I want to start this week by extending a massive, massive congratulations to Amy Schoch on the success of this year’s Catskill Irish Arts Week! In a stunning return to pre-pandemic form, the week she put together in her first year as CIAW director yielded an energy and spirit I’ve not seen for a good while now. She attracted a fabulous staff and used it to design a high-quality program that led to increased enrollment and a series of concerts, lectures, and ceilis that were well attended and extremely enjoyable. All the sessions I took part in had a good vibe and I saw nothing but miles of smiles all around. It was a very successful week of music.
Particularly successful was the revitalized children’s program. Thirty two children participated, which is an outstanding number. By all accounts, the kids had an enriching experience, and of course, having them in class during the day meant that the parents could take classes themselves. The instrument diagnostic clinics were also a new addition, for which I think everyone was thankful. There was a particular buzz among the banjo players for Dan Shingler’s (https://tradbanjo.com/) workshop, so I imagine the same could be said for the other workshops.
I’m sure that when the 2026 CIAW port-mortem take place, Schoch and her team will probably find little things they’ll want to improve on for next year, but I was really impressed by the overall effort. It appeared that the things that went right vastly outnumbered those that didn’t, which means for now they can rest easy knowing that they made a great week happen. Kudos all around – can’t wait to see what they’ll do for next year! To learn more, visit the Catskills Irish Arts Week Website is here.
By the way, I was up there during the week to give a lecture about the Flanagan Brothers, with musical help from Diarmuid Ó Meachair and Brendan Dolan, and with the support of the Michael A. Flanagan Irish Music Heritage Inc. (https://flanaganfamilymusic.com/), who sponsored one of the week’s concerts. I also spent a day with the “Mind Yourself: The Mick Moloney Story” production team (https://www.mickmoloneyfilm.com/) interviewing more folks for the documentary. I’m happy to report both endeavors were successful!
In other festivals-with-a-New-York-angle news: the Brendan and Martin Mulvihill Traditional Music Week will take place this year, Oct. 27-31, in Glin, Co. Kerry. A celebration of West Limerick music, heritage and culture, the Mulvihill week honors Brendan and Martin Mulvihill, two important musicians who lived in the Bronx and had a profound influence on the development of traditional Irish music in America.
Martin was, of course, a fabulous player, but he was also one of the great New York teachers, a man whose work in that area influenced three generations of musicians, yielded innumerable All-Ireland awards and led him to be named a National Heritage Fellow, the highest award the U.S. government gives to practitioners of the traditional arts. He had many very highly regarded students, with his most successful was the great Eileen Ivers.
Martin’s son Brendan was one of the greatest fiddlers America has produced. A member of seminal group the Irish Tradition (with Billy McComiskey and Andy O’Brien), he won numerous All-Ireland awards, had several solo albums to his credit, and was a major force in rooting traditional music in the Washington DC/Baltimore area. He died suddenly in late 2024, a shock to the traditional music world.
The Mulvihill Week will include all sorts of truly enriching events. There’ll be workshops for adults and children, ceilis, and the Brendan and Martin Mulvihill Legacy Fiddle Competition, which includes cash awards for the top three who place. Further, one of the big draws will be concerts featuring folks like Pa Foley, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Derek Hickey, Billy McComiskey, Donna Long, Billy Keane, the Devane Family, Jonathan Kelliher, Shannon Dunne, Laoise Kelly, Jesse Smith, Willie & Siobhan Kelly, Gerald Culhane, Matthew Reidy, Patsy Broderick, Joe O'Sullivan, Emily Martin, Josh Henderson, Elora Martin, Cleek Schrey, Caatherine McEvoy, and Patsy Maloney.
And if this wasn’t enough Mulvihill for you, you’ll be interested in knowing that Smithsonian Folkways have re-released Martin's album “Humours of Glin” (with Gabriel Fitzmaurice and Donal Sullivan) and the album Brendan did with Donna Long called “The Steeplechase.” These, in addition to their reissue of The Irish Tradition’s eponymous debut album late last year. All sorts of great stuff all around! You can buy these albums at https://folkways.si.edu/.
Lots of Mulvihill stuff all around! The Mulvihill Week looks like it’s going to be a superb event and one that should be on all of our radars. For more information about ticketing and events, visit here.
