Jay The Fiddler
For the Love of Fiddle.

• Irish Session Every Sunday at 1:00 HMCS Nonsuch 11807-Kingsway North-West

This Sunday 25-01-26 will be Week K

Edmonton’s Best Session! (most welcoming, best variety & you will play nearly every tune)

 

A typical Sunday (10-03-24) VIDEO” Many’s a Wild Night”

Join us every Sunday at 1:00-5:00

We will be at

HMCS Nonsuch

11807-Kingsway North-West

Most Sundays (excluding Easter,& Christmas) Just show up. (email to be on the invite list and to confirm we are on)
1-5 pm
The First Hour will be slower and accommodating.
Our 3 rules are
1) Keep it Irish
2) Instrumental only (no singing)
3) $5.00 entrance fee.
Come have fun!
Slán
Jay

Ireland 2025

Entry 5 – The Ardara afternoon session
i’m at the Johnny Doherty festival. Calling to Nancy‘s bar and get to sit with some of Ireland and Donegal‘s very best FIDDLERS. That would be Martin McGinley, Seamus Gibson and Matt McGranaghan.
They are all recognized tune composers  some mighty tunes. I was much better prepared than a year ago and leaned heavily ion “Week D – The Music of DonegalWeek D – The Music of Donegal” from Jay’s Irish Session
Entry 4 – An evening with Hugh.
I called into Monroe’s Legendary 4:30 Friday session. I was delighted when Hugh Healy arrived from Ennis with his concertina. I played often with Hugh in Ennis in the early 2000’s, even once tagging along with the lads to the gig at Gus O’Connor’s in Doolin. He plays a “Vince” from 1919. I most likely have that name wrong. And it is POWERFUL! “Where do you keep the stack of Marshall amps” I asked him. “It can get louder” says he. Also at the table were Francis pipes, Maureen Brown fiddle, brother Brendan Brown on box. Very inviting and fun session. They put out 3 lovely pizzas for the musicians at 7:00.
Session 2 also with Francis and Hugh was at Carroll’s and Session 3 also with Francis and Hugh was at Coili’s. That loud concertina and Hugh’s wonderful musicianship was quite necessary at Tigh Coili’s where the crowd was huge and loud.  A full day of music!

Entry 3 – The trip to Grianán Ailigh

Entry 2 – Never wetter! I walked into Galway at 6:00 and the heavens opened up. “Lashing rain” does not do it justice. When I started my climb at College Road water was pouring down the gutters like the Amazon River. My borrowed rain coat did absolutely nothing to help me. And windy! Wow! By the time I arrived at Coili’s I was lookig like I’d been hauled in from a capsize. This was 02-10-25 and the event was “The tail end or remnants of Hurricane Humberto”

 

Entry 1:
The first time I flew west to go east. The 8 hour flight from Vancouver to Dublin was very good. Koodos to Air Canada for great service and also not losing my luggage. Took the CityLink bus from the airport to Galway which took an hour more than promised. Blame it on roadworks in Dublin. Got reacquainted with Rob & Mary in Renmore. After a lovely chicken dinner Rob dropped me in the town where I arrive late to Tig Coili’s but had an hour of tunese witn Joseph Flanagan (box) and Declan Corey (mandolin).

R.I.P. Eric Tan 61 years old

It is with heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I must announce the passing of our beloved friend Eric Tan. Eric left us yesterday, Sunday January 5th 2025, at 8:00 am. The most likely explanation for the cause of this is bleeding on the brain. This may have been caused by an aneurysm, a fall or a bleeding stroke.
I was at the house when he was in a state of confusion on Saturday which we thought may have been a hyperglycemic event. It was not. 911 was called and the ambulance took him to the Grey Nuns at 2:00 pm. On diagnosis it was determined he was gravely ill and the family was called in. He lasted the night.
Hug someone you love and tell them so.

Ireland 2024 – Entry 7 – Newsflash: The Weather is Shite!

Just saying. This is day 17 in the country and the warmest temperature so far was 17C.

Oh yeah, and it’s raining. But to be fair yesterday on the summer solstice, midsummers, it had been dreadfully rainy. A solstice with no sun! But by 4:00 the clouds cleared and we had sunshine for the longest day of the year. An interesting coincidence is the Sun set at 22:07 in both Galway and Edmonton.

Ireland 2024 – Entry 6 – The Busker

Sitting at a table outside on a pedestrian street in Galway city I can hear a young lady busking. Concertina and whistle. Very competent. She has wavy red hair. She could represent Ireland on a tourism poster. A young child stops to dance. Then her father gives her a coin for the case. She skips to the case then hops back. Smiles all around.

 

Watch here

 

Ireland 2024 – Entry 5 – Bunbeg, Gweedore Co. Donegal

I took Bus Eireann from Galway City to Letterkenny Co. Donegal. You’ll be happy to hear that with no stops the 248km trip was only 30 minutes shorter that the flight from Montreal to Dublin! (5’40” vs 6’10”). But I’m here reacquainting with Edmonton friend Cathal Tunney and his wife Mary. Had a lovely dinner then picked up his brother Paddy and made the hour trek to Bunbeg at Huidi Beag’s pub. This is in my top 5 best sessions in Ireland, if not the best. Great mix of younger and older musicians. Host with the most Hugh Gallagher (gal-a-her) would jump from fiddle, piano or serving drinks.

Brothers Cathal& Paddy Tunney are great fiddlers and singers.  Other musicians included well known harpist Janet Harbison -https://www.janetharbisonharp.com. She was very good!

Gearóid Ó Maonaigh (Mooney) played his beautiful Guild guitar. He is the brother of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle and vocals) of Altan and father of Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (fiddle) former young traditional musician of the year.  

Young Cillian was ripping up the box.

And young Molly Mooney of the Altan lineage was playing every tune. Played til 1 than an hour home.

 

Here is a link to Lucy Farr’s Barndance

Ireland 2024 – Entry 4 – Musical Observations

These are tunes that are currently popular in Ireland (I’ve played at least one time) * denotes tunes played at Jay’s Irish Session

 

  • • ————REELS———
  • Bunker Hill
  • Foxhunter’s Reel (A)
  • Trip to Durrow•
  • Newly Mown Meadow*
  • John Stenson’s #2
  • The Bush
  • Devaney’s Goat
  • The Bucks of Oranmore* (5 sessions ended with it) – Also in the key of A -try it!
  • Sporting Nell
  • The Abbey Reel
  • The Otter’s Holt
  • Rakish Paddy•
  • Miss McLeod’s•
  • Sally Gardens•
  • Farewell to Érin
  • The shoemaker’s Daughter
  • The Ashplant
  • Lord Gordon’s Reel
  • The Moving Bog
  • ————Jigs———
  • Mug of Brown Ale•
  • Rose in the Heather*
  • Banish Misfortune•
  • Langstrom’s Pony
  • Lark in the Morning• Also in the key of A -try it!
  • Father O’Flynn (The Top of Cork Road)
  • Wailing Banshee•
  • Connaughtman’s Rambles•
  • The Cliffs of Moher
  • The Donnybrook Fair
  • East at Glendart•
  • Pipe on the Hob Am
  • gallagher’s frolics

…and MANY MANY more! I will add to this list incrementally

 

 

Ireland 2024 – Entry 2

The first week has flown by! Galway City, SW Donegal for 3 nights, now back in Galway.

Met up with old friend, fiddler and fisherman Adrian Murray. Adrian had bought 2 of my CD’s and was a big fan of Georgia’s Canada Day Waltz. He had me play it at every session and it went over very well.

here’s the link (at long last- it was nowhere to be found).

 

Georgia’s Canada Day Waltz -1994 

For the record: there are more than 3 musicians in Galway City. But if you’re going to play at the Big 3 (Taaffe’s Tigh Coili’s and the Crane) you’ll often be playing with Johnny O’Halloran, Anders Trajberg and Declan Corey.

2024 Jay’s Trip to Ireland Post 1

I touched down in Dublin Wednesday at 830AM. Caught the bus to Galway and called on the Fullers in Renmore. I went that first night to Tigh Coili’s and had an amazing session led by Declan Corry (mandolin) and Geraldine (Ger) Clancy (fiddle). Talked too late to a Peruvian couple. Thursday I went into Galway (about 2KM) up College Road. I got a sim card for my phone (20 euro for 4 weeks – unlimited text, talk and 5G). Played the early session at Taaffe’s led by old friend Anders Trajberg on bos. Then I caught the end of the slightly less early session at Coili’s, again led by Ger Clancy. Waited around for the late session led by the great Johnny O’Halloran (melodeon) from Inishbofin. Getting kind of tired by now. The session scene has rebounded well after the pandemic with the same sessions at the same time with the same players. The Fullers have a holiday home in S Donegal in the town of Ardara (Arrrr-dra). Yes there are sessions. Played Friday with Peter Campbell (fiddle) whom I played with several times between 2000-2005. As well as his father (JImmy) and uncle (Vincent) who have both passed away since my last visit. Saturday night was in the wee Glen Tavern -https://www.facebook.com/theglentavern/- up the mountain 7 kms from Glenties. I have been there before and knew many of the players. They were playing distinctly Donegal tunes: mazurkas, Germans, highlands, waltzes. Week D anyone? Tonight I will find The Rusty mackerel in Teelin with one of Ireland’s best bos players, Dermott Byrne.
Here is the Newly Mown Meadow a tempo
Slánte Jay

Irish Session Every Sunday

This Sunday 19-05-24 Week A

 

A typical Sunday (10-03-24) VIDEO” Many’s a Wild Night”

Join us every Sunday at 1:00-4:00

Tan Violin Shop

 

We will be at Tan Violin Shop
8749-53 avenue Edmonton, AB, Canada
Most Sundays (excluding Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas) Just show up. (email to be on the invite list and to confirm we are on)
1-4 pm
The First Hour will be slower and accommodating.
Our 3 rules are
1) Keep it Irish
2) Instrumental only (no singing)
3) $5.00 entrance fee.
Come have fun!
Slán
Jay