Willie Clancy Summer School Recap (2013)
by K. Pádraig O’Kane
It is a warm rainy day in Miami as I stare blankly into my monitor. My eyes are glazed over. I can see enough past my jet lagged eyelids to make certain what I am reminiscing upon is actually being notated.
My drive from Ennis, Co. Clare, to Miltown has become a familiar one. I get collected in Ennis by pipe maker Jim Wenham (who teaches reed making with Dave Hegarty), and Mike Mullins, who founded and co-coordinates the St. Louis tionol. From there it is only 25 minutes before we arrive at the same lovely house on the Bal- lard Road, a place where we have been staying for years now.
Upon our arrival, the tea, scones, cakes, and coffee come out, as our extended family for the week Sally , Shane Sexton & Co.) roll out the red carpet greeting. At this point, the mental gears have been well shifted into “Clancy Week” mode.
All of us recognized the difference this year. The weather was hot! So, out came short pants and pale legs. Before long, piper and pipe maker Mickey Dunne arrived. We piled into the car and headed out to the strand to have a brisk walk in the bright sunlight. Mickey pointed out all the places he used to go play as a youngster. In my mind’s eye, I imagined Mickey and his friends tearing up and down the nearby pier, jumping into freezing water, and swimming near the boats with no fear whatsoever.
Afterwards, it was off to Quilty, where we ate. Now, it must be said that I despise the dribbling of authors who write about “pints” in order to “Irish up” their musings. However, one cannot mention Quilty and gloss over the fact that a superb pint is pulled at Coogan’s. Too, it is during such proper oral baptismal ceremonies and palatal bathing be they water, whiskey, or beer, that some fine occurrences transpire.
For instance, when I was in full-swig, Waterford piper Dave Power walked in with his family. It was great to finally meet him, and I still maintain that he played the quintessential version of the Fox Chase when he performed at Seattle! There are recordings of that floating around, so find one! We also saw flute player John Wynne as well. Okay, enough with the name-dropping. From Quilty, it was back to the Sexton’s house where Mike, Mickey, Jim, and myself had lovely tunes outside in what was to be the last chilly evening. I always have a moment where I think, “alright, if this was the only time I play this week, it was all worth it.” This was one of those moments.
The next morning, all of the pipers received their class assignments from those at the helm of NPU, in the Resource Center. I was in Jimmy O’Brien- Moran’s class. Jimmy is the consummate professional jaunting between master piper, music professor, comedian, philosopher, coach, slagger, self-deprecator, and storyteller. There is never a dull moment in Jimmy’s classes, to say the least of it! If I may, in the (and in the style the good man himself), “Jimmy has been instrumental in my instrumental.”
Sometime after the lesson and the afternoon con- cert, Dubliner Hugh Quinn arrived at the Sexton’s house. Hugh was a student of Leo Rowsome and not only has amazing stories about “Mr. Row- some” (that’s how Hugh said he always ad dressed him), but he still has original hand writ- ten transcriptions from his lessons. Hugh was not short on tunes, craic, good advice and great cheer. I feel honored to have been able to spend time with him!
In addition, Hugh and I myself had an impromptu snoring contest (on more than one occasion we were told). He says I was the premier standout, but I still maintain he won! I cannot overemphasize how lovely it was to have Hugh Quinn at the house. Though only armed with a practice set, he had more music in him than most people playing full sets!
Every afternoon, there was a short concert featuring two pipers. Despite the high heat in the con- cert hall, there was no shortage of stellar piping from youngest pipers (Jane Walls, a student of Robbie Hannan’s), to the most experienced. There were so many great performances. To mention just a few of the many master pipers that wowed us all there were: Sean Talty, Sean McKeon, Shiela Friele, Nollaig McCathy, Cormac Cannon, and Leo Rickard. Sean Talty played a set of great sounding pipes that he made in the Rowsome style. The set of hornpipes he played at the after- noon concert had Emmet Gill and myself looking smiling at each other due to the amount of musical gold nuggets he so soulfully delved.
As usual, Dave Hegarty and Jim Wenham bravely manned the reed making portable. The temperatures inside were very high, yet the two of them weathered the heat. At one nearly wobbly point, I insisted that Dave take a break and go outside for some air. Both Dave and Jim expertly do their job! If you are interested in learning how to make a reed, or want to improve your reed making, take a week to study in Miltown. I did this some years back. The lessons learned and friendships made have lasted years.
On one of my strolls, I met traveler piper Simon Doyle. Himself and his three girls were busking. Winnie-Marie Doyle played flawlessly traveler style banjo. Her right hand looked effortless and she missed not one of the open-sounding triplets.
Simon played in what was probably the hottest situation I had ever seen anyone play pipes in. It is hard to believe that this was Ireland in 30°C+ weather with the sun blaring down on us! In be- tween sets, Simon would lay a cloth over his regs, so he would not burn his hand when he started again. Simon is a lovely player steeped in the traveler style of playing. When he stopped playing, Simon and I talked pipes. Himself and his two sons play Mickey Dunne chanters. I then met the rest of his family which included the other 6 children (he has 10 children) and his wife! The smallest boy approached me with cupped hands. I was startled to hear him say, “Hey you’ve got a spider on your chin!” There nothing quite like doing the “hey, you’ve-got-a-spider-on-your-face” bizzaro spasm dance in broad daylight! Sean nós dancing, it wasn’t!
It was great to see pipe maker Makoto Nakatsui once again. Makoto lives on the Japanese island of Sapporo. He is a great player and a very gifted pipe maker. Makoto brought along a concert set
that he was delivering to a customer and as expected, it looked and sounded brilliant! Makoto’s attention to detail is amazing, and is his vision of good tone, which is firmly based in the Rowsome camp.
The flat pipes I saw represented this year were: Cormac Can- non’s Egan C full set, Mikey Smyth with his Woofe C# full set, Bill Han- neman with pipes of his own make, Seamus O’Rochain with the famous Willie Clancy’s full set in B Coyne, Mick O’Brien with an Alain Froment full set in B, and Mike Mullins’ Koehler B chanter & Froment full set body. At one point in flat sessiun , there were nine different makers represented all at once including chanters from Makoto and Joe Kennedy.
Everyday there were brilliant lectures to be heard. The attendance during the lectures was somewhat lighter due to the heat inside the hall. That said, I braved the heat to take in the warm reflections of Dr. Máire O’Keefe, who gave a comprehensive presentation on the lives of legendary Clare fiddlers Bobby Casey, John Kelly, Joe Ryan, and others who I cannot recall. Her presentation included interviews she conducted years before, sound files, and contributions from audience members James and John Kelly (John Sr.’s son).
On the last night in Miltown, the Sextons hosted our annual Friday sessiun to close out the week. In attendance, were Mickey Dunne, Hugh Quinn, Mike Mullins, Dave Hegarty, pipe makers Derrick Gleeson and John Butler, Kevin Rowsome, and Tom Clarke, to mention a few. Derrick Gleeson (Miltown) and John Butler (Mayo) took time to marvel over the master craftsmanship of my set of drones and regulators built by pipe maker Michael Hubbert. The three of us were scratching our heads trying to figure out just where the be- ginning and ending points were of the burnt-in, gorgeous designs Michael installed on the main- stock and bellows. Earlier in the week, Michael Hubbert’s craftsmanship astonished the most seasoned players and makers. The complex harmonics coming from his drones is remarkable, resulting in surprised ears and slackened jaws.
As I re-read all I have written thus far, I recognize I have left out a considerable amount of happenings. Hopefully though, I have whetted your ap- petite. So, I will continue with the ending that I always dread: the showing of brooms. When I see the brooms being wielded, I know we are nearly at the end of the celebration. For me, that means the journey back to the states. The always tearful, but never saying “goodbye” hugs I give my loved ones, but that has not happened just yet in this yarn. It is, or was to happen…
By the time the last bits of reed dust were swept by the faithful broom into the dustpan, it was time to head up the Ballard Road to collect our bags, instruments, and the last cup of tea, but not before we went down to the Blondes to have a parting pint. Yes, the word “pint.” This is now the second literary offense I have committed from “O’Kane’s Book of Literary Gaffs.” Well, it’s my book after all, so I hereby give myself a pass, again!
We finished our libations and drove back to the Sexton’s house. We gathered all our belongings and headed back to Ennis where I would say fare- well to Jim and Mike, and the following day would I then be receiving the “goodbye-less” hugs. Again though, not just yet!
This past 40th anniversary of the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy was special. In fact, they are all special. For myself, it was a time to spend with family and friends. It was a time to study, revise, and further cherish the music I hold so dear. To say I look forward to many more times like these would be a mild understatement!
Now the finale is in full flight. The hugs and water-filled eyes did indeed come and go, sans “goodbye,” or “farewell.” Though there was a heavy heart, the overwhelming joy of it all has since lightened the load. Camel-like, I will traipse through another year without the proverbial gulp, spinning yarns of internal discourse about what happened in Miltown this summer, and what I have to look forward to in the summers to come. I know it will all be there again, along with the goodbye-less lamentations of departure. And as before, this annual journey will begin and end, over and over again.
K. Pádraig O’Kane teaches music and frets over reeds in Miami, Florida.
For a complete PDF of the original Summer 2013 Pipers Review this article is from, click here.
