It's trad, Jim, but not as we know it!

[CelticRambler]

Back in the day, listening to Christy Moore's Continental Céilidh when it was first released, I never thought I'd end up swapping set dancing and the whistle for the seriously big but almost unknown continental céilidh scene. You'd get the odd hint of it on Radio na Gaeltachta's Malairt Poirt le Muireann but even that great programme can't capture the full ambiance.

'Tis all a bit quiet this year (as it was last year ) but there are still some events taking place. Anyway, assuming we get back to "business as usual" next year, anyone who fancies taking their Walls of Limerick to the next level should give me a shout around mid-July, when I help out at this festival:



Kinda like the fleadh cheoil, but all in one field, and with a lot more instrument-makers and a lot more dancing!

[CelticRambler]

For anyone wishing to sample this scene when next they visit France, an incomplete list of events is usually posted on this site: https://agendatrad.org/calendrier/France Some groups attract a more lively audience than others. One word of caution, though: finding the event can sometimes be the biggest challenge. While many of them take place in a community hall (the name and location of which may or may not correspond to what's on the listing), it's just as likely that they'll be in a field or a farmyard in the middle of nowhere, with nothing more than a cryptic hieroglyph indicating the location!