Sessions from Miltown Malbay to the Dingle Peninsula

Ullian piper Con Durham joined us for some tunes at Dick Mack's Pub in Dingle one afternoon. His playing ranged from joyful hornpipes to solemn, haunting airs that captured our hearts. Listening to Con's pipes, one could feel the gathered emotions of generations past, calling from a place shrouded by the mists of time.

A session in Miltown Malbay during the Willie Clancy Week was never far away. On Zoë's birthday we played under the stars in the courtyard behind O'Loughlin's Pub. Thanks to the "Young Bohemians" that joined us there, sharing songs, tunes, and hilarious commentary. O'Loughlin's was where we enjoyed our first breakfast pints, as well as savouring that wonderful time when the pub door is locked, and you are welcomed to stay and enjoy the atmosphere.

Shrouded in the mists of time, or mesmerized by the foam rising on a pint? I can't tell...

-Phil Darrow

Ireland Trip: Doolin to Dingle

Brown Bread On the Great Blasket Great Blasket from Dunquin

Burren FarieFiddle Lesson at Miltown Malbay

Here are some of the pictures from our adventure in Ireland.

During the Willie Clancy Week in Miltown Malbay, County Clare we also had a chance to visit the village of Doolin, the limestone expanse called the Burren, and the Aran Islands. Afterwards we traveled down to Dingle and the Blasket Islands (the western most part of Europe, sometimes called "The Last Parish before America").

Hello from the Willie Clancy Week!

Hello all!

Here is one of the younger students at the Willie Clancy Music School, working on a tune in the rain. That's dedication.
Zoë had a blast at the school, studying traditional Clare style fiddling with Brendan McGlinchy. We have enjoyed some great sessions including a couple of rolicking times at the legendary O'Connors Pub in Doolin. Needless to say, Zoë's 18th birthday was celebrated in fine style. Now we are in Dingle enjoying the Kerry flavours of music, food, and breathtaking coastline.
-Phil Darrow

Willie Clancy Summer School

Hello from Ireland!
The Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay is going smashingly. Zoë is studying fiddle with Brendan McGlinchy (I'll be checking that spelling!) and we have listened to performances by Maurice Lennon, Tommy Peoples, and Martin Hayes, among many. We're already having a blast in the sessions (sesiuns)around West Clare, including a most memorable night at O'Connors Pub in Doolin. The craic is mighty.
For all you movie buffs, Jeremy Irons is here taking fiddle lessons, too. Hmmm...
Stay tuned for some pictures, and we'll be back to the USA in time for the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival at Look Park, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Slainte!

Ireland Trip To Be Featured in World Famous Documentary

We will be posting photos and a journal about the Willie Clancy Music School in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland, as well as documenting our visit to the Dingle Peninsula. Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to send your comments.
Thanks to all who helped make our concerts at the White Church in Blandford and Orange Town Hall so fun. Each of these beautiful, historic New England locations were the perfect settings for presenting our new CD and kicking off our adventure to Ireland. Proceeds from these shows will help fund the travel and tuition costs of the trip. Many folks signed up for Zoë's "Postcard from Ireland", which will also help with travel costs.
One Sunday, July 1, Zoë was invited to play a set with the high energy Celtic band "Glengarry Bhoys" from Glengarry, Ontario. They performed at the Greenfield Energy Park, and Zoë joined fiddler Miranda Mulholland for a Cape Breton Set that saw these two young ladies playing way beyond the legal speed limit.
Thanks to the Glengarry Bhoys and Sandy Thomas of the Greenfield Energy Park for putting that together!
-Phil Darrow

Our new CD "Fiddle Me This" is here!

June 2, 2007: The long-anticipated CD "Fiddle Me This" is now available at concerts and by mail. Featuring Zoe Darrow on fiddle and bodhran; Phil Darrow on guitar; and Tom Coburn on piano, the recording has 12 tracks of traditional Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton fiddle tunes as well as contemporary arrangements of those traditional styles. Recorded at Soundesign Studio in Brattleboro, Vermont by veteran engineer Alan Stockwell, the acoustic tone of the instruments is clear and true, and the energy of the band shines through.
"Fiddle Me This" paints a detailed portrait of Zoe's maturing fiddle style and spirited bodhran playing. With Tom Coburn delivering his innovative arrangements on the legendary Soundesign Studio grand piano, and Phil Darrow adding to the mix with his acoustic guitar, the trio delivers a richly textured tapestry of tunes that is full of grit, driving rhythm, and soulful expression.
See www.zoedarrow.com for more information.

Bound for Ireland Concert, Saturday, June 2, 2007

Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads will be giving a concert on Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the White Church of Blandford. We will be celebrating our upcoming trip to Ireland this July where Zoë will attend the Willie Clancy School of Traditional Irish Music with selections from those traditions.
For tickets and information about this show, go to www.zoedarrow.com

www.zoedarrow.com is now linked to this web log.

Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads website www.zoedarrow.com is now linked to this web log.
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Zoë Darrow fiddling around at the Westfield Colonial Harvest Day 2006

Zoë Darrow, Westfield Colonial Harvest Day, 9/30/2006.

Next Show: 3/31/07, Shea Theatre, Turners Falls, MA

The next performance for Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads will be on Saturday, March 31, 2007 at the Shea Theatre in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. There will be a silent auction at 6 PM and the music will start at 7 PM. This show is a benefit for the Jonathan Edwards Academy in Turners Falls. For more information see www.jeacademy.org
The Shea Theatre is a lovely concert hall that has been a vaudeville stage, movie theater, recording studio, and now a restored performance space for music and plays. Great shows at the Shea have included Joe Cocker and Linda Ronstadt. Because the hall has fine natural acoustics, it has been used for many live recordings. We will be recording this show, so if you can attend, feel free to make some noise for posterity.

www.zoedarrow.com
-Phil Darrow 3.22.07

Hello from Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads 2/19/07

Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads would like to thank Meg and Dan Sullivan for inviting us to perform at the Captain Charles Leonard House in Agawam, Massachusetts last Saturday evening. Also, thanks to the wonderful audience that came out on a cold February night to hear some fiddle tunes. Everyone helped to make it a great time. You could say the craìc was mighty. We will be back! For the latest news about our band, check www.zoedarrow.com
-Phil Darrow 02.19.07