Pint of
Irish
Resources
Here are some resources that you might find helpful. Everything from music schools in Ireland, to online courses, to tune lists.
Tunes & Songs
Irish Music Daily celebrates the richness and diversity of Ireland’s musical heritage. Here you will find lots of information about all your favorite Irish songs together with all the singers and bands that perform them.
Tune Collections on the Internet
This is a huge list of tunes! Basically, any tune book that is available online is listed here!
The King Street Session Tunebook
This is a free, downloadable, tune book containing 1,006 Irish and Scottish tunes.
Cultural Equity (Alan Lomax sound recordings)
The Cultural Equity project is an archive of songs, mostly from the 1950's. A rich source of rare recordings.
Websites
Lower Valley Beginner Irish Session
We "tripped" over this site and it's a really nice one. This is the site for a beginner's session in Holyoke, Massachusetts. They are learning tunes and posting nice recordings for folks to listen to and learn from. They are quickly becoming our East Coast best friends! Check out the tunes!
The Session.org is "the" site for Irish tunes. The forum is very active with all sorts of thoughts, advice and more than a fair share of "Blarney". The tune list is spectacular! You can also do a location search for monthly session in just about every town in the U.S.
Ceolas has been active as a source of information and links for all things Celtic music since 1994. Even though some of the links are no longer functioning, this site is such a wealth of information, it is worth visiting.
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. They are a non-profit cultural movement with hundreds of local branches around the world, and have been working for the cause of Irish music since 1951.
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A community calendar for Scottish Highland games and festivals around the world!
Reading
Irish Music Magazine, strives to inform readers and musicians alike, keeping you abreast of all major developments with in the Irish Traditional Music community.
Organizations
The Celtic Arts Center is dedicated to "preserving and promoting the cultures and languages of all the celtic nations." Every Monday night in North Hollywood, they offer free classes in Gaelic and free dance classes. Starting at 9 most Mondays, they host the "longest running session" in Southern California. Super friendly folks.
The Gaelic League Los Angeles (Conradh Na Gaeilge)
CNAG GAELIC LEAGUE LA is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Gaelic (Irish, Scottish, & Manx) languages and cultures.
They are a branch of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) which was founded in Ireland in 1893 and was a major force in the language and literary revival of Irish language and culture in Ireland.
The Kern County Scottish Society was established in July 1971 in Bakersfield, California. Our mission is to promote Scottish heritage and cultural traditions in Kern County.
The Irish Center of Southern California
The Irish Center of Southern California, Inc. promotes Irish culture and supports our local Irish and Irish-American community.
Classes, camps, schools, etc.
Online:
The Online Academy of Irish Music (OIAM) is a subscription-based online "school" of traditional music. Paid subscribers have full access to all the classes, with videos, MP3s and written music. However, visitors can access the first lesson in each class for free! A great place to learn some tunes and songs.
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United States:
Lark Camp is a week-long music camp held the last week in July in the Redwoods of California. Here traditional and folk musicians from around the world come together to share their music with friends old and new.
Portal Irish Week is a week-long camp held in the Fall in Portal, AZ. Portal is a unique combination of intensive, quality time with world-class instructors AND a relaxing retreat in one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse places on Earth.
Ireland:
Willie Clancy week is held the middle of July each year in Miltown Malbay in County Clare. "Willie Week" is a week-long summer school of traditional Irish music.
An Irish Music and Culture Holiday experience that is truly unique. They run retreats for people looking to explore Ireland through its music and culture.
Concert Venues
Beckman Institute Auditorium (Pasadena Folk Music Society @ Caltech)
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Boulevard Music (Culver City, CA)
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Coffee Gallery Backstage (Altadena, CA)
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Fiddler's Crossing (Tehachapi, CA)
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Folk Music Center (Claremont, CA)
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Kulak's Woodshed (North Hollywood, CA)
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McCabe's Guitar Shop (Santa Monica, CA)
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The Grand Annex (San Pedro, CA)