This is a summer school like no other. There are lessons, of course, and classes, sure. But tests and homework go something like this: gather round with your friends on High Street, then talk, laugh and play-music, naturally, traditional Irish music on the concertina, fiddle, pipes, flute, and bodhran.
The Joe Mooney Summer School marked its 19th anniversary in 2007. Held every July, it features classes, private lessons, tutorials, and concerts covering nearly every aspect of traditional Irish music and dance. Lasting for one full week, classes range from lessons on the whistle, pipes, and bodhran to even more traditional Ceili (Irish set dancing). For beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners, lessons begin every morning at 8 and last until 12:00 and are open to anyone who wants to attend. After a long lunch break, crowds line the streets of Drumshanbo to hear daily concerts by the skilled tutors or recitals by eager beginners. Along High Street and Main Street are groups of youngsters...and the youngster at heart...practicing their newly acquired skills and putting them into play. Laughter fills every corner of the town as the nine hundred or so participants-musicians, artists, painters, performers-gather at the largest summer music festival in Ireland. Participants, students, and hopefuls transform the streets of Drumshanbo from peacefully calm to delightfully animated.
The Joe Mooney Summer School draws people by the hundreds, not only from the whole of Ireland but also from around the world to experience the week long intensive training sessions and concerts hosted by Drumshanbo's Community Centre and the magnificent Ramada Lough Allen Hotel. A middle of the week barbecue, Irish style, ensures a wonderful time of food and fun while recitals (voluntary) and concerts highlight both amateur and highly-skilled talent. The best of Ireland's professional musicians and dancers offer classes in flute, pipes, whistle, bodhran, concertina, and Irish Ceili. Students of any age or skill level can join in the classes for a unique experience of the Irish spirit captured in music and dance.
Time: July (call for specific schedules, venues, and dates; call early to reserve a spot)
Contact: Mrs. Nancy Woods, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim; additional information available at www.loughallenhotel.com
Place: Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim
How to get there:
From Dublin, N4 to Carrick-on-Shannon, then R280 N to Drumshanbo.
From Belfast, M1/A4 to Enniskillen then to Blacklion. 4km W of Blacklion, take R207 South to Dowra then to Drumshanbo along the Eastern shore of Lough Allen.
Written by Joy Davis - Summer of Travel 2007