Galway Sessions

Posted June 11, 2012 by Robert in News

Galway Sessions 2012

11th-17th June

Introduction

Welcome one and all to the Galway Sessions 2012. The Sessions have been going from strength to strength, last year 2011 seeing record crowds in attendance.

The response to the programme on offer was fantastic and I am determined to maintain these high standards into the future.

Also going from strength to strength is the relationship with our friends from Stirling, Scotland. It is a great honour for me to bring some of the very best of our musicians and artists to Stirling for the
preceding week of the festival, 1 to 10 June to meet with their peers for a great week of music and fund.

Of course the Stirling Scots will again attend our festival in Galway for the week 11 to 17 June adding great colour and excitement to the streets, pubs and concert halls, as they have done for the
past number of years.
The Galway Sessions endeavours to celebrate our local traditions but also to explore how Irish Traditional Music has impacted on other cultures. To this end, this year’s festival features the very
best of musicians from the core of the tradition, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh, Patsy Broderick, Anne Conroy, Sean Maloney, Greg Cotter, Liam Lewis and Cormac Cannon alongside international acts
including the iconic Curtis Blackwell, lead singer with Bill Monroe’s pioneering bluegrass band and French band Lazik who present an exciting mix of Gypsy and Balkan folk music with Irish Trad. A
signifcant and important international population of musicians has grown in Galway over the past number of years and they have contributed greatly to the culture and vibrancy of the city. We will
celebrate this in this year’s festival. Watch out for G.I.R.O., F.U.M, Fling and Tradiohead who fuse trad with the songs of Radiohead – can’t wait to hear that!
There is also a great opportunity for audience participation with two great ceilis featuring the Tulla and the Kinlochard Ceili Bands as well as exhibition dancing from Norway and Scotland in the
Latin Quarter throughout the week.

I would like to sincerely thank Galway City Council, not only for their support of the festival but also for fostering and nurturing the growing relationship with Stirling. I’d also like to thank our
sponsors DIAGEO and the pubs involved in the festival without whose support and contribution this event would not be possible.
I hope you enjoy this celebration of top-class traditional and folk music in our great city.

Mick Crehan

Download Galway Sessions Guide HERE

THE GALWAY SESSIONS TRAIL

Admission Free
The pubs in our session trail are traditional in the best sense of the word
and are known worldwide for the quality of their music and their special
atmosphere. Great pubs like Tigh Cóilí, Taaffes, Tigh Neachtain, the Quays and
Monroe’s Tavern have early evening as well as night time sessions and give
visitors and Galwegians alike the opportunity to experience traditional music
in its most intimate setting.

FEATURING

MUNDY
CURTIS BLACKWELL (U.S.A.) & His Dixie Bluegrass Boys
TULLA CEILÍ BAND
KINLOCHARD CEILIDH BAND (Scotland)
MUSEUM FOLK DANCERS (Norway)
LAZIK (France)
CORMAC CANNON
LAMOND GILLESPIE
JOHN BLAKE
DANNY O’MAHONY
JOHNNY ‘RINGO’ McDONAGH
MICHELLE O’BRIEN
LAOISE KELLY
ANNE CONROY-BURKE
& MANY MANY
MORE…

VENUES

Galway Sessions Venues

THE CRANE BAR
RÓISÍN DUBH
MONROE’S TAVERN
MONROE’S LIVE
THE QUAYS
TIGH NEACHTAIN
THE KINGS HEAD
TIGH CÓILÍ
TAAFFES BAR
KELLY’S BAR
SHERRY’S (Clarinbridge)
THE FRONT DOOR
GALWAY CITY MUSEUM
THE LATIN QUARTER