Gurteen and the Coleman Music Center

We really needed to laundry and Jacci, our b and b host, said she could take it for us to the Laundrette in then nearby larger town. Very nice. We had a relaxed morning and then visited the Michael Coleman music center. Michael Coleman was a very famous Irish fiddler from the early 20th century. He was from the Gurteen area and this traditional mucis center was named to honor him. It is a really terrific place. They not only have seminars year-round to which people from all over the world come, but they also do concerts and educational events. It’s all part of a larger 30-year or so movement to Ireland to preserve the old music and traditions, including the language. The museum part is excellent. It reminded us of the Bach museum in Eisenstadt without the hanging chairs. Really good and easily accessible digital units that let you learn what each instrument does and alone and with others. They also let you listen to the musicians who have been central to the whole revival of Irish traditional music. We had a great visit with the two women working there and learned even more from them. To this point we had been unable to be where there was pub music, and had missed it there. We were still looking! Part of the issue is that it always starts late at night, so you want to be where you can walk home! Check out the Coleman center here: http://www.colemanirishmusic.com/


We also drove north and saw the town of Ballymote and its ancient castle ruins, and Larry finally found a great picture of a pile of peat.

Peat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day ended with another great meal in the pub. (There’s a pattern here.)