Go Gcasa Muid Le Chéile Arís (Until We Meet Again)
After eight days and nearly 1500 km of driving, I found myself back in Dublin Sunday night, where I rewarded myself with a return to trip O'Donoghue's, the friendly, spit-on-the-floor pub above which I'd stayed during my first weekend in Ireland. O'Donoghue's is probably the most famous music pub in Dublin, the birthplace of legendary groups such as The Dubliners, Christy Moore, and The Fureys. Situated around the corner from the buildings which house the Irish federal government, they've also been know to host some fairly stellar drop-ins (such as the German Chancellor.)
These days, it's mostly pickup sessions at O'Donoghue's, though the folks that gather around the front table here are among the best in town: walk-ins need not apply. On Sunday night, the music had a rustic, plucky feel: banjos, bouzoukis, bodhráns, a concertina. Most of players were old pros, though there was one guy in his early 30's who played the baddest bodhrán I've ever heard, padding the skin and playing the tipper all up and down the rim. One of the old timers sang on a couple of tunes, surprising himself that he still had the voice for it.
The session ended around 7:30, leaving me just enough time to stroll south along St. Stephen's Green to the National Concert Hall, home of Ireland's leading orchestra, the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, and occasional touring acts from across the globe. As you might expect of a concert hall smack dab in the center of the Emerald Isle, the Victorian interior was all green-and-white, right down to the pipe organ looming above the stage.

Sunday's performance was by the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland: an orchestra of 12-24 year olds that come from all across Ireland. The hall was less than half-full, mostly friends and family there to support the young musicians. The atmosphere was casual and laid back, filled with gregarious greetings and applause between movements.
On the first half, they sounded fine playing a Berlioz overture and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 (with Romain Descharmes). But, conductor Christophe Mangou - Assistant Conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra - decided to go for broke in the second half, with Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Although I heard Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra take this on last year at Carnegie, this is one helluva tough piece for any orchestra - much less a group of kids - turning the spotlight on all sections.
As you might expect, the winds and brass - particularly the trumpets and horns - were shaky and uneven. But other sections - the flutes, percussion, strings - played brilliantly. Which, when you think about it, shouldn't be all that surprising, given those are the traditional instruments that have been played in Ireland for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, there isn't much calling for the tin whistle or uilleann pipes in the classical repertoire...
Sure, it wasn't Carnegie Hall - or even Avery Fisher - but I can't think of a better way to close out my first-ever visit to this most musical island. Until we meet again. (More pics below.)
These days, it's mostly pickup sessions at O'Donoghue's, though the folks that gather around the front table here are among the best in town: walk-ins need not apply. On Sunday night, the music had a rustic, plucky feel: banjos, bouzoukis, bodhráns, a concertina. Most of players were old pros, though there was one guy in his early 30's who played the baddest bodhrán I've ever heard, padding the skin and playing the tipper all up and down the rim. One of the old timers sang on a couple of tunes, surprising himself that he still had the voice for it.
The session ended around 7:30, leaving me just enough time to stroll south along St. Stephen's Green to the National Concert Hall, home of Ireland's leading orchestra, the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, and occasional touring acts from across the globe. As you might expect of a concert hall smack dab in the center of the Emerald Isle, the Victorian interior was all green-and-white, right down to the pipe organ looming above the stage.
Sunday's performance was by the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland: an orchestra of 12-24 year olds that come from all across Ireland. The hall was less than half-full, mostly friends and family there to support the young musicians. The atmosphere was casual and laid back, filled with gregarious greetings and applause between movements.
On the first half, they sounded fine playing a Berlioz overture and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 (with Romain Descharmes). But, conductor Christophe Mangou - Assistant Conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra - decided to go for broke in the second half, with Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Although I heard Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra take this on last year at Carnegie, this is one helluva tough piece for any orchestra - much less a group of kids - turning the spotlight on all sections.
As you might expect, the winds and brass - particularly the trumpets and horns - were shaky and uneven. But other sections - the flutes, percussion, strings - played brilliantly. Which, when you think about it, shouldn't be all that surprising, given those are the traditional instruments that have been played in Ireland for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, there isn't much calling for the tin whistle or uilleann pipes in the classical repertoire...
Sure, it wasn't Carnegie Hall - or even Avery Fisher - but I can't think of a better way to close out my first-ever visit to this most musical island. Until we meet again. (More pics below.)