The Des Carty Sessions 2011

South county Dublin's foremost traditional and folk music festival, the Des Carty Sessions, presented by Alternative Entertainments Arts Group, is returning to venues around the south county this October for its 8th annual session.

Since it's beginnings in 2004, Sessions has brought together the best in local, national and international folk & trad musicians giving you the highest quality entertainment. This year, the festival are honoured to host two of the most influential genre-defining musicians in the world, Jim Rooney & Martin Carthy.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Jim Rooney has been involved in over 150 albums including those of John Prine, Iris DeMent, Nanci Griffith, Peter Rowan and many others. A pioneer of the late 50s early 60s folk revolution in the US, he played a key role in the creation of a new music movement alongside artists such as Eric von Schmidt, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Dave van Ronk & Ramblin' Jack Elliot. As well as authoring several highly regarded music books, Rooney now plays with Rooney's Irregulars and divides his time between Nashville and Ireland. Rooney will appear in concert alongside Rick Epping, Mick Daly and Chris Twomey in Celbridge Library on Thursday October 27th as part of the Des Carty Sessions 2011.

Martin Carthy has been one of folk music's greatest innovators since the early 1960s and has influenced generations of musicians worldwide. Trailblazing musical partnerships with, amongst others, Steeleye Span, Dave Swarbrick, the Albion Country Band (which included members of Fairport Convention), Norma Waterson (award winner and married to Carthy) and his daughter Eliza Carthy has resulted in more than 40 albums, 10 of which are solo albums. Carthy is a ballad singer, a ground-breaking acoustic & electric guitarist & an authoritave interpreter of newly composed material. His distinctive style and settings of traditional songs with guitar have influenced artists like Bob Dylan & Paul Simon and he was named Folk Singer of The Year at the BBC Radio 2 awards in 2002. You can see this groundbreaking musician play at Aras Chronain, Clondalkin on Saturday, October 29th as part of the Des Carty Sessions 2011.

Trim native Mickey McKenna passed away seven years ago, and each year since his friends and family (which includes such musicians as Sean Og and Barney McKenna) have gathered in Trim to celebrate the man and his music. In 2008 arts group Alternative Entertainments, with whom Mickey worked on many projects over twenty years, including as a member of the acclaimed Tallafornian Mandolin Band, were asked to create an annual festival around the celebration. The festival has grown year-on-year and this year's event promises to be even better again. In keeping with the eclecticism of Mickey's music-making the festival each year features a broad spectrum of musical styles. This year is no different. Joining us will be internationally celebrated classical guitarist John Feeley. John has performed all around the world and is considered one of the foremost exponents of his instrument. Also on the bill is Paul Kelly, a musician who has been at the centre of the trad and country scenes for the past 30 years. Paul is well known for his virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin and banjo. For the concert on May 28th he will perform a set on Mickey's preferred instrument the tenor guitar. Paul Dooley is a well respected harper from Co Clare. He has been playing and making harps since the mid-eighties, and is one of the few Irish harpers who play the traditional metal-strung instrument that, of course, he constructed himself. Two fine traditional singers, Barry Gleeson and Eamonn O'Donnchadha, complete the Saturday night concert. Barry is from Dublin and has been one of the country's central figures in traditional song. He is one of the regular contributors to the legendary Goilin Singers Club in Dublin. Local Trim man Eamonn is recognized as one of the finest sean-nos performers in the country, and has performed in Mickey's honour at past festivals.

Suburban Sounds is an evening-course in music which is open to young people (aged 14- 18yrs) with a passion for song writing, music composition and/or music performance. Course sessions take place every Wednesday evening from 6 to 9 and participants will be chosen on the basis of application (see below). It is hosted by South Dublin County Arts Office, in association with South Dublin Rock School and RUA RED and runs fromAugust 2011 to February 2012.
      Participants will work on individual and group projects over the six-month period and, along with recording their work in the studio, they will take part in an end of year performance in RUA RED Arts Centre, Tallaght.
The main body of the course will be delivered by a team of 'mentors' made up of experienced musicians and music industry professionals. Various supplementary talks and workshops will be given by industry-professionals in each of the areas listed above.
Each participant will finish the series having created, recorded and performed new work. They will also be offered the opportunity to have this work featured and promoted on Noise (www.noisesouthdublin.ie), a creative, interactive space for young people in South Dublin.

For more information: http://suburbansounds.org/

2010 sees the seventh annual Des Carty Sessions.
We begin on Wednesday 20th October  with Tom Moran's regular session in The Poitin Stil in Rathcoole.Tom will be joined by special guests. The festival will be opened on Thursday October 21st at a recital in Celbridge Library featuring The Niall Toner Band and singer Sean Garvey.

On Friday 22nd we celebrate the life and music of noted musician Maire Garvey. Joining us on the night will be Josephine Keegan, Mick, Liam & Donal O'Connor, Dan Healy, Mick Shannon and many more.

Rick Epping is back for an evening of country, bluegrass and Irish music on Saturday 23rd. Joining Rick will be Seamie O'Dowd and Liam Kennedy. St Mary's Set Dancers host their Sessions Ceili in St Mary's GAA Club on Sunday afternoon. That evening we stage our main concert in St Mary’s GAA Club, featuring accordion player Charlie Piggott, guitarist Ed Deane, piper Peter Browne, fiddler Gerry O'Connor, singer Fintan Vallely and poet Pauline Fayne.

We finish off on Monday evening with The Ragpicker's Ball session in St Mary's GAA Club, featuring many of the week's performers and guests.

Various venues, Alternative Entertainments Arts Group 01 452 0611 altents@gmail.com www.altents.ie

Alternative Entertainments
& The Office of Public Works invite you to

An Evening of Traditional Song
with Phil Callery & Barry Gleeson

Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham Dublin 14 Alternative Entertainments Arts Group
01 452 0611 altents@gmail.com www.altents.ie