Resources
Here are some resources that you might find helpful. Everything from music schools in Ireland, to online courses, to tune lists.
Tunes & Songs
This site is a "virtual session", with tunes being played in sets and printable sheet music! Great way to learn a few session tunes.
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.
If you are looking for all things Celtic in California, here's the place. From Festival listings to Celtic History and Videos, Califonia Celtic has it all.
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.
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.
Céilí Rua is a division of Conradh na Gaeilge in LA. They work with the local community presenting workshops at libraries, community centers, schools, universities etc. all over Los Angeles.
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.
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.
Camp Kiya is a 4-day camp in July for the whole family in the mountains of Tehachapi, CA.
Ireland:
Willie Clancy week is held the middle of July each year in Miltown Milbay in County Clare. "Willie Week" is a week-long summer school of traditional Irish music.
Events (non Pint of Irish)
Bakersfield Celtic Music Festival 2013
Bands & Musicians
Instructors
Joey Abarta (uilleann pipes)
Nicolas Buckmelter (Irish flute, tin whistle, mandolin)
Dave Ogden (guitar, bodhran, wooden flute, bouzouki and banjo)
Chris Loken (fiddle and piano)
Melanie Nolley (fiddle)
Dan Auerbach (mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar, bass, 5-string banjo, more)
Concert Venues
Beckman Institute Auditorium (Pasadena Folk Music Society @ Caltech)
Boulevard Music (Culver City, CA)
Coffee Gallery Backstage (Altadena, CA)
Fiddler's Crossing (Tehachapi, CA)
Folk Music Center (Claremont, CA)
Gelencser House Concert Series (Claremont, CA)
Kulak's Woodshed (North Hollywood, CA)
McCabe's Guitar Shop (Santa Monica, CA)
Beckman Institute Auditorium (Pasadena Folk Music Society @ Caltech)
The Grand Annex (San Pedro, CA)