A week in


Today marks a week since we've returned to Westport.  We've packed a lot of fun into these seven days.  Good food.  Lots of excellent music.  Plenty of golf - including my first hole-in-one.  I'd say it's been a success so far.

We always especially look forward to the annual Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival.  A recap - the festival was started 13 years ago by a Israeli Jew - Uri Kohen.  Growing up on a kibbutz in Israel, and as the son and grandson of world renowned scientists, Uri would often be asked what science he would pursue as an adult.  He always answered that when he completed his compulsory Israeli military service, he "would hop on a plane, fly to Ireland, and work in a pub."  This was always met with bemused indulgence, but sure enough, he was good to his word.  He arrived in Dublin, worked in a pub there and eventually made his way to Westport, on the west coast of Ireland.  He met and married and had a child (not necessarily in that order...).  He married a stunningly gorgeous Irish woman and they produced a stunningly gorgeous daughter who has won a number of national Irish dancing competitions.  Settling down a bit Uri took on the job as the town milkman, getting up early and bringing milk to all the businesses throughout the town.  But he had a burning desire - to be an impresario - to be the driving force for a new music event in the town.  He did have some experience - he often arranged for concerts for the troops when he was in the military.

Yer man Uri
Westport is a town that takes great pride in having avoided the fate of so many small Irish towns - lack of work has led most young people to leave the towns for the cities or for overseas to forge a life.  Consequently, the towns have strangulated little by little - losing their post office, the local police station, the local pub, even representation in the national legislature.  Westport, a number of years ago, and led by people of Padraic's generation, decided to buck the trend.  They would paint the buildings festive colors, hang breathtaking window boxes on the first and second and third floors of businesses and downtown residences, and develop and promote a culture of music, literature and theater that would draw people from all over Ireland and from all over the world.  And they have succeeded spectacularly.  A few years ago Westport was selected by a team of people sent by The Irish Times to be the "Best Place to Live in Ireland."  The team include a broad array of specialists and academicians who assessed the town's cultural activities, outdoor activities, diversity, cleanliness, food scene, social support systems - in short, a thorough assessment of quality of life.  At the time of the award, I remember Padraic claiming to be a bit "chuffed" with civic pride.  After all, the Times had gone throughout the island looking at every hamlet, village, town, and city, only to have chosen Westport.








Enter Uri.  With the desire to bring something new to the town, he consulted with our good friend and former landlord Darren Madden.  Darren's well-connected as the owner, along with his wife Maria, of the Clew Bay Hotel and he's the former chair of the tourist-oriented Destination Westport.  In looking at what might be missing, Uri proposed a bluegrass festival.  After all, bluegrass is essentially viewed as being Scotch/Irish traditional music that traveled in migration to the American Appalachians and picked up a new instrument or two and some novel rhythms.  The first year's festival was held throughout the town, in free events at the local pubs.  In its thirteenth year, the festival includes three concerts - the "Ole Timey Thing" at Trinity Church, the formal concert at the Westport Town Hall, and the "Gospel Hour," back at Trinity on Sunday morning.  Of course, there's still plenty of free gigs in pubs through out the town, and Uri's even added a square dance event.  Acts come from all over to perform - the States, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, just all over.  At this point, the WFandBF has been recognized as one of the top ten festivals in Ireland, in a country known for liking a good festival.

includes The Local Honeys from Kentucky and
the Big Chimney Barn Dance group from Alaska

Uri was honored to be recognized last year as a young and upcoming force in bluegrass.  He was invited, all expenses paid, to participate in the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual meeting in Raleigh, followed up by a week in Orlando at a conference on Southern culture and music.  We were happy to meet up with him in Orlando and buy him a few pints at Disney's Raglan Road Irish Pub.  There's always high energy fun when Uri's around.  In addition to this, Uri's just a sweet, unpretentious, unassuming guy.  He always gives us a grand welcome.  Hell, you'd think we were festival sponsors...

Each year the posters and t-shirts get better and better.  They always include aspects of the landscape and culture of the area.  The local landmark - Croagh Patrick, or the "Reek" - dominates the landscape - a mountain 2500 feet high on the summit of which St. Patrick took residence for 40 days and 40 nights in prayer and fasting before descending to go on his journey of evangelizing Ireland.  Archeological evidence confirms his presence around the year 400 AD (or the Christian Era, if that be your politics).  The Reek features prominently in all festival materials.





We took advantage of much of the music, although you'd have to replicate yourself several times over to see everything.  On Friday night alone, there were five gigs going on at 10 p.m. in five different pubs.  Now, of course, everything is within a block or so walk, so you could have a pint at each and move quickly on...  Saturday night is the big concert, with Uri's selection of the finest acts of the weekend.  He may have gotten himself in a bit of trouble with bluegrass purists by stepping somewhat outside of the genre with his two biggest headliners.  But, honestly, I think it was some of the finest music we've heard in our ten years of being at the festival.  The top group was McKay and Leigh.  We had seen them in over in Castlebar last year at bridge st. and thought they were just immensely creative - almost every song had been written by them and the variety and cleverness of the songs were terrific.  Wonderful musicianship and great harmonies (click here for a song and here for another and here for one more and finally here).  Today, Sunday, we'll head down to the Clew Bay Hotel at about 1:30 to hear The Lowly Strung, walk up the hill to Blousers to catch a bit of Tim Rogers' endless session where everyone with an instrument is welcome to sit in (generally will go on for several hours - fiddles, standup basses, guitars, mandolins, banjoes - your head'll spin), and finally back to the Clew Bay and the square dance session anchored by the outstanding Big Chimney Barn Dance group from Alaska (click here for a sample of their music).

A great weekend indeed.

I would be remiss to not mention that it was ten years ago on our first night in Westport that we encountered our dear friends the Duffys.  When we checked in with Darren Madden to get the keys to our apartment, he invited us to come over to the hotel that night to listen to some bluegrass and get a free pint from him in welcome.  We were intrigued by the notion of bluegrass in Ireland and had the good fortune to hear the Rocky Top String Band, the group that remains my favorite - a group of locals who play some wicked good Irish trad music, but love to switch genres and engage in some pickin' and grinnin' for the WFandBF once a year.  I'll never forget Hubie MacEvilly introducing the band in a rich and lovely Irish brogue only to switch into a nasally twangy voice as the band launched into the song Rocky Top.  We were hooked.  As we sat enjoying the band, Candee turned to the couple behind us and engaged in a shameless attempt to pick up the gentleman.  At least that's Padraic's tale.  Whatever the truth of the matter, the Duffys invited me to play at WGC the next day, had us to dinner a night or so after, and they took us on daytrips in the area that, it is safe to say, we simply would not have experienced had it not been for their guidance.  Without a doubt, they connected us to this town and area in a way that has kept us coming back year after year.  Go raibh mile maith agat - thanks a million for your generosity, your kindness, and your friendship.


Marion and Padraic