Willie Clancy Summer School announces programme for 2024

The Willie Clancy Summer School/Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy has announced its programme for 2024.

Taking place from July 6 to 14, the annual festival of traditional music, song and dance includes daily classes, evening céilís, concerts and recitals, and a number of talks and tributes.

Among the events is a lecture on the singer and banjo player Margaret Barry (1917–1989) by Alan Woods, Artistic Liaison and Field Recording Officer with the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

‘With the banjo on my side: the life and times of Margaret Barry’ will explore the music of the Irish Traveller singer and banjo player from Cork who came to prominence through her recordings in the 1950s and 60s.

The lecture will feature a contribution from the renowned singer–songwriter Lisa O’Neill whose work has been partly inspired by Barry. Woods’ lecture will take place on Thursday 11 July at 2.30pm in the Community Centre in Miltown Malbay.

Read More: Clare Property Watch: Welcome to the village

The 52nd edition of the School will be officially opened by uilleann piper and former RTÉ broadcaster Peter Browne on Saturday 6 July at 8pm at the Community Centre.

This will be followed by the annual Breandán Breathnach Memorial Lecture, which this year will be given by Gay McKeon and Emmett Gill of Na Píobairí Uilleann. Their topic is ‘Uilleann Pipers and Piping in Clare and Dublin, 1930–1973’.

On Sunday 7 July, there will be a concert broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta that will feature a number of TG4 Gradam Ceoil Award recipients, and on 9 July at the Mill Marquee there will be a concert with international artists.

On Saturday 13 July at 7pm, the Muiris Ó Rócháin Memorial Concert presented by Muireann Ní Dhuigneáin will also feature a range of musicians and singers.

From Monday 8 July, there will be daily classes and workshops in uilleann pipes, harp, fiddle, flute, concertina, accordion, whistle, melodeon, banjo, harmonica, singing, dance and spoken Irish. Registration online is now available here.

During the week there will also be a lectures by Dr Chelsey Zimmerman on Irish traditional music in New York and Professor Kate Bevan-Baker on traditional music in Quebec, a presentation by Scottish traditional singers Peter Shepheard and Jimmy Hutchison of recordings from Miltown Malbay from the 1960s, and a tribute to the Tulla Céilí Band on Tuesday 9 July.

For further details on all events see below or visit www.scoilsamhraidhwillieclancy.com