Chiff and Fipple Forums

I was curious what people thought was the best city in N. America for ITM? You can use any criteria you want. Number of players, music friendly pubs, well-known players who live there, professional venues, whatever. I'm just looking for a general opinion.

I've never lived in a big city (does Honolulu count?) but I was within driving distance of San Francisco and it had alot to recommend it. A very old (oldest?) piping club, Irish Cultural Center, several seasonal festivals where big name acts would appear. Several pubs which hosted everything from a slow player session to Paddy Keenan. Local/Professional musicians. Healthy Irish immigrant community. So, what are the other "hot spots" in N. America for ITM?
J.

Why Boston of course! Trad musicians off the boat. Tommy Peoples, Paddy Keenan and others frequent there often. Matt Molloy's son anchors a session. Numerous sessions, many good pubs and players. I'm also biased towards Portland, Maine where I live. Only 1 session, but with 2 pipers anchoring and many other great musicians showing up. A fellow sessioneer told me ours was just as good as many of the ones he'd been to in Ireland.

Corin

I keep looking at the weather maps and think SF seems to have the nicest weather temperature-wise. When everywhere else in the US is either roasting or freezing, SF seems to stay pleasantly cool.

Boston, New York and Chicago are all reputed to have large, active Irish populations with their own traditions. Its hard to be sure which would be the best. St. Louis also has a lot of visiting Irish musicians. Is that something you could go by?

Not everyone in Ireland is interested in ITM, and a lot of Irish I meet who have moved here want to forget all about the place, let alone try to maintain some sort of tradition. It seems to be second or third generation Irish who want to revive the music and dance here.

djm

nyc hands down.

oleorezinator wrote:nyc hands down.

Why?

What, no San Diego? Want a lime in your Guinness?

Chicago.

Home of Francis O'Neill, at whose tomb Kevin Henry plays his flute every year on O'Neill's birthday. Home of Liz Carroll, Larry Nugent (more or less), John Williams, John Daly, Kieran O'Hare, Liz Knowles, Jackie Moran, Pat Broaders, Jimmy Keane (both of bohola), James Conway, Dennis Cahill, Brendan Bulger, Jean-Michel Veillon's father-in-law (:) a lovely flute player himself, btw), Brendan McKinney...

Pat Cannady, chime in with more?

Carol

cskinner wrote:Chicago.

Home of Francis O'Neill, at whose tomb Kevin Henry plays his flute every year on O'Neill's birthday. Home of Liz Carroll, Larry Nugent (more or less), John Williams, John Daly, Kieran O'Hare, Liz Knowles, Jackie Moran, Pat Broaders, Jimmy Keane (both of bohola), James Conway, Dennis Cahill, Brendan Bulger, Jean-Michel Veillon's father-in-law (:) a lovely flute player himself, btw), Brendan McKinney...

Pat Cannady, chime in with more?

Carol

Ah the poor things - no Florida for them ..ho humm - I notice some of the old school are well heeled and already gone back to Mary's ..Suppose the rest are sitting down for the remainder of it, slops and all! Hope they don't fall into the same hole poor Joe C did, fags and pints till he nearly croaked and then a hasty farewell at home.

j dasinger wrote:

oleorezinator wrote:nyc hands down.

Why?

bill ochs, jerry o sullivan, ivan goff, tony demarco,brian conway,paddy reynolds,john nolan,linda hickman, mick moloney, patrick ourceau,eamonn o' leary, james keane to name a few. sessions 7 days a week. etc. nice avatar by the way.

oleorezinator wrote:

j dasinger wrote:

oleorezinator wrote:nyc hands down.

Why?

bill ochs, jerry o sullivan, ivan goff, tony demarco,brian conway,paddy reynolds,john nolan,linda hickman, mick moloney, patrick ourceau,eamonn o' leary, james keane to name a few. sessions 7 days a week. etc. nice avatar by the way.

Where's there a session on Wednesday? I've been looking.

cskinner wrote:Chicago.

Home of Francis O'Neill, at whose tomb Kevin Henry plays his flute every year on O'Neill's birthday. Home of Liz Carroll, Larry Nugent (more or less), John Williams, John Daly, Kieran O'Hare, Liz Knowles, Jackie Moran, Pat Broaders, Jimmy Keane (both of bohola), James Conway, Dennis Cahill, Brendan Bulger, Jean-Michel Veillon's father-in-law (:) a lovely flute player himself, btw), Brendan McKinney...

Pat Cannady, chime in with more?

Carol

Sure:

Joe Shannon, Albert Neary, Francie Campbell, Joe O'Shea, Mike O'Shea, Pat Cloonan (Sr.), Mary McDonagh, Frank Burke, Brendan Williams, Mike McGrath, Jimmy Coyle, Malachy Towey, John Meehan, Tom O' Malley, Pat Finnegan...I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

There's a few older characters no longer with us but their music lingers on with us: Cuz Teehan, Johnny McGreevy, Frank Thornton, Horse Keane...of course the Chief himself and all of his source musicians.

BTW We're having a little birthday party for da Chief at the Irish American Heritage Center on August 28. More details to come.

toasty wrote:
Ah the poor things - no Florida for them ..ho humm - I notice some of the old school are well heeled and already gone back to Mary's ..Suppose the rest are sitting down for the remainder of it, slops and all! Hope they don't fall into the same hole poor Joe C did, fags and pints till he nearly croaked and then a hasty farewell at home.

The old school is still very much alive and kicking. Most of them don't smoke, which is probably why they're still with us.


edited for clarity

BTW Carol, we forgot Sean Cleland. Sean would kick my ass if I didn't mention him .

Ah, but you know how many Irish musicians have come out from Chicago (the uncontested city of ITM--far as I'm concerned) to the Seattle-Portland area and never returned? Or at least never wanted to? Not a city full of older names, but the newer younger ones is phenomenal. Portland is known in the circles as the fiddlers paradise, Seattle more for pipers (and other instruments).

And recently, I even seem to recall a guy named Pat thinking of moving to Seattle!

Cincinnati use to be hopping with ITM back in the 80's. I knew quite a few of them and use to see them regularly at our summer festivals out here.

Here in the Twin Cities (the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area), we remain a mere outpost. We try, though.