Who's going to the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil?

[Kathy DeAngelo]

The date for the Mid-Atlantic regional Fleadh Cheoil has been moved from June up to April 12-13. It's taking place again up in Pearl River NY.
http://ccenorthamerica.infosaic12.com/Sites/Fleadh/MidAtlanticFleadh/

I'm just wondering who's going up there from this area. The Delaware Valley has been well represented in the last few years.

I have a number of students who are going to do the harp competition. How about it teachers--which of your students are going? what instrument or category? Anybody want to weigh in on whether they're participating?

[Jeff Meade]

I'd like to go, but I mostly stink these days. My playing, that is. Personally, I'm sweet as I ever was. If I can get some practice in, and maybe Dave Hanson or Tim Hill to beat me up now and again, I'd give 'er a shot. It was a pretty cool experience a couple of years ago, especially with Dennis tootling along on the flute. (Is it irreverent to refer to what Dennis does as "tootling?") Thanks to years of competing in pipe bands, I have precisely no fear. That's never been my issue. Even in Letterkenny ... I might have been the only drummer smiling like an idiot. (Ask the Elys.) I was really having fun. Seems to me there ought to be some Comhaltas-organized workshops to prepare anyone who plans on competing in NY or Ireland to teach them some of that idiocy. Bring in some folks who have done it before to help out. Most of the other musicians I heard in Pearl River knew how to play. In the hallway before they went in to complete, they played beautifully. But competing is a really different skill.

[Kathy DeAngelo]

Is your daughter doing the harp competition? I have a bunch of harp students going up--just trying to prep them now.

[Jeff Meade]

She's not the competition type. She plays mainly just for herself. Very internal.

[Mary Malone]

Hi, Jeff,

There is a guy who comes to The Shanachie with a bodhran the size of a trash can lid, and it sounds like one too. He also brings his banjo (too loud) and sings green beer songs while accompanying himself on the guitar (no, I don't mean Gerry.) Anyway, nothing deters this guy, so I think it would be pretty easy to convince him to compete in the Fleadh - and there would be no need for idiocy training in this case. I guess it all depends on how we want DV Comhaltas represented :)

Regards,
Mary

[Jeff Meade]

Oooooh. Do you really want that? I expect not. As things stand, you don't want him at the session. Inflicting him upon the Fleadh is doubly bad. I go back to what I mentioned a bit earlier. I think it would be a useful exercise to set up Fleadh training. Not just encourage people to compete, but show them a bit how to play under pressure. Tell them what to expect. Give them some tips from personal experience. (I wouldn't include me, by the way. I've only competed once. I'm a relative Fleadh virgin.) But it seems to me, if we're serious about improving the quality of the competitors from the Delaware Valley, it's sensible to invest some time in bringing on the new talent. BTW, the last time I was at Shanachie--months ago, I bet--I was going to play, except there was dude banging tenor drum mallets on a snare drum with the snares turned off. Please tell me he hasn't come back. I thought someone was gonna slaughter the guy. Talk about oblivious.

[Mary Malone]

Seriously, Jeff, I *do* think that it is a great idea to encourage new talent from the DV to compete and it is a great idea to invest in them - and not for purely altruistic reasons. I am hoping that if I am fortunate enough to still be coming out to sessions like our own Comhaltas icon himself, Kevin McGillian, that I have some great musicians to play with.
By the way, I truely think that the guy with the snare drum came out to The Shanachie on a dare. Probably, part of the dare was to see how long it would be before someone told him that it wasn't the pipe and drum corps. And we are all so damn nice, that he got a good couple hours of drumming in that night.

[Caitlin Finley]

I'll be there.

[Dan McHugh]

Good luck to those who are!