Countdown Begins To Ennis Trad Festival 2010

Arts and Entertainment - Music

Friday, 22 October 2010 00:00

Since its inception some 17 years ago, Ennis Trad Festival has been a highlight on the Irish traditional music calendar attracting top-class acts, musicians and music enthusiasts in their thousands to the capital of County Clare.

This November, from Thursday 11 through to Monday 15, as the rest of the country shivers from the seasonal cold and chill of economic downturn, the certainty of good music and the odd refreshment or two in Ennis is sure to melt the frostiest of outlooks.  

Year on year, the festival follows the tried and successful formula of late festival club concerts, CD launches, workshops in a variety of instruments, the Ard Gaisce na mBuíonta or senior céilí band competition, céilís and the ever-popular trad disco.

While all that is going on, over a 100 round-the-clock, high-octane, informal sessions take place in over 30 pubs, making the town pulsate to the glorious rhythms of Irish traditional music.

As festival director, John Rynne, explains, “Top-class local musicians take part, accounting for approximately one-third of the artists taking part in the festival. The other participating musicians come from all over Ireland and the world, including Sweden, the United States, Italy, France and more. Up to 25,000 people are expected in Ennis during the festival.” 

A late club/concert will take place on each of the five nights of the festival kicking off with Any Old Time, comprising Mick Daly, Matt Crannitch and Dave Hennessy on the Thursday night. This classic band rarely comes together these days but the organisers have coaxed them to perform at the Ennis Trad Festival.

Then on Friday, November 12, Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden, Seamie O’Dowd and Jimmy Higgins, will take to the stage and, according to John Rynne, “They are one of the most powerful and seriously good trad acts in the country at the moment”.

The musical might of The Dave Munnelly Band will be centre stage in The Auburn Lodge Hotel in Ennis on Saturday night. The concert will coincide with the uniqueness of the trad disco when top DJ, Ollie Mullooly will be back with his own original mix of powerful trad rhythms. Ticket-holders will be allowed access to both events in the hotel on the night.

The Brock McGuire Band, with Paul Brock, Manus McGuire, Enda Scahill, with special guest, 11 times All-Ireland champion harmonica player, Noel Battle, will be the headline performance on Sunday night at the Old Ground Hotel.

The farewell concert on Monday night will see the exceptional Charlie Harris, Maeve Donnelly and Eamonn and Geraldine Cotter combine forces for the a final celebration. In addition, those wanting to express themselves through their own freestyle steps, can go shuckin’ and jivin’ with Andrew McNamara immediately after the final concert. This promises to be a very different kind of trad disco with tunes from Maggie Barry, Patsy Cline, Tulla Céilí Band and many other surprise tracks, presented by the ever colourful box player.

Of course, album launches have always been an important part of the trad festival and there are four on the programme this year.  Ciorrus, the product of Donal Lunny’s search for hot new trad band on TG4’s Lorg Lunny, will launch their CD on the Thursday night at the Temple Gate Hotel, at 7.30pm. While on Friday evening, Dave Sheridan, the Sligo flute player, will launch his CD. There’ll be two more CD launches on Sunday with Eoin O’Neill, Kevin Griffin and Quentin Cooper officially celebrating the release of their Live at Kilfenora CD, at 1pm, which was recorded during the Riches of Clare series of lunchtime concerts last summer.

Later on, banjo man, Stevie Dunne will launch his CD at 7pm in the Temple Gate Hotel. Set dancers, sean-nós dancers and even freestyle dancers will be kept busy during the weekend.

On Sunday, a céilí with the renowned Four Courts Céilí Band is a must for those who wish to batter out their sets while Suzanne Leahy will put sean-nós dancers through their steps at the masterclass on Saturday morning.  

Glór Irish Music Centre is the venue for the céílí band competition, which is set to attract céilí bands from up and down the country in its fourth year of competition. As the only successful céilí band competition outside the protective boundaries of Comhaltas, Saturday’s battle amongst many of the country’s finest musicians will, uniquely, afford audience members the opportunity to vote their preference as the fifth adjudicator, while four eminently experienced adjudicators add their decision. So far, there are 12 confirmed top-quality bands entered from all over Ireland with festival organisers predicting a few more.

As in previous years, masterclasses will be held in a variety of instruments, singing, care and maintenance of flute and a demonstration of Willy Simmons whistles by John Dodd. Ever popular sean-nós and set-dancing workshops will also be provided.

The annual charity trad table quiz will also be back this year following the festival brunch on Saturday of the festival. Teams of four are welcome to attend this fun event in aid of the local Cahercalla Hospice.

Ennis Trad Festival will be officially launched in Glór Irish Music Centre, Ennis at 6.30pm on Thursday, November 11.

See www.ennistradfestival.com for more information.