N.B. This site is being constantly updated.

Last update 06/12/04

NEW CD From
Seamus Bugler

Available from Custy's Music shop

East Clare Musicians

   County Clare in the west of Ireland is truly the home of Irish traditional music and is the home of many a fine musician. East Clare ( the boundary is arbitrary, but roughly east of Ennis) has it's own unique style of playing. The music is more for listening than for dancing and therefore played much slower with great feeling (as P. Joe Hayes once put it "It must come from the heart."), and often in dorian mode. Much of the music would be played in the key of F, C, Dm, or Gm because in the "Old Days" the C concertina was the main instrument in this area. East Clare was once described as "a nest of concertinas" as just about every household had one. In the early 1900's a German concertina would cost about 7/6d in old money (that's 48 Eurocents) in most shops in the area. The fiddle would be much dearer and harder to obtain but was regarded as a more superior instrument. The music would often be handed down father to son and some families were steeped in the tradition e.g. the Cannys the Donnellans and the O'Donoghues to name but a few. Some musicians would be very jealous of their tunes and wouldn't want to pass them on outside their families. It has been known for a fiddler practicing outside, to put down his fiddle on the wall, so that another musician approaching would not hear him play his tunes, in the fear they might be stolen. The music would be mainly played in the home, with a few friends, or at a local house or crossroads dance.
    Today things are very different, musicians are keen to pass on their tunes from one to another in the friendly atmosphere of the local pub session. Visitors from outside the area, including overseas, are always made very welcome to either play in the session, or just listen to the music.
    The pub session is a very weird and wonderful affair not always understood by non-players. There are a few local regular players or anchor men, usually three or four, and then the visitors. Sessions have been known to contain more that 20 musicians in summertime. Visitors come from all over the world (even the far east) to play. Total strangers come into the session, are introduced around, play for a while and leave, sometimes never to be seen again. But, while they are there, they are part of one big family, sharing their innermost feelings through the music.
    One can find a session any night of the week but the main ones in East Clare would be in Pepper's bar Feakle on Wednesday night, Lena's bar Feakle on Thursday Night and often in the Blacksticks in O'Callaghan's Mills on Saturday nights.

A session in Peppers bar
left to right P. Joe Hayes, Doug Gibson, Pat O'Connor, Kevin Carey, Maurine Small and Myself Bernard Parkin.

        There are also sessions in Donnellan's  pub Kilkishen Friday, Malachy's bar Quin Friday, Jack's pub Kilkishen Saturday, Gallagher's pub Kilkishen Saturday and McGregor's pub Sixmilebridge Sunday.

   In early August Feakle hosts it's annual traditional music festival. Here the music is taught in workshops by well known artists to budding musicians young and old. In the year 2002 Martin Hayes, Vincent Griffin and Denise Glass taught Fiddle, Mary MacNamara  Concertina, Josephine Marsh Accordion, Tommy Hayes Bodhrán / Percussion, Martin Glynn  Flute,  Helen Hayes Singing, and Denis Cahill Guitar. During the week there are several Céilíthe with well known bands such as The Tulla Céilí Band, The Michael Sexton Céilí Band, and The Four Courts Céilí Band  as well as concerts music sessions and singing sessions. For further information about the Feakle festival contact Gary Pepper 061 924322 or 924980 e-mail garypepper@eircom.net  or Pat Hayes 061 925125 e-mail hayespatrick@eircom.net 

    Of course one cannot talk about East Clare musicians without mention of one of the greatest Céilí bands ever to have been formed, therefore I have included a page about "The Tulla Céilí Band",  which has been in existence now for over 55 years.

    In some of the pages Albums are mentioned all of which can be obtained on line from Custy's Music or The Knotted Cord 

The two great men together P. Joe Hayes and Francie Donnellan playing in Pepper's Bar

    A special thanks to all the musicians for their help in compiling these pages.
    I would also like to thank Mike Arden for his help, Jean Borreye for some great Photo's and Barry Taylor for the recordings of Martin Rochford and John Naughton.