"The Session"

Irish music is no secret, it has been available down all the centuries to anyone who wanted it. The difference, nowadays, is that everybody seems to want to be part of the joyous, mournful, soulful, untamed and highly complex music that is represented in the unique Irish tradition. Like Irish dance, brought to a worldwide audience by Riverdance, Irish music is enjoying an undreamed of international awakening, and Irish musicians who hold the core tradition dear, have become ambassadors, bringing it to an ever increasing audience.

But no matter how big the auditorium, at the centre of all good Irish music is the concept known in Ireland as "the session." This is the impromptu gathering of musicians who come

together, usually unrehearsed, to follow where the music will lead them during the evening which will characteristically be filled also with traditional song and dance. In a pub or gathering place, one musician may be enough to get the evening going. Soon, there are sure to be more, because the session is where the soul of traditional music is revealed. It is where talented players come together for the love of the music, to compliment one another's artistry and to pass it on. A good session generates its own energy, is something to be remembered and those practitioners of the music who know and love it most, regard all musical gatherings, whether in a recording studio or on the stage, as an opportunity to let the spirit of the music roam free.

Irish Traditional Music sessions are the norm in many parts of Ireland but the geographical and historical elements of this culture have a huge influence and impact on the music. For example, the music of Co. Donegal is greatly different to that of  Co. Clare or that of Co. Kerry as are the dances and songs. 

But no matter where there is a session, you are sure to experience something, which is uniquely Irish and welcoming.