This not-for-profit webpage provides links to primarily Ottawa Valley, and Irish Traditional Music (ITM), activities in, or within a few hours of the Ottawa / National Capital Region of Canada.  Music is a shared experience between musicians and the audience.  Share with me so I can keep this webpage relevant and up to date.  My contact info is at the bottom of the page.  Thanks for dropping in!

4 Feb 2014

This Irish Music Ottawa webpage contains information that is fairly steady over time.

For more information on concerts, workshops, theatre, and similar local Irish cultural events, then go to...

The Irish Music Ottawa blog

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The 10 Commandments of Jamming (session etiquette)

Please support the session pubs with some of your business.

Monday	Carp Celtic Jam	7:30-9:30 PM, weekly, Masonic Lodge. Beginner supportive. Sheet music abounds. Fee $1 to $2 to cover hall expenses, (Carp location).
Tuesday	NEW Black Rose Pub	7:30-9:00 PM, weekly, in the little pub downstairs from the Heart and Crown in the Byward Market. Session is started with The Black Rose Band, playing traditional Irish, Scottish and Canadian music. After 9 PM the session is open. Intermediate to advanced players. Lead by Frank Cassidy.
	Tartan Pub and Grill	8PM, Every Tuesday, located in Orleans at corner of Jeanne D'Arc & Innes. KFC on the corner, in a strip mall, lots of parking. Irish, Scottish, Down-East, styles played and sung.  A large, but quiet, pub with a 'semi-private' space for the musicians. Free (Ottawa East location). Contact Gordon, 613-824-8890.
	Ottawa Celtic Choir	Please, also refer to the Irish Music Ottawa Blog postings.
Wednesday
	NEW Celtic Cross Pub	7-11 PM, Open session every Wednesday night. This is a new session (Feb 2014), show up and lend your support and talent to the session! 343 Somerset St., just a few steps east of Bank St.
	The Swan On The Rideau Pub	8PM, Town of Osgoode (at the junction of River Road and Roger Stevens Drive), open Irish/Celtic session; first Wednesday of every month. Friendly, relaxed session. Generally no sheet music. Free, and guests are welcome. Contact John Henderson at 613-489-0773, (Ottawa South location).
	Naismith Sports Pub	7:30 PM, weekly, 411 Ottawa St, Almonte, ph: 613-256-6336 (location). For more info contact Charlie Dunlap at: cdunlap at xplornet dot com.
	Not-So-Slow Session	7:30 PM, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. Everyone gets a chance to start tunes at their own speed. For location, contact Rob: rcfroom \atsign/ magma \dot/ ca. Beginners welcome. No sheet music at this session. It is held in Hintonburg, Ottawa. Tune index here. Free.
Thursday	Ottawa Celtic Slow Jam	7:30 PM, weekly, fee $2. Sheet music welcome, beginners welcome, Glebe Community Centre (Glebe location).
	Daniel O'Connell's Pub	8 -12 PM, weekly, primarily experienced musicians, singers in English and Irish, guests welcome, free. No sheet music, (Hintonburg location).  You never know what will happen, or who will show up, at this one.  One free pint to musicians that participate (but don't forget to tip!). Always a great time.
Friday	No sessions	This space made with 100% filler.  Here is a link to an interesting article entitled "How to Start and Run an Irish Slow Session (session dynamics)" by Chris Smith.  Very good observations are made, and they apply not just to slow sessions.  See also The 10 Commandments of Jamming.
Saturday	No sessions	See below for weekend events such as: Comhaltas ceili's, Old Sod Folk Society Contra Dancing, Irish stage plays, Concerts, etc. Also, refer to the IMO blog.
Sunday	Cape Breton Session	2-5 PM, First and third Sundays of every month, Royal Oak Pub 318 Bank St. at MacLaren.  Primarily Cape Breton fiddle music (very few Irish tunes).  Check the session site for set lists and the dots.
	Patty's Pub Session	2:30- 5:30 PM weekly, 1186 Bank St, Old Ottawa South. Currently it's been mostly fiddles and flutes that have been showing up (with their owners no less). No sheet music. Session is 'medium-to-advanced' players. Players should be comfortable with their instrument and able to play at moderate speed. When session may not be held: summer, Mother's/Father's Day, possibly other major holidays. Contact Rosalyn (via Irish Music Ottawa).

(sorted by distance from Ottawa, nearest at the top)

• The Branch Restaurant, Kemptville, occasionally holds music sessions. Call to confirm. (location).
• Kingston Comhaltas Branch Slow Session - beginners, every Tuesday 7-9 PM
• Kingston Session - advanced players, every Tuesday, 9 PM, at Ben’s Pub 105 Clergy Street East
• Kingston Irish Folk Club - we hold regular sessions (with lots of Celtic songs)  - workshops on various instruments, Celtic art and Irish dance – we also actively research Irish Canadian history and have erected several Celtic cross monuments in Kingston. - we are looking for musicians and singers to join a community level Celtic singalong band – anyone interested in more info can call Tony O’Loughlin at 613-389-0754.
• NEW Kawartha Celtic Jam - 1st Saturday each month, Mark's Finer Diner & Your Place, 128 Landsdowne St E., Peterborough, 2-5 PM, Contact Gerry Mitchell 715-799-5008
• NEW Irish Sessions, Every Sunday from 4-8PM, Pinestone Resort, Highlanders Bar, 4252 County Road #21, Haliburton, (705) 457-1800 or 1 (800) 461-0357, Host: Phil McMahon

Current Concert listings, Workshops, Festivals, Language schools, and other Irish Music Ottawa related news  are now posted on the companion site, the Irish Music Ottawa BLOG. Depending on how often you check the blog, you may want to read back a month or two, to see what may be coming soon.

Noteworthy annual events: Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada (late June 2013); Russell CelticFest (month of June); Almonte Celtfest (month of July); Goderich Celtic Roots Festival (month of August, Goderich, On)

• Dennis Alexander - Luthier (Gatineau, maker, restorer, etc.)
• Peter Dawson (violin repairs, rentals, sales)
• Greg Dahms (Ottawa, archetler/bow maker)
• Guy Harrison - Luthier (violins, violas, cellos)
• The Sound Post (string instrument sales, repairs, restoration, etc.)
• Fine Strings, Olivia Pelling, Luthier, full Services.
• C.J. Dixon Celtic Instruments (Pembroke, Uillean pipe maker, bodhran maker)
• David Daye Uilleann Pipes (quality beginner pipes at relatively low cost, USA)
• Jim Hunter (fine bodhran tippers)
• ArdGlen Bodhrans (bodhrans, made in Montreal by Fred Graham)
• Dr. T's Handcrafted (tunable) Bodhrans and Tippers, made in Ottawa by Raye Thomas (available at Ottawa Folklore Centre)
• Brent Santin (wooden flutes, made in Cornwall, Ontario)
• Northwind Instruments (Made in Ottawa)
• Ottawa Folklore Centre (instrument sales)
• Random Sound Musical Instruments (harps) - View and hear one of Don Peddles creations, on YouTube.

TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS FOR PRIVATE SALE

Search Ottawa Kijiji keyword: "fiddle", "violin", "concertina", "accordian", "flute", "whistle", "acoustic (See Note)", "mandolin", "pipes", "harp"

Search Used Ottawa keyword: "fiddle", "violin", "concertina", "accordian", "flute", "whistle", "acoustic", "mandolin", "pipes", "harp"

View: Chiff and Fipple Instrument Exchange

Note: e.g. "acoustic" guitar, this should filter out the "heavy metal axes"

Ceilis / Dancing

• Comhaltas Ottawa : All CCE events are held at Blessed Sacrament Church, basement (side entrance), 194 Fourth Ave; MAP. Fees for ceili's and classes are generally $15 or lower. Beginners are always welcome. Also, CCE Ottawa now has a blog.
• "Brian's Ceili" - Usually one Saturday per month. St Margaret Mary Church Hall, 7 Fairbairn St, corner of Sunnyside Ave.; Saturdays: door opens 7:30, dance begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission by donation includes free dance lessons, munchies/desserts, tea. Feel free to bring munchies/snacks to share during the break. Great for singles and couples of all ages. Live Ceili band; No dance experience required. Free street parking. More info: Call Brian 613-523-9702.
• Old Sod Folk Music Society, 8PM, Contra Dancing twice a month, Sept to June, live music, dancing, (Westboro location).
• National Irish Canadian Cultural Centre, located in the former St. Brigid's Church in the Byward Market neighborhood, the Centre has many diverse and interesting events. Keep checking their website for up to the date information. (Downtown location).
• Celtic Cross Dancers, a group of Ottawa dancers who perform a mix of traditional and contemporary choreographies.

Theatre and Cinema

• Tara Players (Local Irish theatre)
• Gladstone Theatre (Live theatre produced directed by John P. Kelly at SevenThirty Productions and Plosive Productions throughout the year)
• SevenThirty Productions (Plays produced directed by John P. Kelly, plays not to be missed!!)

Musical Groups (active and playing locally)

• Barley Shakers (group)
• Corkery Road (group) - several gigs, check their site
• Lyon Street Celtic Band (group) - several gigs, check their site
• Acacia Lyra (Celtic Harp and voice)
• The McGee Band (fusing a blend of Irish, Scottish, and Québécois music, and have recorded a CD of original music in traditional style)
• The Ottawa Celtic Choir blog. Choral arrangements in English and a variety of Celtic languages. The OCC is a non-auditioned community choir. An ability to read music or speak one of the Celtic languages is not necessary to sing with them.

Local Irish Literature

• Kevin Dooley, local Irish-born author, sailor of the world's seas, writer of several novels and session musician.
• Labourers on the Rideau Canal, 1826-1832: From Work Site to World Heritage Site, edited by Katherine M.J. McKenna.  Available at Borealis Press.
• A Story to be Told A Story to be Told: Personal Reflections on the Irish Emigrant Experience in Canada, a collection of stories and photographs, edited by M. Eleanor McGrath, with forewords by former prime minister John Turner and former Irish PM Dr. G. FitzGerald.

Other Events and Resources (see also The Gaelic Hour calendar , and on Twitter, for a great listing of local Irish news and events, a superb monthly email of happenings)

• Irish Society of the National Captial Region, since 1957, promotion of Irish / Irish-Canadian culture and heritage, and the strengthening and support of the Irish / Irish-Canadian community in the Ottawa region.
• Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann Ottawa Branch blog.
• Ontario Geneological Society, Ottawa Branch, The Irish Research Group meets at the McNabb Community Centre, 180 Percy St. or room 156, Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. (same location as monthly meetings) on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Discussions include how and where to search your Irish roots and compiling information about Irish surnames in the Ottawa and outlying areas.
• Canadian Association for Irish Studies (seeking to foster and encourage the study of Irish culture in Canada)
• The Ottawa Gaels, Gaelic Football (and for kids, see also here)
• Rose of Tralee - Ottawa Centre
• Embassy of Ireland - Ottawa (The Irish Embassy)
• Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce

(sorting in this section is a bit of everything)

Ottawa Area	Ottawa Folklore Centre (Lessons, instrument sales, books, cds, etc.) Fiddle Lessons, private, with Don Fletcher, Cape Breton, Irish, Scottish, call 613-836-9410 Matt Pepin, fiddle lessons, Old Town Hall, Almonte, close Tues/Wed. Contact Matt at 613-265-7336 Denis Lanctot, fiddle and piano lessons, private, Cape Breton, French Canadian, Irish and Scottish, at any level. Call 613-422-1234. Cindy Thompson (Professional fiddle entertainer/fiddle instructor. Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, French Canadian, Canadian Old Time Fiddle style. All levels - private lessons, Workshops, fiddle camp instructor (Videos here and here). Alistair Dennett teaches bodhran, beginner to advanced, both 'Top End' and traditional styles, drums available 613 692 2097. Joanne Griffin Music, offers harp lessons in the Celtic style. Sherryl Fitzpatrick, fiddle and piano instruction, private and/or group classes, Old-tyme, French Canadian, Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, all levels (613) 440-4343. The Gaelic Hour (Ottawa radio, 97.9 FM, streaming audio) - Sundays 8am - 10am. Music from the Glen  (Carleton University radio, Sundays 11:30AM-1:00PM, 93.1 FM, streaming audio) Pipers and Pipe Bands Society of Ontario, Ottawa Branch (Highland piping). Glenngarry Place for the Arts (promoting all Celtic musical genres). Siegel Entertainment (The Lyon Street Celtic Band, Celtic North, and much more).
Montreal	Siamsa.org (Montreal, instruction, seisiuns, etc.) O' Regan's Session Tunebook (great resource material here, well organised site) Cine Gael Montreal, Irish cinema in Montreal L'Union des Breton du Canada Comhra, Irish language instruction
Towards Toronto..	Steafan Hannigan (professional musician and teacher, multi-instrumentalist) Daev Clysdale (Toronto. Lessons in Irish flute and tin whistle) Brockville Irish Cultural Society (promote the music and culture of Ireland in Brockville and area) Quinte Irish Canadian Society North American Gaeltacht (an area where Irish is spoken, in North America, in Ontario!)
Online Audio	Clare FM Trad archive (From the heart of trad country, consistently great!) Comhaltas site (music, video, updated often) In the Claddagh Ring every Friday evening between 6.30 and 8.00pm Pacific time.
Online Video	Comhaltas videos of Ottawa musicians The Full Set (Irish traditional music series presented by Daithi Ó Sé, produced for RTÉ Television) LiveTrad.com (live concerts streamed) Geantrai ("Lively Music", a hugely popular traditional music series which has become regular viewing for every musician and traditional music follower in Ireland, produced for RTÉ Television)
Tunes, Archives	TheSession.org - Huge archive of session music O'Neill's Music of Ireland (a classic collection of Celtic sheet music. There are 1850 tunes in the collection) J.C's ABC Tunefinder (search for tunes in ABC format) Henrik Norbeck's ABC Tunes (counting 1661 Irish Tunes!) Tune-O-Tron at ABC overt-A-Matic (convert ABC data to pdf and midi) The Fiddler's File Companion List (ABC files, historical notes on many tunes) Slowplayers.org (Session tunes in midi audio format) The Irish Music Review (Reviews of more than 430 releases) TradTune It is conceptually similar to "Tunes" section of the popular site thesession.org, with some added functionality (such as one-click tune transposition, tune playback, etc.).  Of course, since the site is only a few days old, its database is still very limited; however, it is hoped that the tune selection will grow rapidly as the site increases in popularity. Irish Music.net (Traditional Irish Music CDs, festivals, musicians, summer schools, and more)
Practice &  Instruction	TradLessons.com (very good for whistlers, pipers, guitar, series also posted on YouTube) TradSchool.com (online music and learning) Fordham University (whistle lessons on YouTube with Ryan Dunn, very good player) Virtual Session (BBC website, very slick, play along!) Victor Maltby, teaches fiddle in Carleton Place, phone number is 613-250-0729 Alf Warnock's Page (nice page, lots of useful info here) Irish Flute Tunes (lots of tunes, audio with tempo increasing from slow-to-quick for each tune) Slowplay CD A collection of some of the most popular session tunes in the Celtic repertoire, all played at a slow to moderate tempo. Played on guitar and bodhran. Folk of the Wood, good webpage for beginners of many traditional stringed instruments. Mandolin players, and those that want to learn, go here! Lessons with James Kelly via the internet. TG4 Irish Musician of the Year 2006.
Historical	A Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music (Gearóid O hAllmhuráin, presently at Concordia University, Montreal) Rough Guide to Irish Music (Amazon.ca link) - an 'encyclopedia' of Irish musicians and groups Music of Ireland, Traditional Music Sessions (Wikipedia links) History of Irish Dancing
Humour	Traditional instrument jokes Pat O'Reilly's 2000 years of Irish Music

Do you teach? Not listed here? Tell me what you teach, and provide contact info. See bottom of page for my contact.

Contact the scribe, Craig, at:

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