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday event! A top-flight cast of singers, musicians, and dancers join Brian O’Donovan, host of NPR’s wildly popular Celtic Sojourn, for a festival of traditional and contemporary music from the Celtic countries and England.

Pipers explain their art on new DVD

2011-12-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

"LOVERS of Irish music will get insight into the art of uilleann piping on a new DVD featuring Sean Potts, Brian MacNamara and Peter Browne who are joined by Jackie Small on Piper's Choice Vol IV.The three musicians perform their favourite pieces and explain in depth their individual approach to each selection and to the instrument in general."

The Thistle And Shamrock: Pipes 101

2011-11-30T21:50:00.000-08:00

"Irish uilleann pipes, Scottish lowland pipes, bagpipes from Brittany and Galicia are all cousins to each other and to the most celebrated of the genre, the great highland pipes of Scotland. We hear various brands of bagpipes and listen to the exciting music they make in the hands of Davy Spillane, Kila, Carlos Núñez and more. For more information on this program, visit www.thistleradio.com."

A Pint and Papadello

2011-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

ROCKLAND — On Thursday, Oct. 20, Rock City Café will transform into the Velvet Lounge with A Pint of Plain. The music will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rock City Café, 318 Main St.A Pint of Plain features Jim Burke on fiddle; Jim Hyland on guitar, button accordion and fiddle; Hugh McGuinness on cittern; and Susanne Ward on the uilleann pipes.A Pint and Papadello - - Rockland - Camden - Knox - The

A masterful collaboration between Iarla O’Lionaird and Ivan Goff

2011-10-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

The sixth edition of the Irish Arts Center’s Masters in Collaboration featuring singer Iarla O’Lionaird and uilleann piper and flute player Ivan Goff did its best to continue the evolution of a very fine musical series in midtown Manhattan. A hiccup in the visa process for artists’ abroad -- the bane of presenters drawing on international talent for the United States -- delayed the arrival of the

Diverse music in the Velvet Lounge

2011-09-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

ROCKLAND — On Thursday, Oct. 6, Rock City Café at 316 Main St. will transform into the Velvet Lounge with A Pint of Plain. A Pint of Plain features Jim Burke on fiddle; Jim Hyland on guitar, button accordion and fiddle; Hugh McGuinness on cittern; and Susanne Ward on the uilleann pipes.On Friday, Oct. 7 Rock City Cafe will present Tango featuring vocalist Kristen Burkholder and pianist Martin

Masters in Collaboration brings IIarla Ó Lionáird, Ivan Goff to NYC

2011-09-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

Grammy-nominated sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird and All-Ireland champion uilleann piper and flutist and former “Riverdance” maestro Ivan Goff are set to come together in as part of the “Masters in Collaboration” series in New York City. As part of the Irish Arts Center’s sixth annual Masters series pairs these two extraordinary artists living on different sides of the Atlantic will come

McPeake keeps authentic Irish music tradition alive at Celtic Classic in Bethlehem

2011-09-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Francis McPeake IV, headmaster and Uilleann pipe player for the traditional Irish music group McPeake, comes from four generations of Irish pipers. His great great-grandfather Francis McPeake began playing the instrument in 1904. His father, Francis McPeake III, taught John Lennon to play the Uilleann pipes after the McPeake family performed as a gift to the Beatles in 1968. But even given this

McPeake keeps authentic Irish music tradition alive at Celtic Classic in Bethlehem | lehighvalleylive.com

2011-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Family and friends remember 'true patriot' as Knight of Glin laid to rest

2011-09-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

IN the same tradition as his father and grandfather, a 100-year-old horse-drawn cart was used to carry the last Knight of Glin, Desmond FitzGerald, to his final resting place.More than 800 people made their way to the west Limerick village as a 700-year-old title came to an end with the funeral of the 29th Knight of Glin.His wife Olda and daughters Catherine, Nesta, and Honor, led mourners at the

Finbar Furey: A piper keen to promote his Irish heritage

2011-06-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Image by Heinrich Klaffs via Flickr"AFTER decades as a roving musical ambassador for Ireland, Finbar Furey is toying with running for president. 'I sat down in a meeting with five very serious people,' he says, diplomatically electing to not name them. 'They're fed up with the heritage of the country being thrown aside. They said to me, 'We keep throwing your name in a hat and it keeps coming

Liam O'Flynn & Arty McGlynn

2011-05-19T11:31:00.001-07:00

Regarder "Liam O'Flynn and Arty McGlynn Water under the keel" sur YouTube

Fit for a Queen: Irish cuisine gets the banquet treatment

2011-05-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia"CLASSIC IRISH dishes got a truly gourmet twist at last night’s State banquet for the Queen in Dublin Castle. The 172 guests at the black-tie event were served a first course of cured salmon with Burren-smoked salmon cream and lemon balm jelly, horseradish and wild watercress, with Kilkenny organic cold-pressed rapeseed oil. The main course consisted of rib of Slaney Valley

Uilleann pipes Irish Flute and Fiddle

2011-05-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Kate Bush comes home

2011-05-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Bubbly, enthusiastic, effusive about her 12-year-old son – could this really be the same fiercely private, eccentric, reclusive Kate Bush we keep hearing about, asks SINÉAD GLEESON IN THE days before my interview with Kate Bush, I have several conversations with people about her. Their ages range from early 20s to mid-60s, their musical tastes even broader, but the admiration and respect Bush

Irish Music Video - Mickey Dunne

2011-05-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

Irish Music Video - Mickey Dunne - O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat - tradschool.com

Irish musician set for pipes concert Wednesday

2011-04-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

"The Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay is set to present Irish uilleann pipes virtuoso Paddy Keenan on Wednesday in Felton. Keenan's concert, with guitarist Padraig Conroy, will feature selections from his new CD to be released later this year.ª What: Paddy Keenan uilleann pipes concertª When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdayª Where: Don Quixote's Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9 in Felton.ª Admission: $17 general

Dalai Lama urges Irish self confidence

2011-04-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

"The Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama, has said Irish people must work with self confidence and co-operation to get out of our economic troubles.Commenting on Ireland's economic woes, he said individuals who totally relied on money for their happiness really suffered during an economic crisis, compared to those for example with a happy family life.He said people put too much emphasis on

Long wait for uilleann pipes spurs appeal for new makers

2011-04-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

"ALL GOOD things come to those who wait, but in the case of the uilleann pipes that wait can be seven years.The demand for the most quintessential of Irish instruments is so great that an appeal has been launched to increase the number of craftspeople making them.The pipes, unique to Ireland, cannot be mass-produced and still have to be painstakingly assembled, piece by piece.Throughout the world