dance association mí na nollag€¦ · mí na nollag the mission of the irish music and dance...

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www.IMDAwww.IMDAwww.IMDAwww.IMDA----MN.orgMN.orgMN.orgMN.org

Irish Music &

Dance Association 30th Year, Issue No. 12

Dec�ember

2012

Mí na Nollag

The mission of the Irish Music and Dance Association is to support, coordinate, encourage and promote high quality activities and programs

in Irish music, dance, and other cultural traditions within the community and to insure the continuation of those traditions.

Keegan’s Pub Hosts Sixth Annual

‘Women’s Christmas’ Jan. 6

On Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, Christmas celebrations will be over for most of the Twin Cities. But not at Keegan’s Pub, Minneapolis. On that day, Keegan’s will host one last holiday bash exclusively for women to celebrate the Irish tradition of “Women’s Christmas.” The sixth annual Women’s Christmas at Keegan’s will take place noon to 4 p.m. on Jan. 6. Prize drawings for women and special food offerings will be featured, and local Celtic band Locklin Road will perform from 1 to 4 p.m. Keegan’s Pub started the celebration in 2008 after learning from Locklin Road that Women’s Christmas is a popular event in Ireland—particularly in Cork. On Women’s Christmas—celebrated on the feast of the Epiphany, the traditional end of Christmas season (aka the twelfth day of Christmas)—the custom is for Irish women take the day off, and for men to take on the household duties. Women fill the pubs, and go out and celebrate with their girlfriends. Gifts are given to women. “We heard of the tradition and loved the idea, thinking it would be the perfect thing to do at Keegan’s,” said Terry Keegan, publican. “The event is designed to give women a day off, to be together and have fun after the frantic holiday season.” In keeping with the tradition of Women’s Christmas (also known as Little Christmas or Little Women’s Christmas), women are encouraged to bring small gifts to the pub Jan. 6 to exchange with their friends. Keegan’s will also have prize drawings. “Our first five Women’s Christmas events were wildly successful,” said Keegan. “The pub gets packed, filled with groups of women having the time of their lives. It’s a memorable day at the pub.” Keegan’s full menu will be offered. Following the Women’s Christmas event on Jan. 6, a traditional Irish Session will begin at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Keegan’s Pub, (612) 252-0880 or go to www.keeganspub.com. For more information about Locklin Road, go to www.locklinroad.com.

Inside this issue:

Tune of the Month 2

Gaelic Corner 3

Celtic Christmas 4

December Calendar 8-9

Northwoods Songs 10

Ceili Corner 14

Smidirini 15

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

�une of �he on�h by Amy Shaw

December 26th may be the second biggest shopping day of the year in this country, but it seems the Irish have better things to do on the day after Christmas. In many areas of Ireland, particularly in the south and west, Wren’s Day is celebrated. This holiday comes from the old custom of “hunting the wren,” in which wren boys carried a wren (variously, dead or alive) on a decorated pole (or on a holly bush) from house to house, and in song or verse asked for money to “bury the wren.” December 26th also happens to be St. Stephen’s Day, and somewhere along the way somebody decided this little bird was personally responsible for the martyr’s downfall, allegedly having revealed Stephen’s hiding place to the Roman soldiers who were pursuing him. I’m afraid it can’t be said that no wrens were harmed in the making of this holiday over the years, but nowadays you’re more likely to see an artificial wren being used. In the town of Dingle in West Kerry, Wren’s Day has grown into a huge, colorful event reminiscent of Mardi Gras. Groups of “wrens,” wearing traditional straw costumes (sounds itchy, doesn’t it?) parade through the town, playing fifes, drums, accordions, tin whistles, and other instruments. The wrens (pronounced “wrans” locally) are named for various streets in Dingle, such as the Goat Street Wren. Each group elects a captain, and the wrens seem to be competitive in a friendly way. They spend the day playing music all over town, visiting patients in the West Kerry Community Hospital, and raising money for charity. I’d love to be in Dingle sometime for Wren’s Day. By the looks of all the photographs hanging in O’Flaherty’s Pub, it’s quite a spectacle. This month’s tune is associated with Wren’s Day, and it comes from Caoimhín Ó Sé, who was also the source of last month’s tune. A flute and whistle player from West Kerry, Caoimhín’s repertoire includes a wealth of slides and polkas. Caoimhín recorded this polka on O Thuaidh!, the duo album he made with his father, Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé, in 2001. Usual disclaimers: Any transcription errors are my own. The notation here is not meant to be a substitute for listening. It is

simply an aid to learning the tune.

The IMDA Board is:

President: Lisa Conway

Treasurer: Mark Malone

Secretary: Jan Casey

Board Members: John Concannon Ruth McGlynn Editor: John Burns

IMDA Board Meetings are open to the membership. The Board meets regularly on the First Tuesday of each month at 6 pm at Perkins in HarMar. Members are encouraged to verify the time and location shortly before, as meeting times and locations can change.

Contact Information Write to:

Irish Music and Dance Association 236 Norfolk Ave NW Elk River, MN 55330

Call: 612-990-3122 E-mail: [email protected]

Newsletter Submissions

We welcome our readers to submit articles of interest, news, and notices of events to be published in the newsletter. The deadline is the 20th of the preceding month.

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

One of the most versatile words in the Irish language is the word for, well, "one," ceann. In Irish, I'd start that last sentence with Ceann de na focail ... Sometimes ceann confuses students because it has several important meanings and it is easy to get locked in on just one of them. But it can also be confusing because it is used in different ways than the corresponding words in English. For example, we've already seen that ceann means "one" in phrases like "one of those things," "one of the words", and so on. But we don't use ceann to refer to people, generally, using the word for "person," duine, instead. So if I want to talk about "one of the women," I can't start that phrase with ceann. Rather, I'd say, "duine de na mná." Also a bit tricky is the use of "one" with numbers. Numbers are already a very complicated subject in Irish, as there are different names for numbers depending on whether you are counting in the abstract (as you do for, say, "hide and seek"), saying how many things there are, or saying how many people there are. At any rate, ask someone in English, "How many cars do you see?" and they can answer, "Three." In Irish, however, the answer would be trí cinn or "three ones." And ask someone how many priests they see, and in English, again, the answer could simply be "three," but in Irish we'd respond with triúr,

meaning "three people." Now add to ceann the meaning of "head," like the one on your body. Indeed, we say something is "sure as can be" with the phrase, chomh cinnte is atá ceann ar do mhuineál,

meaning "as certain as it is that there is a head on your neck." Someone who has a ceann maith air, a "good head on him," is a smart, clever person. Someone who has a ceann fada air,

"a long head on him", does not have a funny shaped head. Rather, he is what we might call "far-seeing." Some objects have heads, too. Ceann tairne is the "head of a nail," just like English. We can also have "heads" like ceann

teaghlaigh ("head of household") or ceann roinne

("department head").

And when you flip a coin in irish, you call ceann nó cláirseach,

that is, "head or harp," rather than the "heads or tails" we have in English. Of course, the back side of Irish coins had the harp on them, as a symbol of Ireland.

Ceann can also mean "roof," as in ceann

tuí, a "thatched roof." And the ceann báid

is the "bow" of a boat. Finally, ceann means "end" in several uses. Ceann na sráide is simply "the end

of the street." And a very common phrase using this meaning is ó cheann ceann na tíre, "from one end to the other end of the country." We use this "end" meaning when we use ceann láimhe to clearly indicate "a hand." The word lámh means both "arm" and "hand" in Irish, and which meaning is intended is usually a matter of context. But since ceann láimhe is the "end of an arm," the point from the wrist down, it clears up this confusion when context won't do. One of the "ends" we are quickly approaching is the end of the year. The last day of the year can be called lá cinn bhliana, that is, "the day at the end of a year." May your holidays, and your lá cinn bhliana, be joyful, and may your new year get off to a wonderful start. One way to close out this year on a joyful note is to join us for our annual Christmas dinner on Monday evening, December 17. It's a night of celebration of another year of hard work on the language, and it is a social time, not an "Irish speaking" time, so friends and family will have a great time with us. Please stop by our web site at www.gaelminn.org for more details and to download a reservation form, as we ask our guests to pre-order (and pre-pay) their meals for that event. And if you are looking to join our classes, be aware that we will offer our "Intro" class, four weeks that prepare you for our ongoing sessions, starting January 28. The class is offered through St. Paul Community Education, and you have to register through them. Again, you can find the details on our web site. Loisceann sé an choinneal sa dá cheann. "He burns his candle at both ends." -- Will

�he �aelic �orner By Will Kenny

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Celtic and Irish Christmas Shows

Add some Irish music to your Christmas season! Take in one of these holiday concerts:

♣ Boiled in Lead Acoustic Yule Party with special guests Friday, Dec. 14 – the Celtic Junction

♣ The Eddies’ Yulefest featuring Barra and the HiBs – fundraiser for the

foodshelves Saturday, Dec. 1 – The Hat Trick Lounge, St. Paul

♣ Laura MacKenzie’s Celtic Christmas Sunday, Dec. 2 – Old Town Hall History Museum, Bloomington Sunday, Dec. 16 – Plymouth Covenant Church, Plymouth

♣ Laura MacKenzie’s Season of Joy (A Celtic Christmas) Friday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 9 – Berean Baptist Church, Burnsville

♣ Katie McMahon’s Celtic Christmas Show Friday, Dec. 7 – College of St. Scholastica, Duluth Saturday, Dec. 22 – O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Paul

♣ SimpleGifts Holiday Tour with Billy McLaughlin featuring Laura

MacKenzie Saturday, Dec. 1 – Crossings at Carnegie, Zumbrota Saturday, Dec. 8 – St. Stephan Lutheran Church, Bloomington Thursday, Dec. 13 – Historic Paramount Theatre, Austin Friday, Dec. 14 – Memorial Auditorium, Worthington Saturday, Dec. 15 – Shattuck-St. Mary’s Performing Arts Center, St. Michael Tuesday, Dec. 18 – Lakeville Area Arts Center, Lakeville Wednesday, Dec. 19 – Sacred Heart Music Center, Duluth Thursday thru Sunday, Dec. 20 – 23 – Marine-on-St. Croix Town Hall, Marine on St. Croix

And then there’s dancing…

♣ Rince Nua presents the Jingle Jig Saturday, Dec. 15 – Osseo Senior High School, Osseo

♣ The Celtic Junction/Twin Cities Ceili Band Christmas Ceili Saturday, Dec. 15 – The Celtic Junction

Details and ticket information for all of these at www.irishmusicanddanceassociation.org/events/calendar.html

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

�u �eoil " Music to the Irish is a living delight, a mysterious key to a host of undiscovered emotions hoarded in the

secrets of the soul." Mairtin Byrnes

Our music hound this month is Captain Dave Drager who plays bodhran with the Hounds of Finn. He also

makes custom bodhran tippers, the “beaters” used to play the drum. Check out his website -

www.besttippers.com

Music is so important to me. When I am down it lifts me up, when I'm alone it comforts me and when I am confused it can help me get on the right track. The music I turn to the most at these times comes from Christy Moore. Christy Moore is by far in this writer's opinion the finest folksinger and songwriter of all time. Christie's songs about life and times in Ireland, songs about life on the road and life experiences in general, help me when I am dazed and confused or just needing a big smile. The United States may have a claim to the king of rock 'n roll in Elvis Presley, but nothing can compare to Ireland's Christy Moore. So at this time of year give yourself or someone else the gift of music and smile – and give a little Christy.

---Captain Dave Draeger, Hounds of Finn

presents

From The Stage To Your Heart

Saturday, February 16th, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets Adults and Children $21, $27, $32 College Student $12**

**This option is only available over the phone or in person at the ticket office. Tickets include a $2 restoration fee. Enjoy an evening of traditional Irish dancing featuring over 150 of Rince na Chroi’s dancers, accompanied by the music of the Two Tap Trio Dance Band.

Buy tickets at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=c4f18f23ec8e4b9db7c3cc931fc52549&t=tix

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Celtic Celtic Celtic Celtic Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Gift Gift Gift Gift Giving the Giving the Giving the Giving the IMDA IMDA IMDA IMDA WayWayWayWay!!!!

Thinking about Christmas gift ideas

for those special folks on your gift list?

Here are some especially Irish ideas:

♣ IMDA Gift Membership – for that friend who is always asking where to go to hear Irish music, or for the one who just loves all things Irish and understands how lucky we are to have so much going on in the Twin Cities!

♣ IMDA’s “Hooley in the Heartland” Double CD – a wonderful collection of music from our own local talent. (Available at Irish on Grand and the IMDA website.) IMDA’s earlier compilation CDs are also available – Local Brew, The Last Bar and Ice Palace.

♣ Classes at the Center for Irish Music – For a young person (or not so young one) who loves Irish music and would love to learn to play. (Contact the Center for Irish Music for schedules and fees.)

♣ Irish music recordings – great selection at Irish on Grand and Homestead Pickin Parlor (Richfield). And Young Irish Musician’s Weekend recordings from the Center for Irish Music.

♣ Irish books – wonderful selection at Irish on Grand. (Check out An Leabhragán in recent IMDA newsletters for more ideas.)

♣ Irish and Celtic apparel and other gifts – Celtique Creations, T. R Hawkinson Jewelry, Irish Blessings, Irish on Grand, The Irish Rose, Patty’s Pottery, and the St.

Patrick’s Guild.

♣ Gift Certificates: for great coffee from Claddagh Coffee Shop, and for dinner with music from one of the Cara Irish Pubs, Charlie’s Irish Pub, the Claddagh Irish Pub,

Merlins Rest and O’Donovan’s.

Addresses and website information for all of the above are on Resources tab on the IMDA website – www.IMDA-MN.org

Nollaig Shona Daoibh - A good Christmas to you!

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

Boiled in Lead Acoustic Yule Party, December 14

This show will be a "Yule Party" - a holiday event with special guests, including a traditional mummers mystery play and 'The Short Swords', a rapper sword dance team.

BiL will also play selections from their 2012 recording "The Well Below." This four-song EP is the first from the band's current lineup with Marc Anderson on drum kit and percussion. It showcases the band's range, from the Minnesota ballad "Western Borders" to the spooky Irish song "The Well Below The Valley" and an uptempo set of Eastern European dances. Of the new recording, reviewer Chris Nickson said, "“BiL remain one of the most creative American bands, fashioning old forms into new; musical alchemists of the highest order as this EP shows.”

The band have played a number of cameos at Celtic Junction, notably in two "Do The Dean" benefits for guitarist Dean Magraw. With Dean's return, the band will be at full strength and full of holiday spirit. As they approach their 30th Anniversary in 2013, BiL continue to explore new forms for traditional music, taking chances with good humor and innovative arrangements.

BiL have been innovators in bringing “folk music” kicking and screaming to rock audiences (and rock music to screaming folk audiences!) BiL’s many instrumental dance tunes incorporate global influences, rhythms, and melodies that are guaranteed to keep the feet moving. Original songs stick in the mind long after the concert is over. The players improvise freely yet stay in sync, playing a vital mix of original and traditional material. The group and the individual musicians have won over 20 Minnesota Music Awards, and toured throughout the US and in Europe. With original lead singer Todd Menton and world-travelling eclectic instrumentalists Dean Magraw and Marc Anderson, the highly-identifiable BiL sound surges forward. Enthusiastic, powerful, technically brilliant, playing a wealth of instruments with extreme dynamics, Boiled In Lead routinely demolishes genre labels and enchants audiences of all ages.

Advance tickets $18, $20 at the door, doors open at 7:30, music begins at 8pm CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER FREE.

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Irish Music &

Dance Association

IMD

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25

Noon: Traditional Session

Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

4pm Learners Irish Session

6pm Advanced Irish Music

Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t Paul

26

27

5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

St. Dominic’s Trio

Nye’s, Mpls

28

7pm Traditional Irish Session

Hogan Brothers Cafe, Northfield

7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns

Tapestry Folk Dance Ctr, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park

7:30pm Irish Social Dan

cing

9:30pm Two Tap

Trio

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

29

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Sim

ple Gifts with

Billy M

cLau

ghlin

and

Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

New

hall Aud., Faribault

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

30

The Sweet Colleens CD Release

The Celtic Junction, St P

aul

98pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm The Tim

Malloys

Half Time Rec, S

t Paul

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

1 1pm IM

DA Annual Mem

bersh

ip

Meeting

2pm First Saturday Ceili

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

7pm Irish Set Dan

ce


aul

7pm Great Northern Irish Pipers

Celtic Open

Mic Night


aul

7:30pm The Jo

lly Groggers

Charlie’s Irish Pub, S

tillwater

7:30pm Sim

ple Gifts with Billy

McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Crossings at C

arnegie, Zum

brota

7:30pm Yuletide Fund

raiser:

The Eddies, The HiB’s, Barra

The Hat Trick Lounge, St. Paul

2 Noon: Traditional Session

Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

2pm “Celtic Christmas” with

Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

Old Tow

n Hall, Bloom

ington



Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

3 7:30pm 1st Monday

Shan

ty Sing

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

4 5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul


Nye’s, Mpls

5 7pm Traditional Irish Session


7:000p

m Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park


ce

9:30pm Two Tap

Trio

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

6 6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

6:30pm An Evening of

Irish Storytelling & Music

The Liffey, S

t. Paul

8pm The Tim

Malloys

Half Time Rec, S

t. Paul

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

7 7pm Seaso

n of Jo

y: Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Berean Church, Burnsville

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and Ginny

Johnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

10pm The Irish Brigad

e The Cooper Irish Pub, S

t Louis Pk

8 7pm GNIPC Celtic Open

Mic


aul

7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

St S

tephen Church, Bloom

ington

8pm W

ild Colonial Bhoys

J J Murphy’s Pub, B

laine

9:30pm The Tim

Malloys

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul


e The Cooper Irish Pub, S

t Louis Pk

9 Noon: Traditional Session

Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

3pm Seaso

n of Jo

y: Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Berean Church, Burnsville



Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

10

7pm Dublin

erOpen

Mic

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

11

5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul


Nye’s, Mpls

12



7:000p

m Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Kieren’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park


ce

9:30pm Two Tap

Trio

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

13

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Sim

ple Gifts with

Billy M

cLau

ghlin

and

Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

Param

ount, A

ustin

8pm The Tim

Malloys

Half Time Rec, S

t. Paul

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

14

7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Mem

orial A

ud., Worthington

8pm Boiled

in Lead Yule


aul

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Kieran’s Pub, Mpls

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill and Ginny

Johnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

15

7pm Rince Nua Irish Dan

ce:

Jingle Jig

Osseo HS, O

sseo

7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

STMA HS, S

t Michael

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Kieran’s Pub, Mpls

9


Irish Music &

Dance Association

23


Kieran’s Pub, M

pls



Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Marine on St Croix

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t Paul

24

25

Nollaig Sho

na Daoibh

A Good Christm

as to

You

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill &

Ginny Jo

hnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul


Nye’s, Mpls

26



7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park


cing

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

27

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls


e Half Time Rec, S

t Paul

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

28

98pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

O’Donovan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm St Dominic’s Trio

Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

29

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

O’Donovan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm St Dominic’s Trio

Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

30


Kieran’s Pub, M

pls

3pm Traditional Singers Club

W A Frost, S

t Paul



Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

31

1 Athbhliain Fwoi M

haise

Hap

py New

Year!


Nye’s, Mpls

2 7pm Traditional Irish Session


77:30p

m Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park


ce

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

3 6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

4 8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

5 2pm First Saturday Ceili

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

16


Kieran’s Pub, M

pls



Session

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

6pm “Celtic Christmas” with

Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

Plymouth Covenant, Plymouth

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm W

ild Colonial B

hoys

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

17

7pm 3rd Monday Pub

Singing

Merlins Rest, Mpls

18

5:30pm Irish Hour

Merlins Pub

7:30pm Sim

ple Gifts

with Billy McL

aughlin

an

d Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

Arts Center, Lakeville

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls


Nye’s, Mpls

19



7:30pm Set Dan

ce Lesso

ns


pls

7:30pm Pub Quiz

Merlins Rest, Mpls

8pm Pub Quiz

Kip’s Pub, S

t Louis Park


cing

9:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

n

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

20

6:30pm Pub Quiz

8pm Pub Quiz

Keegan’s Pub, M

pls

7:30pm Sim

ple Gifts with

Billy M

cLau

ghlin

and

Lau

ra M

acKen

zie

Marine on St Croix


e Half Time Rec, S

t Paul

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

21

7pm Rince na Chroi Dan

cers

Maplewood Mall, Maplewood

7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Marine on St Croix

7:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

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tillwater

8pm Celtic Session

Merlins Rest, Mpls

9:30pm Live Music

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

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7:30pm Sim


McL

aughlin and Lau

ra

MacKen

zie

Marine on St Croix

7:30pm Tom Dah

ill & Ginny

Johnso

n


tillwater

7:30pm Katie M

cMah

on’s Celtic

Christmas

O’Shaughnessy, S

t Paul

9:30pm Pad

dy Wag

on

Dubliner Pub, S

t. Paul

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Irish Music &

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Northwoods Songs: Irish Songs from Lumberjacks and Great Lakes Sailors By Brian Miller

My research has been primarily in songs that were collected from men (and some women) who lived in the

white pine region that stretched from New Brunswick, Canada west through northern Minnesota/northern

Ontario. There was a whole culture of singing in lumber camps and on Great Lakes ships throughout the

1800s that was hugely influenced by the Irish ballad tradition and celebrated much of the Irish ballad

repertoire while also adding new North American songs based on the old ones. Lots of the singers were Irish

too. In the Midwest it was mainly second-generation guys - children of famine immigrants in many cases.

That's the stuff I plan on drawing on for the series. And there's a lot of it! Once you include Wisconsin,

Ontario, Michigan, Upstate New York, Maine and New Brunswick there are piles of great songs out there.

THE FALLING OF THE PINE

Come, all young men a-wanting of courage bold undaunted, Repair unto the shanties before your youth’s decline, For spectators they will ponder and gaze on you with wonder, For your noise exceeds the thunder in the falling of the pine. The shanty is our station and lumbering our occupation, Where each man has his station, some for to score and line, It is nine foot of a block we will bust at every knock, And the wolves and bears we’ll shock at the falling of the pine.

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Irish Music &

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When the day it is a-breaking from our slumbers we’re awakened, Breakfast being over, our axes we will grind, Into the woods we do advance where our axes sharp do glance, And like brothers we commence for to fall the stately pine. For it’s to our work we go through the cold and stormy snow, And it’s there we labor gayly till bright Phoebus does not shine; Then to the shanties we’ll go in and songs of love we’ll sing, And we’ll make the valleys ring at the falling of the pine. When the weather it grows colder, like lions we’re more bolder, And while this forms grief for others, it’s but the least of mine, For the frost and snow so keen, it can never keep us in, It can never keep us in from the falling of the pine. When the snow is all diminished and our shanty work all finished, Banished we are all for a little time, And then far apart we’re scattered until the booms are gathered, Until the booms are gathered into handsome rafts of pine. When we get to Quebec, oh, me boys, we’ll not forget, And our whistles we will wet with some brandy and good wine; With fair maidens we will boast till our money is all used, And, my boys, we’ll ne’er refuse to go back and fall the pine.

In 1922, Minnesota singer Mike Dean printed his version of this song (text only) in his songster The Flying Cloud along with the subtitle “Square Timber Logging.” The next year, he sang it for collector Franz Rickaby who transcribed Dean’s melody and noted the singer’s story behind the song. Dean said the song came from the Georgian Bay region of Ontario and dated back to a time (pre-1870) when “shanty boys” squared off the logs in the woods by axe* before binding them into rafts and driving them down river to Quebec City. From Quebec, the timber was often shipped out the St. Lawrence Seaway and over the ocean to Liverpool. Collectors who found other versions of The

Falling of the Pine (in Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario) noted that it is likely one of the oldest songs to come out of the lumber camp tradition and that it may date to as early as 1825. A fragment collected in Ontario begins, interestingly, “your Irish hearts are wanton.” The melody above comes not from Rickaby’s 1923 transcription but from my own 2012 transcription based on the recently discovered 1924 recording of Dean’s singing made by Robert Winslow Gordon. Dean’s melody on the Gordon recording is considerably different from Rickaby’s transcription taken down just 14 months previous! Part of the reason is likely some bias in Rickaby’s assumptions about what the “right” notes were. Dean’s singing on the Gordon recording also shows him using a lot of melodic variation between different performances of the same song (two songs were recorded twice on the Gordon cylinders) in addition to quite a bit of melodic variation between verses within songs—a hallmark of a great traditional singer. Transcription note: Dean, like many traditional singers, makes occasional use of “in between” notes and I mark two of his slightly raised pitches with arrows in the above transcription. *“Scoring” and “lining” were part of the squaring process. You can read Northwoods Songs online at www.evergreentrad.com/northwoods-songs

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Irish Music &

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An LeabhragánAn LeabhragánAn LeabhragánAn Leabhragán (The Bookcase)

Dear Friends, It's been great fun reviewing books for you in 2012. For the last column of this year, I will diverge from my usual reviewing practice to give you a personal selection of holiday picks, all chosen from books I found at Irish on Grand (as of late November; in some cases there was only one copy on the shelf, so check in with Liam and Maeve if you have your heart set on a particular title). Here is a way to buy Irish AND shop local. Irish on Grand is known for its lovely jewelry, food, crystal, dance and music items and other gifts, but don't overlook the chance to buy books you simply cannot find anywhere else in the area. Herewith a few of my favorite things (please note; this is just a fraction of their book offerings): Cookbooks ♣ A Simply Delicious Christmas by Darina Allen (RTE Pubns); $14.95 Great seasonal Irish recipes. ♣ The Ballymaloe Cookbook by Myrtle Allen. The local-food phenom restaurant that started an Irish

revolution in cooking back in the 1990s. $22.95, Gill & MacMillan Pubns. Young Adult Fiction ♣ The New Policeman by Kate Thompson, already a classic. Fairies, music, the shrinking of time; great for

any age over ten, even (or especially!) adults. Random House, $22.95 ♣ Thicker Than Water: Coming of Age Stories by Irish and Irish American Writers. edited by Gordon

Snell; Delacorte Press, $17.95 Mystery/Suspense ♣ The False Mermaid, Lake of Sorrows, Haunted Ground-- collect the whole set, all by our very own Saint

Paul writer Erin Hart. Murders both ancient and modern, in Ireland and Minnesota. Scribners Press, $15.95 each

Kids' Picture Book ♣ Samson's Titanic Journey by Lauren Graham and Roisin Mathews, O'Donnell Press ♣ Lazy Cat, Crazy Cat by Mel Fisher and Delphine Thomas , O'Donnell Press, $22.95 Mythology and Stories ♣ Early Irish Myths and Sagas ed. Jeffrey Gantz, Penguin paperbacks, $15.00. So comprehensive that

Daithi Sproule uses it in his classes in Irish mythology.

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Irish Music &

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Music ♣ O'Neill's Music of Ireland ed. by Miles Krassen; $34.95, Oak Press. The in-print classic collection of

tunes collected in the late 1880s by Francis O'Neill, Chicago police captain ♣ The Irish Fiddle Book ed. by Matt Cranitch, Ossian Press, $34.95. A new classic collection of tunes ♣ Celtic Women in Music by Mairead O'Sullivan, Quarry Music Press, $16.95. Move over, guys! The

women are making a noise, and what a gorgeous one it is. Memoir ♣ Beat the Goatskin Till the Goat Cries: Notes From a Kerry Village by Gabriel Fitzmaurice. Mercier

Press, $19.95 memoirs of a famous Irish poet ♣ To School Through the Fields by Alice Taylor, Brandon Press, $14.95. OK, it may be fiction, it may be

memoir, but it's a great look back at the Way We Were in Ireland. Miscellaneous ♣ Whiskey and Wisdom: A Watercolour Journey through Irish Sayings and Proverbs by France Austin

Miller and Yvonne Foster, Red Sable Press (Bayfield WI) $14.95. A gorgeous little illustrated book with charming paintings illustrating Irish wit and wisdom. This is just a tiny selection of the literary treasures I found at Irish on Grand. It was hard to choose!

Check out http://www.irishongrand.com/ for more ideas,

or visit Maeve and Liam at Irish on Grand,

1142 Grand Avenue in Saint Paul for more great gifts.

Happy Reading, Happy Holidays! See you here in the New Year----and Cheers, Sherry Ladig, your frequent contributor to this column

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�eili �orner By Bhloscaidh O’Keane First Saturday Afternoon Céilí - Dubliner Pub, 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul, from 2:00 to 5:00. The suggested donation is $2.00 per person. The dances are taught and called by Paul McCluskey. First Saturday Night Set Dancing Céilí - The Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave., No, St. Paul. Third Saturday Night Céilí - The Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave., No, St. Paul. Irish Dance Classes: Céilí Dancing - Wednesday Nights Dubliner Irish Pub - 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul. Learn Irish dancing in a genuine Irish pub with a wooden floor that has known a whole lot of dancing feet. Steps and dances are taught by Paul McCluskey, Súin Swann, and Kirsten Koehler. Basic beginning steps are taught beginning at 7:30, with advanced lessons and dancing continuing until 9:30 PM. Year-round; no children, and must be of legal drinking age. Free. Set Dancing - Wednesday Nights Tapestry Folk Dance Center - 3748 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. This class is taught by Tim McAndrews and runs as an eight week course starting on March 7. The cost is $40 per person for eight weeks. The class runs from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.

The Center for Irish Music

Come check us out at

The Celtic Junction 836 Prior Avenue, St Paul MN

Please check the website for information on

our full range of instruction in traditional Irish music, language , culture and fun.

For class schedule and other information call or email 651-815-0083 [email protected]

Or visit our website

www.centerforirishmusic.org

Dedicated to Handing Down the Tradition

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Irish Music &

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Just tear out the above form and send it with a check made out to “IMDA” to: The IMDA Membership Coordinator c/o Jan Casey 400 Macalester St. St. Paul, MN 55105

Name: Today’s Date:

Address:

Membership Type:

New? Gift? Renewal? Corporate? Family?

Interests:

(Mark all that apply)

Music

Dance Theatre Gaelic Volunteer

Where did you hear about the IMDA Newsletter?

IMDA Membership Want to know what’s going on in the local Irish scene? Interested in music, dance, theatre and culture? Be the first on your

block to subscribe to the IMDA Newsletter. It’s a mere $20 for an annual individual membership and $25 for a family membership. Sign up yourself or sign up a friend, but whatever you do, support your local artists!

Phone Number:

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We will send your monthly newsletter electronically via e-mail unless you would prefer to have it mailed. _____ Prefer US Mail.

Smidirini* By Copper Shannon (*Irish for ‘Bits and Pieces’)

♣ Comhghairdeas léi (Congratulations to) our own Lisa Conway, IMDA President, who has been named

Distinguished Irish Woman 2013 by the St. Paul St. Patrick’s Association, your host’s for the St. Patrick’s

Day Parade. Each year, the Association names a woman who has done outstanding work in her field and in the community. Jim Brooks, MC for IMDA Honors Kieran Folliard, announced the award at that event – citing Lisa’s extensive work with IMDA over the years: creating the IMDA website and logo, helping to establish the IMDA “brand” and leading IMDA to expand our St. Patrick’s Day festivities with the Day of Irish Dance. Those who work with Lisa know that’s just a part of what she’s done. Maith

sibh! (Good on you!)

♣ Go raibh mile maith agat (Thank you) to Finnegan’s for their donation of Finnegan’s Irish Amber to help with the celebration at IMDA Honors Kieran Folliard on Nov. 24. It was a grand celebration all together!

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Irish Music &

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