Ceol na Mara Summer School for Strings
Ceol na Mara is a unique summer school for strings in Connemara for We have paused it since 2020 but plan to resume in the summer of 2025
Ceol na Mara is is a family friendly music summer school for all ages and levels. Located deep in the Connemara countryside. We offer classes in chamber music, chamber orchestra and traditional Irish music, interspersed with some singing and drama for the younger members and music appreciation for the adults. We have developed into quite an extended family as participants return year after year. P
pre start of term minicamp 🎶🎻
26th & 27th August
10am - 3pm ICO studio
All welcome! DM for details
30/11/2022
Gorgeous night launching ICO Originals and Ten Years from Now with Vyvienne Long at The Hunt Museum.
Come visit the exhibition until 13th December!
Limerick Leader Red Paw Media CRUDE Media RTÉ lyric fm I Love Limerick (OFFICIAL GROUP) Limerick Arts Office
08/04/2022
Congrats to Mollie Wrafter who attended the Ceol Na Mara Summer school every year from the age of twelve to eighteen. We are very proud of her. 👏🏻👏🏻🎶🎶
Congratulations to violinist Mollie Wrafter who won the Aileen Gore Cup and the €1500 RTÉ lyric fm award at Feis Ceoil 2022! 🎻🏆
https://irishheritage.org.uk/artists/mollie-wrafter
https://www.feisceoil.ie/Festival/Winners.asp
31/12/2021
With great sadness I must confirm that we will not be going ahead with Ceol Na Mara Summer school in 2022.
Firstly, the uncertainly surrounding the pandemic has meant that plans both for tutors and participants that would have needed to be in place by now could not go ahead. Also, we are not prepared to take any risks nor do we want restrict participation or change our ethos which brings younger and older people together in a relaxed atmosphere of music making.
So although this decision was difficult, we feel it is the only course of action.
We look forward to a time (hopefully 2023🤞🏻) when we will return again to Connemara.
I do however hope to run some Ceol Na Mara orchestra sessions this year in Limerick. Please follow my Ceol Na Mara Chamber orchestra page for news on that. 🎶
Dedicating this arrangement and performance of the Connemara cradle song to my friends in Connemara. Looking forward to being back again in 2022 with the Ceol Na Mara summer school. 🎶💕
06/03/2021
Hi everyone, with a heavy heart I have made the decision not to run the summer course this year due to too much uncertainty regarding the way the things will be regarding travel, vaccinations etc by July.
I never imagined last year when I had to cancel, that we would still be in this position and yet here we are.
I do however hope to be able to have something online at some point during the summer and possibly a day or two of chamber music for limited numbers in Limerick if conditions allow, and there is enough interest, so watch this space for any further news!
If you would like to be informed of developments in that area send me a private message here and I will keep you in the loop!
I really really look forward to running Ceol Na Mara summer school in 2022!
And I think I’m already planning it in my head to be the best we’ve ever had!! 🎶🎼🎻
16/11/2020
Linger by the Cranberries arranged Oonagh Keogh performed by the Ceol na Mara Orchesta. Arrangement for string Orchesta Played by the Ceol na Mara Orchestra.
22/10/2020
Having sadly been unable to hold Ceol na Mara Summer School in 2020 we very much hope that we will be able to return at the end of July 2021 and bring you our unique blend of music, fun, family and friends in beautiful Connemara!
We need it more than ever now!
I know there have been visits to this page recently so rest assured we will keep you posted and let you know what’s happening as soon as we can confirm dates and other details.
Stay safe! 🎶💕
* photography by Teresa Parle
30/07/2020
Lovely to meet up with some of the original participants and long time supporters of Ceol Na Mara, who are also in the area on holiday,
the Holmes and Downes families. 💕
Jennifer Holmes and Siobhán Downes took part for 8 years, from 2009 only our second year up until 2016! Also in the photo, Helen Kelly , (Jenny’s mum who took part in the adult course many times) and Olive Downes Siobhan’s mum.
We missed Emma Downes though (who took part as a student and in later years as an assistant tutor, and is now pursuing a career in music in France.
This year would have been year 13 of the course. If you’re superstitious ..maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised it couldn’t go ahead due to the pandemic 😳 but not even the pandemic could keep us away from the area!
Most of the hotels, shops and restaurants have reopened by now in the Renvyle area and are so welcoming and extremely safe and compliant in the way they are doing things. 👍🏻
If you are anywhere near Letterfrack I highly recommend a visit to Veldon’s restaurant! The food is delicious and also The Clover Fox (known as the Bard’s Den in previous years)
You will be extremely well looked after in both places. Booking in advance is recommended.
07/07/2020
Seraglio, the Mini-Series - Trailer Presenting Irish National Opera’s Seraglio, a new mini-series created under lockdown. Directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, featuring a cast headed by soprano Cl...
If like me you live more than 5k from the sea, you might enjoy the lovely graphics Conor Linehan put to our lockdown version of Ceol Na Mara Waltz.
I wrote it a few years ago as a piece for strings, inspired by my summer course and wanting to write something that was uniquely theirs to play. It has evolved into this version with the input of Conor whose beautiful piano arrangement compliments the melody so beautifully I think.
Sadly Ceol Na Mara summer school looks like it cannot go ahead this year which is so upsetting, but let’s plan for something even more special once we can interact and function a little more freely. 💕
We will make a decision on this year’s Ceol Na Mara during the week.
The guaranteed safety of staff and students is obviously our priority.
27/04/2020
This piece was inspired by the summer school and its 10th anniversary in 2017 so it very much belongs with Connemara and all my friends there and my loyal summer school participants past and present! I hope you enjoy this specially made arrangement. 💕🎶
Ceol Na Mara Waltz composed by Oonagh Keogh arranged by Conor Linehan. Ceol Na Mara Waltz by Oonagh Keogh arranged by Conor Linehan. Performed by Oonagh Keogh and Conor Linehan. Ceol Na Mara (Irish for music of the Sea) written ...
17/04/2020
The Ceol na Mara Orchestra team up with the WhistleBlast Quartet for a composition project. Ceol Na Mara/WhistleBlast collaboration! The music is a work in progress composed by the orchestra members and played and sung by them! Video by Dominik Kosi...
14/04/2020
Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes. From Ma Mère Oye (Mother Goose Suite) by Ravel The WhistleBlast Quartet perform ‘Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas’ – Exotic Javanese music paints a picture of the little empress taking her bath while...
04/04/2020
Pavane by Fauré played by the WhistleBlast Quartet The WhistleBlast Quartet (Mary Curran - horn, Ken Edge - saxophone, Conor Linehan - piano and Oonagh Keogh - violin) perform together-while-apart in Mayo, Me...
25/03/2020
Update: With the current global situation everything feels uncertain right now. However we would like to assure you that Ceol Na Mara is currently still planning to go ahead in July. We all need something to look forward to so I would like to very much encourage you to register at this point (so we can have an idea of the numbers) form available to download at:
www.ceolnamara.ie)
but to hold off paying the fee until we have a clearer picture of what the future holds.
Stay safe everyone, we are all in this together and there will be blue skies ahead! Keep playing music and listening to music in the meantime! 💕🎻🎶🎵
Dates for Ceol Na Mara 2020 will be July 19th - 24th 🎶
28/11/2019
So proud of my past pupil Mollie Wrafter, who travelled to Limerick from Tullamore for her lesson every Saturday for many years. She was leader of the Ceol Na Mara orchestra and attended Ceol Na Mara summer school for (at least)7 consecutive years! 🤗🎶💕 well done you! Onwards and upwards! (Up Offaly too! My dad’s hometown 😉) Dolores Ni Reachtaire 👍🏻
Offaly musician enjoys success in high-profile UK audition Bursaries with a combined value of over £10,000 were at stake when 12 very talented Irish musicians and singers, including Mollie Wrafter from Tullamore, met in the elegant surroundings of the Wigmore Hall in London on Thursday last, November 7 for the annual Irish Heritage Bursary auditions. ...
17/09/2019
It is actually not surprising to me that this is the situation now that we have got to in this country, that we have to fight to save the only station worth listening to.
It’s a sign of the times and of how the gradual dumbing down of tv/radio/concerts etc to appeal to the lowest common denominator is hitting rock bottom. First they threaten the orchestra’s and now this! 🙄 culture is clinging by its fingertips...please sign and share. If nothing else, we need diversity on our airwaves!
Save Lyric FM I'm taking action to save Lyric FM. Will you join me by signing this petition?
26/08/2019
The Ceol Na Mara Orchestra for string players between the ages of 9 and 18, will be back to rehearsals on Sunday September 8th in the ICO studio in UL. There are a limited amount of places for new members, in particular for viola, cello and bass players.
For further details please contact me here by private message.
14/08/2019
Aoibhin Keogh Daly represents Ireland at European Youth Orchestra Aoibhin Keogh Daly, 17, a student at Laurel Hill Coláiste in Limerick, is currently representing Ireland playing her cello in RCO Young.
13/08/2019
Young - @concertgebouworkest See Instagram ‘Young’ highlights from Concertgebouworkest ()
12/08/2019
Overheard at our Ceol Na Mara end of course concert one year
“Some day I’m going to be able to say I heard you sing in the Teach Ceoil in Renvyle, before you were famous!” 😄
Thrilled to see the success of my cousin Sibéal ní Casaide’s debut album, Sibéal’ currently riding high in the charts! (Buy it or download it if you haven’t already!)
We at Ceol Na Mara are particularly proud of her as she was a frequent participant at our summer school over the years along with her talented sisters and brother and her father, Odhrán was and still is, a valued and much loved tutor every year.
Here is an old clip of her (aged around 11 or 12) singing (albeit a little reluctantly as she was not one to ever look for the limelight at all!)
Her talent was already very evident and we look forward to seeing her going from strength to strength! comhghairdeas!
https://youtu.be/tSaDW-RYDrA
Ceol Na Mara Summer School for Strings in Connemara Every summer Ceol Na Mara run a summer school for strings in Connemara, Ireland. This is a magical week where both adults and children who play stringed inst...
The ‘Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s new European youth orchestra known as ‘RCO Young’ in the Netherlands began yesterday. Here are some of the 27 nationalities saying hello in their native language. There are two musicians representing Ireland in this and they are, Aoibhin Keogh Daly (a cellist who has taken part in Ceol Na Mara summer school since the beginning when she was 5!
she had very little choice..she’s my daughter! 😂)
The other Irish musician is a violist from Dublin called Eve Quigley who learns with young European strings.
Good luck to them both with this great experience to meet and learn with so many international young musicians and to be coached in orchesta, chamber music and individual lessons by members of the world famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
COYGIG! 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪 ☘️☘️☘️ 🎶🎶🎶
(If they were sportswomen...it would be on the news!! 😉)
04/08/2019
Expedition up the Diamond ⛰🧗♀️
Ceol na Mara had not one, not two but THREE world premiere performances this year of new pieces of music!
Two were by tutors and and one by a young participant.
This is a piece called ‘ Cois Farraige’ composed by Aoibhin Keogh Daly (who many of you will know, happens to be my daughter) as a piano piece. When I heard it first I thought it was a really beautiful tune and asked could I arrange it for strings so we could have it played at Ceol na Mara. Really proud of her and excited about our first collaboration together 🎶❤️
29/07/2019
Rehearsals 🎶
Videos (show all)
