08-07-2025
The musical magic of Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Raidió na Gaeltachta's Music Editor and presenter of Ceol Binn ó na Beanna reflects on Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and its evolution over five decades.
I came to the Willie Clancy festival for the first time in 2010. I had heard so much about the festival and was always listening to the broadcasts on Raidió na Gaeltachta every year on Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta's (RIP) programme Lán a' Mhála. Meaití had been coming to the festival from the very first gathering and indeed had known and recorded Willie for RnaG in 1972. Along with the live broadcasts, the recitals were recorded, and the music was heard during the year on the music programmes. I was excited and a bit nervous to take over from Meaití in 2010.
Listen: Ceiliúradh Ceoil live from Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
The first broadcasts for Ceol Binn ó na Beanna were in 2010. It was a bit daunting that first year because I was not used to outside broadcasts and the programme had only been on air since January of that year, so this was the first major outside broadcast for the programme. The friendly atmosphere and the willingness of everybody to come to the Ródaí (Raidió na Gaeltachta's roadcaster) and play their tunes live on air was wonderful, and it was also great to interact with the musicians and get to know them on a more personal level.
The festival has evolved and now has more students than ever, but as the classes are spread out between Miltown Malbay itself and the surrounding nearby villages like Quilty, Mullagh and Spanish Point you don't get the sense of an overpacked festival. The recitals are sometimes the only events where you will get a sense of the amount of people attending the festival when the hall is packed to capacity and parking spaces become like golddust!
Listen: Céilí House live from Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
The atmosphere in the Ródaí is always vibrant and exciting during the festival. The Ródaí is a familiar sight outside the hall and it is always lovely to have the budding young musicians come in and play a few tunes on the various programmes. Seeing the young musicians playing alongside the older musicians is lovely and it is such a privilege for those youngsters to get to know people who they might have heard of but never seen in person. The banter between the musical guests is always great and everybody is in a very relaxed mood - it is like one big musical party all week.
It is great to invite the young musicians into the Ródaí. It is a very exciting event for them to come to the Ródaí and their first airplay, and it is always great to see the big smiles as they head off with their Raidió na Gaeltachta hats. The great thing about being in the centre of town with the Ródaí is that the youngsters come to see for themselves that Raidió na Gaeltachta and the programme Ceol Binn ó na Beanna is a platform for them to use to promote their music and to gain confidence. Many of them will return year after year to play for the programme and it is great to see the development in their music and styles. Over the years we have had full céilí bands play for the programme and that is quite a feat!
Listen: The Rolling Wave previews this year's Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
The amount of young people that have become top class players since I started on Ceol Binn ó na Beanna is unbelievable. I remember in 2010 meeting some of the top players of today and it was lovely to see their development during their teenage years and seeing them now launching their own recordings and making their music a career. People like Elaine Reilly, Dáithí Gromley, Eimear Coughlan, Francis Cunningham, Órlaith & Brogan McAuliffe, Ademar O'Connor, Keelan McGrath, Róisín Broderick, Dylan Foley, Sorcha Costello, Catherine McHugh and many many more have appeared on Ceol Binn ó na Beanna as young teenagers and now are fast becoming the stars of Irish traditional music. It is particularly lovely to see Andrew Caden from Bethesda Maryland and Conor McDonagh from Sligo release their lovely new album Across the Atlantic at the Willie Clancy week this year. Conor and Andrew would have met through their shared passion for Irish Traditional Music and it's wonderful to see them produce their first album on Racket Records while this so young and they both got their first airplay on Ceol Binn ó na Beanna.
We also have musicians from a lot of foreign places calling into the Ródaí to play. We've had musicians from Moscow, Brazil, Germany, Japan, France as well as American and English musicians and everybody is welcome to share their tunes! The relaxed friendly atmosphere is lovely. This may be because there is no competitive element during the Willie Clancy Week. All musicians come to teach, to learn or just to play and enjoy making new friends without the pressure of competitions. Everybody is welcome to join into the many, many sessions around the town and the surrounding towns and it is a great place to play or just to listen.
Watch, via ITMA: Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy – A Reflection
I have some lovely memories of playing a few sessions with Ben Lennon, Johnny Connolly, Seán Conway & Éamon Flynn, all now having sadly passed away, RIP, in the small room in the Central. Zoe Conway, Séamus Sands, Bobby Gardiner and many others were regulars in that tiny room - it was so homely and just the perfect atmosphere for a tune.
My biggest tip for first-time visitors would be to just enjoy and soak up the atmosphere and don't be afraid to share your music, song or dance if the mood takes you!
