They’re here ! – The Fiddlers !

It would take the bees to give us an apt description of the atmosphere here in Castleisland last night. Yes, you guessed , it was buzzing.

At the River Island Hotel, from shortly after 7-30pm, it was a case of standing room only as raging hot favorites, Nora Fealey and Paddy White waltzed away with the most talked about dancing title since the demise of the Fleadh Cheoil. The Strictly Come Dancing idea is one that will stick itself to the must do-it-again wall and its outright success stands as a great credit to those who adapted it for a local audience. Much more later on this…
Then, the fiddlers and musicians began to appear and gather next door at Browne’s Bar. The excitement mounted as resin was rubbed on bows that wouldn’t see a string for an hour or two. It’s a matter of habit. So too, over the past three years, is a gathering photograph of the early arrivals for the Kerry adaptation of World Fiddle Day.

That posed for and done and dusted by an obliging group of musicians from throughout Ireland and the USA, the bows got another rub of resin – out of habit – and they were away to up the bar in Browne’s and some to Tom McCarthy’s. Up to 20 musicians in both houses had them lifting with a summer-time atmosphere which hasn’t been seen here for a while.

I went off to Glountane this morning with PJ Teahan and the O’Connor family from Dublin as guests. We went over to show them Patrick O’Keeffe’s haunts, house and school and we took the photographs you see here and more.

There is a great air of excitement about today’s World Fiddle Day programme of events about to unfold in Scartaglin from now till closing time. Lift-off there is due from 1-30pm onwards.
The link to view the full programme of events is right here: http://www.mainevalleypost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/poster.jpg