Máirtín de Cógáin, a renowned singer, dancer, story-teller, and master of the bodhrán, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES). The award, which recognizes individuals who have advanced the teaching and performance of Irish music in the United States, will be presented at the 23rd Annual O’Flaherty … [Read more...] about Máirtín de Cógáin Receives Irish Artist Award
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Liz Knowles Receives Irish Artist Award
American traditional Irish fiddler Liz Knowles has been named the 2024 recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES). The award, which honors individuals who have advanced the teaching and performance of Irish music in the United States, will be presented at the 21st Annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat held this year on … [Read more...] about Liz Knowles Receives Irish Artist Award
Randal Bays Receives Recognition
Fiddler/guitarist Randal Bays of Olympia, Washington is this year's recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award. The award is presented by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES) to individuals who have advanced the learning and performance of traditional Irish music in the United States. For more than 40-plus years, Randal has been involved with the Irish music … [Read more...] about Randal Bays Receives Recognition
We’re Going Virtual!
by Ken Fleming Back in early March, most of the work on the retreat that I normally do as director was already done. Classes and instructors were finalized. Concerts were scheduled. Camp Hoblitzelle was booked. All that was left was registration and smooth sailing until October. HOW THINGS CAN CHANGE! The COVID-19 pandemic came out of nowhere and rocked the world, and it upended our plans for … [Read more...] about We’re Going Virtual!
It Was Grand so Let’s Do It Again!
There is so much to write about our last O'Flaherty Retreat, but blogs don't lend themselves to lengthy compositions, so here is my summary view. It was amazing! We grew to more than 400 participants, with a few shy of 300 students enrolled. It was our largest event ever, and our most challenging in many ways, but our team of volunteers stepped up and did a superb job. The weather was … [Read more...] about It Was Grand so Let’s Do It Again!
Thanks Candy for This Year’s Flyer/Poster!
Candy Schell has created most of our logos, fliers, posters, t-shirt designs and banners over the years. We may be a little biased, but we think her work is amazing. Not only is she a creative graphics artist and designer, she is an incredible fiddler who shares our passion for Irish music. And honestly, she is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Thanks Candy for adding another fine … [Read more...] about Thanks Candy for This Year’s Flyer/Poster!
Rose Conway Flanagan Honored
We have selected fiddler and teacher Rose Conway Flanagan of New York as this year's recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award. The award is presented by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES) to individuals who have advanced the learning and performance of traditional Irish music in the United States. Rose is a former instructor at the O'Flaherty Irish Music … [Read more...] about Rose Conway Flanagan Honored
We’ve Got Ourselves a New Website!
We are weeks away from launching our new website, but I am already excited about revealing it to our students, instructors, staff and volunteers. We were certainly due for an upgrade. Nowadays, people expect better navigation, pages that display well on Smart phones and tablets, more functionality, more of what you want to see and a fresh, clean look. I think our new site has all of these … [Read more...] about We’ve Got Ourselves a New Website!