jbright's Travel Journals

jbright

 
What do you want to do the next time you travel abroad?

learn a language, earn a degree abroad, study abroad, volunteer in a needy community, work with the environment, experience a new culture through studying, experience a new culture through volunteering, go sightseeing, spend a holiday abroad, meet new people, gain professional experience, make some money, change the world [somehow], adventure travel

  • From United States
  • Currently in Germany

British Isles 2010

All the things I've seen, places I've been whilst studying throughout the UK and Ireland in summer '10.

Day 40: Trad on the Proms

Ireland Galway, Ireland  |  Jun 22, 2010
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 that’s the best—when you get to see musicians who are really passionate about their work. 

We started the day by leaving Derry and visiting the church where the poet Yeats is buried. It wasn’t really all that interesting to me as I’ve never been big on poetry, and I’ve never heard of Yeats.

BUT the best part of the day was after we got into Galway and got to see ‘Trad on the Proms.’ Tom had told us that he had arranged a night full of traditional Irish music, so I was expecting something like an Irish Ceilidh. The ‘Trad on the Proms’ though required no real audience participation, but was just as—if not more—fun.

We got there early so that we could get to our seats and in we walk in to see a great stage and random boxes throughout the audience. When the performance did begin, there were three or so men all equipped with various instruments; one gave an introduction speech and told us all about the pride of the Irish and how it translated to their music. After a song or two, a woman named Máirín Fahy who played a mean fiddle. I mean she was just fantastic! And you could tell that she really loved to play it too, that’s the best—when you get to see musicians who are really passionate about their work.

Throughout the performance, we also got to see some dancers, one girl who was voted best in the world two years (or maybe it was four?) running for her riverdancing, and two brothers whose legwork was just insane, there was also one woman who was not a riverdancer and we got to see her dancing on a barrel and with props like a broom, it was amazing; we also heard from a singer and got a taste of some traditional Irish instruments, one a drum, the other a pipe similar to the Scottish bagpipe but, is more ‘clever’ than the bagpipe since the part used to give wind is attached to the elbow therefore there’s no chance for the player to lose his breath while playing.

I really enjoyed the night and would recommend to anyone visiting Galway between May and September to go see ‘Trad on the Proms.’ It’s really spectacular and worth the €30 we had to pay.

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Mexico 0-1 Uruguay

France 1-2 South Africa

Nigeria 2-2 S. Korea

Greece 0-2 Argentina

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