Archived25-Oct-10 : Follow the Irish Sea Sessions on Wordpress.com
Sea sessions

The Irish Sea Sessions 2010 took place in Liverpool 20 – 22 October, produced and presented by Liverpool Philharmonic as part of Liverpool Irish Festival. We will bring you the story here over coming weeks, along with access to images, audio and video of the project in due course, as well as news on the Irish Sea Sessions 2011.

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Archived23-Oct-10 : The Irish Sea Sessions Review

The inaugural Irish Sea Sessions Review

From Liverpool Confidential

History was made on a frenzied Friday night. Lew Baxter was among the witnesses

Date Published: 24/10/2010 23:09:47

 

 

WE'D been treated to about 20 minutes of scorching traditional Irish music and a couple of heartfelt songs, including the Gaelic 'Fear a Bhata' by Dublin's Niamh Parsons, which were already turning the evening feral.

Then, as the ten players and four singers launched into the chorus of that shanty favourite, Yaller Girls, my mate muttered that it was about time they'd got stuck into the maritime stuff.

I swear people were shedding tears of joy in that audience - while the hollers and whoops accompanied ferociously played traditional tunes that triggered both legs to jiggle uncontrollably, and forced hundreds of feet to tap like a flock of manic woodpeckers

Later he confessed that he misjudged the emphasis of the title "Irish Sea Sessions", thinking ships and saucy, swaggering sailors, as opposed to melodious links across the water to the Emerald Isle, which was the inaugural thrash for a spectacular gathering of singers, storytellers and musicians.

Those who packed the Philharmonic Hall for this truly trail-blazing gig will preen for years to come that they were at the first of the "Sessions", which will surely become a regular feature of the Liverpool Irish Festival, and maybe elsewhere.

The collaboration was the vision of the Phil's Simon Glinn, the mainstay of Liverpool's celebration of the city's Irish heritage, now in its eighth year. In truth, it is not a new concept with Glasgow's Celtic Connections featuring such line-ups; and the ceilidh mood could have been lifted from raucous nights in Dublin's Brazen Head pub or Liverpool's once equally anarchic Atlantic on the Dock Road.

But it was still a stonker of an idea. It was, I mused, rather opportune that the Liverpool Confidential editor had come upon this gig at the last minute, as the publicity for the festival itself was like a leprechaun - fanciful and mostly hidden.

In a concert hall setting - perhaps a risky option for such a riotous assembly - we had the emotional delivery of balladeers like Liverpool's Lizzie Nunnery - an award-winning playwright who can also pen songs of raw energy such as England Loves A Poor Boy With A Gun – and Ian Prowse, front man for Amsterdam, whose Does This Train Stop on Merseyside? kicked off this grand tribute to Liverpool Irish bonds.

The link between the singers and solo instrumentalists, who individually can set the seat of your pants on fire, was the bassist Bernard O'Neill whose musical pedigree includes a role as musical director for Rolf Harris.

Singer Damien Dempsey's compositions are incandescent with social polemic as befits a man from Dublin's Northside, while Alan Burke has a repertoire of Gaelic and contemporary songs that almost ranks alongside those of Niamh Parsons, rightly hailed as one of the inspirational singers of Irish music.

Later - and while clutches of bewitched punters were still howling for more inside - we spied her bowling along to an after show party at the Hope Street Hotel and exchanged a few pleasantries in the street, ending in a sycophantic senior moment with me revealing that I had several of her records. With a cheery wave and a hearty chuckle, she said that she didn't mind; I could keep them, she had plenty.

The show was a melange of similar banter, rattling roaring jigs and reels and songs such as Bootle born Stan Kelly's I Wish I Was Back in Liverpool - which, years back, used to lift the ceilings in the back room of Ye Cracke - along with the tongue tripping Rocky Road to Dublin.


I swear people were shedding tears of joy in that audience - while the hollers and whoops accompanied ferociously played traditional tunes that triggered both legs to jiggle uncontrollably, and forced hundreds of feet to tap like a flock of manic woodpeckers.

There were quieter moments that embraced sheer pleasure as Northern Ireland flautist Eimear McGeown hushed the furies and then lifted our spirits once again by dueting with Liverpool's very own 'pied piper', Terry Coyne, who, as a former member of Garva and along with his family, is the essence of the city's Irish traditional music scene.

And even the bodhran playing of Gino Lupari had a soothing effect, although he can shift up four or five gears like the rest of them when required.

They were complemented by four other musicians in whose wake comets might trail: the astonishing Uilleann piper Becky Taylor - one of a handful of women exponents of the Irish pipes that historically lulled sheep to slumber - fired the blood to fever pitch as she joined with pianist and button accordion genius David Munnelly, forging a remarkable alliance with the fiery accordion of Kerry's Collette O'Leary, while Carlene Anglim's fiddle danced fine skittering tunes with them all.

Frankly, the pace and power was exhausting for the audience, never mind the performers and the penultimate number was a relentless instrumental that drove the audience to its feet on a journey that picked up a speed and frenzy that was literally breathtaking.

It was just as well - for those with weak tickers - that the evening calmed down and ended with the traditional sailors' lament, The Leaving of Liverpool, although some folk were again awash with tears. It was actually a session and a half. Fair play to ye all.

15/10 (honest).

* The Liverpool Irish Festival continues until Sunday October 31st.


Archived23-Oct-10 : The Irish Sea Sessions
End of day photo at the rehearsals for the Irish Sea Sessions

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Hope Street
22 October 2010 - 19:30

Bernard O'Neill, Terry Coyne, Ian Prowse, Becky Taylor, Carlene Anglim, Colette O'Leary, Eimear McGeown, Niamh Parsons, Graham Dunne, Gino Lupari, Dave Munnelly, Damien Dempsey, Alan Burke, Lizzie Nunnery

The inaugural Irish Sea Sessions is part super group, part colossal session and part festival, all in a single gig. A mass rank of exceptional musicians from Liverpool and Ireland will unite on one stage to enjoy the musical connections between the city, the island it looks out to across the waves, and those who pass through Liverpool en route to, or from, Ireland.

This huge project not only brings together a wealth of music, talent and skills, but people too, musicians and audiences from both sides of the Irish Sea coming together to celebrate their shared roots and music. 14 musicians sharing equal billing will spend the days leading up to the Irish Sea Sessions in the city, creating new arrangements of traditional tunes and each-other's songs, and presenting them here in session format but filling the stage of the concert hall. Guitars, flutes, pipes, singers, fiddles, bodhran, whistles and some of the most exciting musicianship you'll see, will combine to revel in the special bond between Liverpool and Ireland and the music that is so much part of both their identities.

Reviews of the show can be read here, and here, and here, and here!


Archived01-Nov-08 : Russian Update
Becky under a poster for the Aquarium concert in St. Petersburg, summer 2008 Well its been a busy and exciting second half to the year playing with Aquarium International.
This photo is of me on the street in St. Petersburg this summer underneath one of the posters for the concert with Aquarium and Fairport Convention.
More photos of the adventures with Aquarium can be found here

Photo by J. Mooney

Archived12-May-08 : Launch gig live recordings on Phoenix FM and Drystone Radio
Live recordings from the Ireland Bridge CD launch gig including interviews with the band and others

First Broadcast this Sunday on Phoenix Fm 96.7FM or  http://www.phoenixfm.co.uk at 10.00am then as web feed on Drystone Radio http://www.drystoneradio.com on Friday 23rd May (It will be repeated several times over the summer as well.)

Archived14-Mar-08 : Sheffield Live!
Broadcast by Becky on Sheffield Live's 'thank goodness it's folk programme' Friday 14th March. 

Archived08-Mar-08 : Ireland Bridge Launch gig and Music Room Whistle Day, 12th April
Ireland Bridge CD

The Music Room Presents

'Whistle Day' &

Becky Taylor's 'Ireland Bridge' CD Launch

The Music Room, St.John's Works, St. John's Place,

Cleckheaton, West Yorks BD19 3RR Tel +44 (0) 1274 879768 

SATURDAY 12th APRIL 2008 

2.00-3.00pm - Beginners whistle workshop with Becky.

3.30-4.30pm - Improvers 'Technique Toolbox' with Becky.

5.00-6.15pm - Becky Taylor Band Ireland Bridge CD Launch with support by 'Heretique', fabulous French tunes featuring the Music Room's own 'Murray Grainger'.


6.15pm Join us for wine and nibbles to end the day.  

Workshop Information 

Workshops cost £10 each, with numbers limited to 10 participants for each session. (Observers are welcome to watch at a cost of £5).

Tickets include a free ticket to the launch party.

The beginners workshop is aimed at complete beginners who have never picked up a whistle before, and our aim is to get you playing a tune by the end of the workshop!

Improvers workshop will centre round the 'Technique Toolbox' more advanced techniques to elaborate and embellish your existing tunes and improve your whistle playing skills. 

Archived05-Mar-08 : Ireland Bridge available from iTunes
itunes Ireland Bridge is now available to download in full or by track from iTunes.com

Archived25-Feb-08 : Phoenix radio spot
Phoenix radio Becky will be doing an interview and playing some tracks from 'Ireland Bridge' on Phoenix Radio's Folk Music programme this Sunday morning, March 2nd, 10-12am. Please tune in and support us :)
Phoenix radio can be found on 96.7 FM and is Calderdale based, although you can listen live via the web http://www.phoenixfm.co.uk/phoenix_updates.htm

Archived13-Feb-08 : All Ireland Bridge Pre-orders sent out
Thanks to everyone that pre-ordered the Ireland Bridge CD. All pre-orders have been sent out so should be with you shortly. UK orders should arrive tomorrow and International ones should take 7-10 days I am informed by the post office.