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 21/2022
The scheduled practice for Wednesday, 9th Nov had to be cancelled because the pub had some event booked. Plan B – to go to someone’s house – was rendered impossible by a 24-hour strike, so there were no buses or taxis on Wednesday. We like to use practices before sessions for a combination of band... 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 18/2022
Our monthly sessions resumed yesterday, 11th September, after our break in August. There was a fair bit of new material in the playlist, but we coped very well. Some of the musicians brought friends and family to the pub – a captive audience – but we also went down well with a group of Russians... 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 →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 14/2022
Lawrence (GDAE-tuned uke), Tikitu (mandola), Jaqui (harp), Giannis (accordion), young Giannis (σαντούρι - Greek hammer dulcimer), Kostas (βιολόλυρα - a GDAE-tuned Cretan lyre) and Apostolos (Irish bouzouki) 8th July. We finally met Jaqui and Lawrence in person. They are the couple, resident in Malta, who organised sanity-saving online sessions during lockdown. We ate at Kathleen’s... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 13/2022
19th June 22. Midday. I have just posted LinNG 13/22, and now I am contemplating this afternoon’s session. How many will show up? To be honest, although we have always had a reasonable turn-out, I find the anticipation a bit stressful. This should be the last session as we are taking a break in July... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 12/2022
May has finished on a high. We got together last Wednesday, 25th May, in the Dirty Glass, to practise the Athens session set. To speed maters up we reduced the repetitions and flew through the set in no time. Then the madness began. Seven of us committed ourselves to playing in the inaugural Athens Irish... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 11/2022
We had our 7th monthly session on Sunday 8th May. It should have been our eighth, but January’s was cancelled because of an upsurge in Covid numbers. We had fewer players than usual, but I am pleased about the way it went. The music festival in Athens is turning into a three-day event. We should... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 10/2022
Finding a practice venue is a perennial problem. Some people are reluctant to have seven or eight unrelated people in their homes as Covid is still an issue. One or two want to practise in the open air out of similar concerns. Unfortunately, April has been a surprisingly cold month. On Thursday we gathered in... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 09/2022
11th April 2022: Yesterday’s session was a little different. We started 30 minutes earlier to accommodate a live YouTube broadcast from the Ukraine. Jolly’s Irish Music Band are based in Odessa. Their income is now near zero as they cannot perform, so they are trying to earn some money by doing YouTube broadcasts. The manager... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 08/2022
4th April 2022. The notice has gone out for next Sunday’s session in the Dubliner. On Saturday we met at the home of our newly found mandola player for a band practice. The home lies on the outskirts of a village called Triadi. You might be wondering how a village can have outskirts, but that... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 07/2022
The adventure continues. A week and a half of success. Our session on Sunday 13th March went very well with 15 musicians turning up. We returned to the Dubliner on Thursday 17th March for the St. Patrick’s party and to hear Tir Fada. They were really on form as were the blues band that followed... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 06/2022
The Dubliner’s website has been updated. Our next session is being advertised so we are getting ready for Sunday 13th March. I have talked previously about Grevena’s St. Patrick’s Festival and its cancellation in 2020 and 2021. It will not receive any support this year either, but I have been asked to organise a session... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 05/2022
Our fourth session got underway on Sunday 13th February. Another enjoyable afternoon in a wonderfully busy pub. Great to have been there. Next one up is 13th March, the St. Patrick’s session. Ken, the manager, has also arranged a party for the day itself, the 17th. Currently, I am reading Mark Mazower’s The Greek Revolution... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 04/2022
A quiet period. Our last scheduled practice had to be cancelled and rescheduling was not possible. However, music is back so our next session will take place on Sunday, 13th February at 4:30pm. Let’s hope it goes well. The problem with a session is the “unknown”. Who will turn up? How many? What time? We... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 03/2022
Some very sad news. A young Irish primary school teacher was murdered while jogging on the banks of the Royal Canal near Tullamore. Her name was Ashling Murphy. She was only 23 years old. Ashling was one of us, an accomplished fiddler. Here she is when she must have been a very young teenager. You... Continue Reading →