Ceol na Coille Summer School and Trad Camp are celebrating our 10th Anniversary this year. We are looking forward to welcoming back friends from around the globe as well as new pupils. Mark your calendar 11-15 July, Letterkenny. One of the Highlights this year is our anniversary concert in collaboration with the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny who over the past 10 years have been a huge support of Ceol na Coille in all its events. We are delighted to welcome Dermot Byrne, Yvonne Casey and Steve Cooney on Thursday 15th to the RCC with support from Deirdre Scanlan. What better musicians to mark this major milestone in the success of Ceol na Coille Summer School. So come join us for a great week of workshops, masterclasses, recitals, sessions and concerts 11-15th July. www.ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool for more info.

Ceol na Coille/ Regional Cultural Centre Anniversary Concert

Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, Ceol na Coille Trad Summer School 2020 will not take place this year.
In these unprecedented times, the health and safety of students, tutors and the local community is of utmost concern. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but feel this is the correct action to be taken.
 Our dates for 2021 are 12th-16th July.
2021 will be our 10th anniversary year and with an even bigger ‘Jammed Packed’ program of events, we hope to welcome you all again.
 Take Care and Stay Safe

It seems like a lifetime ago now! Our encore set from launch of ‘Music From The White Stone’ in January 2020. With Roisin, Deirdre and Ella McGrory, Úna Ní Bhriain and Aobha Ní Aragáin.

Final details of the 9th Annual Ceol na Coille Summer School of Traditional Music in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, will be released over the next few days. This year again, another stellar line up of fantastic Tutors, Workshops, Recitals, Concerts and Sessions. To keep up to date, visit https://ceolnacoille.ie/

To get you in the mood……Here is a wee video of myself and the Legend Tim Edey with the opening set at the Launch of ‘Music From The White Stone’

Hi All. The dates for Ceol na Coille’s 9th Summer School of Traditional Music are set. A full list of tutors, recitals and gigs will be updated over the coming weeks. Feel free to check it out and put in your diary.

Delighted to welcome one of the most exceptional musicians in traditional music, Dermot Byrne as our box tutor this summer!

The winner of TG4’s Traditional Musician of the Year 2013 Byrne hails from Buncrana in the Inishowen peninsula, the most northerly part of Donegal, and has played accordion since a very young age, having learned from his father Tomás O’Beirn, who comes from Teileann area of South West Donegal.

Dermot had the good fortune to meet all the greats of Donegal music including Johnny Doherty, Con Cassidy, Tommy Peoples, Danny Meehan and many more, and they made a great impact on the young Dermot and helped him to develop a unique style. His seemingly effortless playing, combined with great subtlety, and a faultless ear, makes him one of the great accordion players of his generation.

Dermot guested on two Altan recordings, “The Red Crow” and “Island Angel” before joining the band in 1994, and was a member until 2013, during which time he recorded five further albums with them. He has played on collaborations with many great musicians including Seamus McGuire and Manus McGuire, Frankie Gavin, Pierre Schryer, Salsa Celtica and the late jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. His eponymous solo recording, which he has reissued recently, received great critical acclaim.

Book your place today!! https://ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool/

Innes Watson – Guitar

We’d like to offer a big welcome to our new guitar tutor for this year, Innes Watson of Scotland!

Growing up in the Scottish Borders with a range of influences and experiences, Innes is one if the most highly-regarded and sought-after musicians on the scene today. He is also much in demand as a teacher with both the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and various music schools and organisations across the country. Innes has been heavily involved in some of the most successful albums in Scottish Music over the last fifteen years and ‘MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards’ awarded him the title of “Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2011.

A composer of fiddle tunes, string arrangements, guitar music, songs and much more he is currently working on a whole host of exciting new projects including his “Guitar Colloquium” due to be released in the soon. Here he is playing on Striven Session with Undon Noodle

Don’t forget to book your place with Innes this year:
https://ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool/
And join us from 8th-12th July in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Oisin Morrison – Harp

We are very excited to welcome a new harp tutor to Ceol na Coille this year, the incredibly talented Mr. Oisín Morrison!

Oisín is also a renowned flute player and composer who has taught and performed extensively at festivals both at home and abroad. He has shared the stage with a whole host of distinguished musicians including Mick O’Brien, Téada, Steve Cooney, Peadar Ó Riada, Mikie Smyth and Zoe Conway.

Oisín has won numerous awards for his music including Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada and holds many Oireachtas and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann titles. He was also a Ad Astra Performing Arts scholar in UCD where he completed a first class Masters in Irish literature. His compositional work has been met with great acclaim and here he is performing some of his work from “Clann Lír”, performing beautifully alongside a string quartet!
Oisín Morrison Music

If you want the chance to learn from Oisín don’t forget to register here:
https://ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool/ For the Ceol na Coille Summer School: 8th-12th July, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Concertina Maestro – Cillian King

As we start revealing the wonderful summer school tutors we have in store for you for this July, we would like to welcome this year Concertina maestro Cillian King!

Limerick native King is currently one of the most in demand multi-instrumentalists in Ireland today. As well as being an accomplished concertina player, he is also proficient on guitars & keyboards and has toured the world with many acclaimed bands & artists including Ulaid and Duke Special, Ímar, Aldoc, Pauline Scanlon and Moxie. He is a member of both Notify and Atlas with whom he has released successful albums to critical acclaim.

Fond of a challenge, here he is tackling the daunting “Moto Perpetuo, Op.11” written by Niccolo Paganini! One for our concertina students to get practicing!

Don’t forget to register for this year’s summer school:
https://ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool/
8th-12th July in Letterkenny Co. Donegal

Hamish Napier & Jarlath Henderson

Two familiar and most welcome faces returning to teach at Ceol na Coille again this summer! First, on pipes we have Jarlath Henderson who will be returning to teach our advanced pipes class. Secondly on Piano, Hamish Napier will be joining us again this year!

The youngest ever musician to win the prestigious BBC Young Folk Award, Jarlath’s music has alwas been met with high acclaim! He has released several well-received albums with his duo partner Ross Ainslie Music as well as his solo album in 2015 not to mention a second solo album in the works. A three time All-Ireland champion by age 19, Henderson has gone on to perform alongside household names such as: Mike McGoldrick, Capercaillie, Paddy Keenan and Phil Cunningam.

Napier brings an eclectic musical heritage with him to Ceol na Coille. Deeply rooted in the music of his local Strathspey, Hamish went on to study Jazz Keyboard and composition at Berklee in the US. He is much sought after as a composer, performer and tutor and has released two incredibly successful solo albums to date with “The Woods” (his third solo effort) on the way.

Here are the boys in fine fettle at Ceolchoirm le Ceol na Coille last year performing one of Hamish’s compositions!
Hamish Napier Music

Book to join us this summer here:
https://ceolnacoille.ie/summerschool/
July 8th-12th, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Ceol na Coille Summer School 2019

8^th-12^th July

The Letterkenny based Ceol na Coille Summer School has quickly become one of the ‘must-visit’ weeks of traditional music in the calendar year and its reputation continues to grow.

Situated in the traditional stronghold of Donegal, visitors learn from the highest calibre of tutors in stunning surroundings. A harmonious mix of local and visiting tutors offer classes across a wide range of instruments at several levels. This year will see the likes of Paul O’Shaughnessy (fiddle), Jarlath Henderson (Uilleann Pipes), Hamish Napier (Piano), Dale McKay (Bodhrán) and Deirdre Scanlan (Traditional Singing) joined by a host of other tutors for flute, whistle, piano and button accordion, harp and guitar.

A family-friendly summer school with an emphasis on the Irish language, the school also offers: Trad Camp for kids, “An Club Gaelach”, Improver classes and Irish Language classes for adults.

For teachers, there’s a weeklong CPD course in traditional music approved by the Department of Education and Skills, delivered by Dr Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain of the Univeristy of Limerick.

Building on the success of last year’s diverse series of concerts and album launches, the summer school welcomes the addition of four new venues throughout the town as part of the extensive ‘session trail’ offering an opportunity to play with the finest visiting and local tutors.

In addition, there are fantastic, and free to public, afternoon recitals and concerts each day, making Ceol na Coille the place to be this July. Bígí ann!

For more information see: www.ceolnacoille.ie

Classes are back in Full swing here at Ceol na Coille. If interested in starting a new instrument or returning to music, there are a limited number of places still available. Feel free to get in touch