Blog

In the traditional Irish music scene, Summer Schools are a fully immersive experience offering amazing opportunities to improve one's musicianship all the while having the mightiest craic with round-the-clock trad sessions. Many families organise their summers around the various schools, with a visit to the Fleadh—whatever town it's held in—being the highlight. We've drawn up a list of the most popular Summer Schools in Ireland.

OAIM Bouzouki Tutor Billy Mag Fhloinn says traditional music is the driving pulse and background noise of his life, with wife Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, in West Kerry. In this interview he gives us a rare glimpse into his eclectic life as Irish musician, archaeologist and folklorist; resurrector of old instruments, dabbler in new (yaybahar, anyone?), plus to top it off, he moonlights as a Pagan Rave performer...

This post, by OAIM tenor banjo and mandolin tutor Paddy Cummins, is a continuation of our Music Theory series. In it, Paddy explains some fundamental terms such as keys, scales and modes; why understanding them is so important, particularly for accompanists, in an Irish music session; and why you might hear a musician shouting "Galway" during a session. It's a meaty post, but very much worth the effort to read. It will stand you in good stead as you venture out to the world of live sessions. Enjoy!

As we approach the end of the year, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the highlights for us here at OAIM.

Get a rare glimpse into the life and times of piper and OAIM tutor Mikie Smyth; who believes every note has its right to be heard; that uilleann pipes squeak; and that instruments have their own mood swings! Pop on the kettle, pull up a chair and prepare to be put under Mikie's spell! Enjoy!

Niamh Dunne is a highly accomplished singer, fiddler, composer and a member of the world renowned band Beoga. She has grown up steeped in music, song and tradition. We sat down with her in advance of the launch of her first solo album to feature her songs exclusively. The album Tides is out now!

This first post in our Music Theory Series by OAIM tenor banjo and mandolin tutor Paddy Cummins, explains how ABC Notation is utilised in our courses and helps you understand how each symbol relates to a corresponding musical feature. We have sheet music available to download for all tunes taught in our courses in both standard and ABC notation. ABC Notation was created originally for those who can't read standard notation music sheets, it is a text-based music notation system, "the de facto standard for folk and traditional music". We hope you enjoy this in-depth study of ABC notation, furthermore we hope it serves your journey of discovery and learning.

All Ireland Champion Flute Player Majella Bartley is a respected flute and fiddle teacher. We thought it would be nice to sit down with her and chat about the tradition that she has been immersed in and find out what advice she has for others. We hope you enjoy the interview.

Muireann is very well known here in Ireland, both on TV and radio. We thought it might be nice for our global audience to learn more about her: her background, her love of the Irish language and her wonderful new album. Muireann teaches two singing courses here on OAIM; we're honoured to have her, a tradition bearer, on our team and can't impress enough on our subscribers how lucky they are to have access to someone of her caliber to learn sean nós, traditional Irish singing, from. They simply couldn't do better!