23/010 Irish Music in Northern Greece

Angelochori 16th September. It is an unusual venue. It is called The Salt Flat Guardhouse, Το Σπίτι του Φύλακα της Αλυκής. When we played there in 2021 and 2022, the house was in a state of disrepair. Part of the roof had caved in, and one entered at one’s own risk. The Cultural Association stages... Continue Reading →

23/007 Irish Music in Northern Greece

9th July 2023. Our depleted numbers assembled to celebrate the Dubliner’s 8th birthday. It’s amazing what Ken, the owner, has come through from bureaucratic tribulations to Covid. Yet the bar is still there. Our April/May/June playlist did an additional month’s service, but I have finally given it a rest. A couple of days after the... Continue Reading →

23/006 Irish Music in Northern Greece

As I write, the Athens Irish Festival is underway. No-one up in the wild north received an invitation. Not that that’s a problem in itself; it is the "Athens" Irish Festival, after all. The clue is in the name, as they say. However, what annoys me – apart from the mad story-telling banshee opening the... Continue Reading →

23/004 Irish Music in Northern Greece

Only in Greece! How can a small mountain town of 14,000 inhabitants host a 4- or 5-day St. Patrick’s festival? Well, Grevena manages it, and it is a commercial and artistic success. We set off at 10:30am on Saturday, 18th March, our destination a restaurant called Marmita in a village called Megalo Sirini (Μεγάλο Σειρήνι)... Continue Reading →

23/003 Irish Music in Northern Greece

Looking forward to our session next Sunday, 12th March. I will need to send a reminder out to the troops. A group of us have begun practising in earnest for a gig on 19th. We are meeting in a tiny theatre called Nemesis – a name that doesn’t augur well! Tuesdays and Thursdays up to... Continue Reading →

23/001 Irish Music in Northern Greece

14th January. A week ago about seven of us met here for cheese, mulled wine and a run-through of the sets for tomorrow’s session. We were not at our best, so I hope all goes well tomorrow. When we were using Zoom to practice during lockdown, we used YouTube clips converted to mp3s. These were... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 22/2022

On Sunday, 11th December, we had our last session of 2022. Ten of us were there. Personally, being a fiddler, I missed the other violins, but we delivered the full program. I change the music every two months, usually adding around five new items, but with Christmas and New Year coming up, I will recycle... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 20/2022

24th October. A great afternoon in the Dubliner yesterday where Tir Fada played their first gig in quite a while. They were on form, the audience appreciative, the pub full, and I overdid it with draught Lagunitas, a Californian IPA. I’m suffering today. Practice continues to be a problem for the same reasons expressed in... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 19/2022

On Tuesday 20th September, five of us plus our injured guitarist met in the Dirty Glass. The previous practice was intended as a run-through of new items for the monthly session in the Dubliner. This practice was more band oriented and more organised in that it was our first effort in a while during which... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 17/2022

Yesterday we assembled at the Dirty Glass to shake off the summer torpor and prepare for this Sunday’s session. And we were rusty!Fortunately, as only a few practice items were chosen, we had time to repeat them and pick up speed. Present were Vasilis (guitar), Petros (injured guitarist), Giannis (accordion), Gregory (standard & low whistles),... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 16/22

Nothing is happening in the Irish music scene right now. The summer slump. I have made myself busy by downloading and editing ABCs. My latest set is two 3-part reels, Mayor Harrison’s Fedora and The Cup of Tea. This will be included in the November-December playlist once one of my pals makes sure the chords... Continue Reading →

Irish Music in Northern Greece 15/2022

The musicians: Kate, Panos, Gregory, Andy, Anna, Evridiki, Luke, Petros, Kathleen, Vasilis, Robert We were locked down in January but from February to July we have manged to hold very successful sessions. Last night, 4th August, was different; we did a gig. We were well received in the Σπίτι του Φύλακα in Angelohori. About 200... Continue Reading →

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