A Great Irish Festival !
In a wonderful weekend for the
Irish, 3 of Ireland’s finest musicians flew to Australia for the Fleadh
Nua (pronounced Fla Noo), a Festival of Irish Music, Song and Dance, in
Goulburn on the June 2007 long weekend.
 Over 400 people enjoyed
the festival in concerts of music, song and dancing like Riverdance,
teaching workshops, ceilis for set dancing, and impromptu instrumental
sessions.
(1)
Pictured from L to R,
Kevin Doyle IMS President, the Goulburn Mulwaree Council Deputy Mayor
Ken Sullivan, the Irish Ambassador Mairtin O’Fainin, and the visiting
Irish virtuosos Carmel Gunning, Janine Redmond and Michael Harrison.
The Irish Musicians Sydney (IMS)
produced the Festival, which included 50 Irish Australian musicians. It
was opened by the Irish Ambassador, Mairtin O’Fainin, the Goulburn
Mulwaree Council Deputy Mayor, Ken Sullivan, Bishop David Cremin and
Kevin Doyle, IMS President.
The visiting virtuosos were
Carmel Gunning, a former All-Ireland Champion Tin Whistler and a
renowned flautist and singer; Janine Redmond, a three-time All-Ireland
Champion Button Accordion Player; and Michael Harrison, a three-time
Champion All-Ireland Fiddler.
Michael
comes from a long line of great musicians, with his great-grandfather
founding the Ballinakill Ceili Band, which was the first traditional
Irish band to tour the US and record an album, and his grand-mother,
Aggie White, the brilliant fiddler, also playing in that band (see
Biographies of main artists).
 (2) Pictured from L to R:
Bishop Cremin, Kevin Doyle and Judge Kevin O’Connor playing at the VIP Luncheon, with Carmel Gunning in
the backgound.
The other Artists included many
of Australia’s best Irish musicians and Artists such as the Jimmy
Mullarkey (Ceili) Band, Paddy Fitzgerald on the Button Accordion, Tony
O’Rourke on the Banjo, the Uillean pipers with Jack Brennan, Kevin
Higgins and Oliver Cechin, the modern traditional Trouble in the Kitchen
band, The Beenies, singers Sean Roche, Shea O’Hara and George Gaynor –
George hails from the famous George and the Unicorns showband - The
Wollongong Academy of Dancers and Andrew McKay, the Sydney Irish Ceili
Dancers, and the Harp Dancers.
(3) Pictured
(left) from L to R, 3
times All-Ireland Champion Fiddler Michael Harrison,and 3 times All-Ireland Champion Accordionist Janine
Redmond at the main concert.
The Irish Ambassador opened the
Festival and said “How wonderful it is to have a festival of this
nature, with Irish music & dance. I applaud the Irish visitors Carmel
Gunning, Michael Harrison and Janine Redmond who have come all the way
from Ireland to make this a success. It is great to see the Irish in
Australia who are keeping this music alive, especially those who have
brought it here from their native Ireland.”
The President of the IMS, Kevin
Doyle said “Thanks to all the Sponsors especially the Irish Embassy and
the Goulburn Mulwaree Council, and to the Musicians and Committee. We
hope to hold the Fleadh Nua in Goulburn again next year, but are looking
at the October long weekend, and the final decision will be on our
website at
www.irishmusicianssydney.com”.
The audience was very
appreciative of the main concert on Sunday afternoon, where Michael
Harrison and Janine Redmond were called back for an encore, as was
George Gayner. The musicians and audience also enjoyed the sessions held
at the Astor Hotel, where many of the musicians joined in from 10:30pm
to 2am on Friday and Saturday night, as well as the final session at the
Workers Club on Sunday.
The Ceili dances were well
patronised at St Saviour’s Hall, with music from the Jimmie Mullarkey
Band and the Corner House.
The teaching workshops for
fiddle, accordion, tin whistle, flute, Uillean pipes, banjo were held
over three days
 
(4) Pictured (right)from L to R,
Corner House Ceili Band –
Peter and Sue Hobson,
Mark Tandy and
Terry McGee (without pianist Peter Logue).
(5) Pictured (left) from
L to R,
Olley Cechin, Jack Brennan and
Kevin Higgins
playing the Uillean Pipes.
(6) Pictured
(right)
from L to R playing, Paddy Fitzgerald,
Jimmy Mullarkey, Carmel Gunning, Ivan Roberts, Sharyn Calcagno (Borhan)
and Jack Brennan on Tin Whistle in last session
(7)
Pictured (below):
Kevin Doyle on the accordion,
in the same last
session
Click to see more photos
of
2007 Goulburn Festival
  
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