Traditional Irish Music Session.

Posted on by Thor

Scott Vocca and Vicki Gish who run the Irish music session at the Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub, (4308 Curry Ford Rd, Orlando, FL 32806) bought the pub, recently, only to have the property sold out from under them a few months later. Businesses in the small strip mall were abandoned and several were boarded up. It looks like the whole area will be bulldozed for new development. Inside the pub however the warm inviting music continued. Every other Wednesday these Irish music sessions liven up the pub. This was the last Wednesday session of the year before the pub closes its doors for good.

On this evening there were several soulful solos sung. When I started the sketch, a young woman with jet black hair and a young round face was singing as everyone in the bar stopped to listen. I wish I had caught her in the sketch. A tenor sang a solo in Gaelic and his voice also caused pints of Guinness to pause on their way to lips. The accordion player to my left wanted photos anytime he knew a tune and joined in. A sweet Irish woman to my right was glad to oblige although she couldn’t figure out the buttons on his cell phone camera.

There will be one final blow out Irish party where you can have your last pint at the Claddagh Cottage and listen to The Bronx Boys ring in the new year with traditional Irish and American music. Alan Murray will be joined by Isaac Alderson on uilleann pipes and vocals andAlasdair White on fiddle. This party will be the last day at the original Claddagh Cottage so get out and help them drink everything up! The party starts at 6pm and goes until 3am.

The Claddagh Cottage will be demolished in early 2017 to make way for a Walgreens. Scott and
Vicki, who purchased the pub business in early 2016 are building a new
Claddagh Cottage a mile west at 2421 Curry Ford Rd near Bumby
Ave. Stay tuned for updates as to when the new location will be open.
Meanwhile the temporary home for the Irish session for the first few months of 2017
will be at the sister pub, The Harp and Celt, (25 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801). It will be held on the north
side of the bar (the Harp side) at the regular time and dates. The music starts around 6pm or 7pm and continues until the wee hours of the morning.

Mark your Calendar!

January 11, 25

February 8, 22

March 8, 22

Bottoms Up. A Celebration of the Life of Matt McGrath.

Posted on by Thor

A memorial was held for Matt McGrath at the Harp and Celt (25 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL).  Matt was just 48 when he died suddenly from cancer. Few people realized he was even sick. Perhaps he wanted everyone to remember him as the vibrant and active person he always was.  He played ice hockey regularly at the RDV Ice Den. His hot Irish blood was perfect for the heat of competitive sports. Matt’s home was the birth place of so many local theater productions. Often the first readings of a script would happen on his back patio. During the day he was an accountant but in the evening, he became a theatrical producer. Rather than having friends remember him in a stodgy funeral home he insisted that they all get drunk and tell stories at his favorite Irish pub in downtown Orlando.

Matt was a bit of an enigma. This is how he described himself online, “Open minded, fun and outgoing guy, who has a very diverse set of
interests. I like to stay busy and participate in many activities from
softball and hockey, to theater and art.” His home which was just a block from an Irish pub in College Park was the home base for many independent theatrical productions. I sketched in his “man cave“, a personal pub complete with a stripper pole and rubber boobies hanging on the wall, on many occasions. Matt had friends in many circles. I bumped into one of his long time work colleges at the bar and at the front door of the bar I ran into the magnificent Irish musicians, Vicki Gish, Scott Vocca, and Kathleen Cavinagh, who perform at Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Rd., Orlando, FL) on every other Wednesday. I never knew that Matt I loved their music. Odd that our paths didn’t cross at that pub.

Someone got up to speak about Matt’s love of Irish Music. Anyone with an instrument can join in and play at the Claddagh Cottage music sessions. Matt wanted to join in so much, that he brought a triangle. Someone shouted out that the reason he needed a triangle, was because he broke so man glasses by hitting them with a spoon. Now a triangle is no more of a traditional Irish instrument than say a cow bell. The regular Irish musicians humored him and performed traditional pieces that in theory could incorporate the triangle. Matt joined in, but he kept missing the beats, much to the amusement of everyone in the bar. It got so bad that someone stole the triangle to keep him quiet. The person telling the story had purchased a new triangle in Matt’s honor, along with a fancy triangle stand. He got choked up as he explained that it will be framed and hung in the bar in Matt’s honor. Brian Sikorsky told me that Patty Sheehan
said she was going to make a bar stool in his honor. The Orlando Fringe will be renaming the beer tent, “The Matt McGrath Beer Tent” in his memory..

Brian told me of the day five beautiful actresses flew in from London for the Orlando International Fringe Festival. They were from Haste Theater Company and the play they were presenting was called Oyster Boy. Anyway Brian called them to see if they had landed OK. It turned out the they were already at Matt’s house enjoying drinks. Brian laughed. Matt never met a beautiful woman that he didn’t love. A slide flickered on the screen, showing Matt in a red T-Shirt that said, “You’ll do.”

The slide show was projected on a screen above the door for the duration of the memorial. Matt as a toddler who had just learned to walk, held beer bottle. Most of the photos showed Matt in the company of beautiful women, On an airplane, he had beautiful stewardess in each arm. So many of Orlando’ beautiful actresses, dancers and models were draw to Matt like moths to a flame. One actress spoke about how Matt helped her with homework in exchange for his getting to see her breasts. An older woman with raspy voice got up to the microphone an shouted, “Matt was that rare bread of a man, he was a nice guy! Around Christmas, he shared the multiple presents he got for all of his girlfriends. He wanted to be democratic. Like I said, He was a nice guy.”

Slides showed Matt jumping out of an airplane, on a zip line, swilling beer with busty German bar maids and traveling the world. He has “been to 5 of the 7 continents. Was lucky enough to see the great wall and the Spinx.” He lived large and loved life. He mixed with different groups of people, that didn’t tend to mingle together. Some of my dearest friends posed beside him. Even friends who preferred anonymity blossomed in his company. Some of Orlando’s most beautiful women entered the bar in honor of a man who knew how to make them feel special. My favorite slide showed three men and a woman in a woman’s bathroom with McGrath written across their bums. He wrote his name across so many hearts and asses. At the bar, some people couldn’t stop crying. Others shaved stories and couldn’t stop laughing. As the Irish musicians performed, Matt got his wish as we ate and drank in his honor, tapping our feet to the Irish music. Seize the day and love every moment, because our time is limited. Perhaps we can’t live forever, but we can try to create something that will.

Every other Wednesday Traditional Irish Music Sessions

Posted on by Thor

I sketched at Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Rd., Orlando, FL) on November 4th. Every other Wednesday, Vicki Gish, and Scott Vocca host a traditional Irish music session at the pub. Kathleen Cavanagh, has been playing the uilleann pipes for years. These three are members of Crooked Road, which keeps the traditional Irish music alive in Central Florida. 

An Irish Session is a gathering of
musicians playing traditional Irish music (occasionally including other Celtic
genres such as Scottish, Brittany, Cape Breton, and French Canadian) on
traditional Irish instruments. Traditional Irish music is made up of dance
tunes such as reels, jigs, hornpipes, slides, and a few other miscellaneous
forms including polkas, set dances, airs and songs. It is not so much a performance, but a sharing of
traditional tunes among the musicians and those who care to listen. The
instruments might include fiddle, flute, accordion, uilleann
pipes (pronounced ILL-in), concertina, tenor banjo, whistle
(a.k.a. penny whistle, tin whistle), mandolin, bodhrán
(pronounced BOW-ron), guitar, and sometimes piano.

At this session there was a visitor from out of town. He was visiting from Minnesota and he found this Irish session to help him celebrate his 30th birthday. He had with him a bodhrán and his beat helped enliven every set. This is fairly common for musicians to visit from out of town.  There is no pressure to keep performing, so between tunes, musicians would relax and sip Guinness. I glanced at the bar several times to consider ordering a pint, but didn’t see a bartender. Once I started to sketch, I was lost in thought. Vicki got up to order and she bought me a pint. Which I didn’t expect, but I’m grateful.

Sketching at an Irish Music Session is a delight. I tap my foot to the beat and sway a bit as the sketch progresses. Perhaps traditional watercolor is more appropriate for a Irish session, but I used the tablet since I had come straight from teaching digital art to my students at Elite Animation. A little girl kept struggling to see what I was doing but her bigger sister kept pulling her back to be polite. A patron at the bar decided to pose in the archway behind the musicians so I could include him in the sketch.  Everyone laughed at his gesture.

Mark your calendar, the next Irish Music session is November 18th, followed by December 2, 16 and 30.

Harp & Celt

Posted on by Thor

Kevin Hing informed me that musicians from Ireland were going to perform on February 23rd at Avalon Gallery. The concert was sold out, but the performers and local musicians were all going to the Harp and Celt, (25 South Magnolia Avenue), afterwards for a traditional Irish music session.

When I got to the bar, I didn’t notice any musicians. I ordered a pint of Guinness at the bar and asked the bartender if he knew of any musicians coming in that night. He broke into a loud rendition of “Oh Danny Boy” in reply. Everyone at the bar had a good laugh.

I settled in at a table and waited. Within half an hour, musicians started arriving. They moved many tables together and soon the place was filled with music. Kathleen Cavanagh explained that the Irish musicians had come to Orlando to teach Tionol Irish Music Workshops that she had organized. She plays Irish bagpipes. She was particularly excited because her idol had agreed to come to Orlando to teach at the Geneva School. She tried to relate her excitement. Some people spend a lifetime trying to find the one thing that brings them happiness and a sense of accomplishment. She had just discovered Irish music in the last few years.  I recognized some local musicians like Vicki Gish on fiddle and Scott Vocca on guitar. Other musicians were from as far away as Maryland.

The Irish musicians were next door at the restaurant. I put the pencil down and just enjoyed the music. This music seems to resonate deep inside me, perhaps it is because my Grandfather on my mom’s side came from Cork Ireland.

Kevin Hing’s 50th Birthday

Posted on by Thor

50 years is a major milestone and cause for celebration. Kevin  Hing had me do a sketch of him and his dad at the traditional Irish music session at Claddagh Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Road). Since I needed to scan the sketch before I gave it to him, he suggested I drive out for his 50th birthday celebration in Clearwater which is just south of Tampa. This was a chance to see how my Toyota Prius performed on a longer road trip.  This was a chance to stretch out her legs on the open road. I drove for an hour or so in the quiet cabin towards the setting sun. A draw bridge raised leaving me waiting for some time to get on the island.

The home was right on the Inter coastal waterway. There was a very diverse crowd. There were conservative politicians out by the pool and plenty of musicians mingling in the kitchen. Vicki Gish and Scott Vocca thanked me for the print I had given them. They had it framed and it went on the wall for the first time that morning. I arrived a bit late because of the drive, but my timing was perfect because the food had just been put out. There was plenty of BBQ and I loaded my plate. I got a soda from outside, but when the Irish music started, I switched to the thick rich Guinness beer. Kevin thanked everyone for coming. He was happy to share this island paradise with so many of his friends. He got a bit choked up  as he spoke about how lucky he was and people filled the silence with applause.

Irish musicians from all over the state of Florida came to Kevin’s birthday celebration.  Besides the Orlando Klan, there were musicians from Tampa and Clearwater. As they started to play, the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky burned orange. I sipped my Guinness between reels. As the evening grew darker so did my sketch. I’m half Irish on my mother’s side. Her grand parents came from Corr Ireland and the music seems to be in my blood. When my sketch was done, I packed up my supplies. I have never stayed to the bitter end of a traditional music session. They must play very late into the night. Kevin confided, “Sometimes it’s hard to tell if your playing really well or if you’ve just had too much to drink.” My sketch seemed to take form without effort, then again I might have had too much Guinness.

Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub

Posted on by Thor

Every other Wednesday, musicians gather at Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Rd., Orlando). This bi-weekly Traditional Irish music session is hosted by Scott Vocca and Vicki Birdfeather Gish. Keven Hing, who often drives from the West Coast of Florida to play fiddle with the group, asked me to come to a session to meet and sketch his dad who was in Florida for a visit. I arrived right around 7:30pm when musicians were just setting up. A small green sign above the corner booth read, “Reserved for Musicians.” Vicki had ordered a print of the last sketch I did at the pub as a birthday present for Scott. I had to give her the print without Scott suspecting. We went out to her car for the clandestine exchange.

Guinness was poured thick from the tap and the music began.  Kevin arrived with his mother and father.  This was a rare instance where I had to include specific people in the sketch. I focused most of my attention on Kevin and his dad. The music made my job easy. The lines danced and flowed. As the bar grew darker as the sun set, Vicki grew concerned that I wouldn’t have enough light. She went out to her car and actually found a light bulb of a higher wattage for the ceiling fan lamp above the table. After the original bulb cooled down, I replaced it and aimed the light at the wall. It gave the scene a warm glow. Matt Saunders beside Kevin played the flute and Vicki is on fiddle. There were eight or so musicians off and on throughout the night.

Kevin’s dad used to teach folk dance, that is how he met his lovely wife. He asked, “Does anyone ever dances to the Irish music?” Kathleen Cavanagh, who plays the Villeann pipes responded, “Yes, when we perform at music festivals, my young daughter often dances.” Although his arms were often crossed, I could tell that inside, Mr. Hing was dancing. There is magic in this age old tradition of playing in the pub. These are the remaining 2012 session dates…

July 4, 18

August 1, 15, 29

September 12, 26

October 10, 24

November 7, 21

December 5, 19

Traditional Irish Music Session

Posted on by Thor

Every other Wednesday, Vicki Gish and Scott Vocca host a Traditional Irish Music Session at Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Rd) starting at 7:30pm till whenever. Vicki and Scott are from the band “Crooked Road” and I had recently seen them perform at the Mennello Museum Folk Festival. The bar is a real hole in the wall with dark oak booths, tables and chairs. There is a sign near one table that says, “Reserved for Musicians.” The electric piano was set up and there was an accordion a fiddle and some bows on the tables. A few patrons were eating dinner but everywhere there were tall glasses of dark Guinness.

Natalie Doyle the groups pianist offered me a pint to sip as I sketched. I couldn’t refuse. She explained that the accordion player was Gerry Hanley from Galway, Ireland. She explained that he had given up playing for a while but now he was back into the swing of things. Kathleen Cavanagh on pipes entered a little late and she let everyone know that she had Girl Scout cookies back in her car if anyone was interested. Soon the magical traditional Irish music filled the bar. The musicians closed their eyes as in a reverie and swayed to the beat. The two women having dinner beside me were ecstatic. They had wandered into this hidden gem by chance.

An Irish Session is a gathering of musicians playing traditional Irish music (occasionally including other Celtic genres such as Scottish, Brittany, Cape Breton, and French Canadian) on traditional Irish instruments. Traditional Irish music is made up of dance tunes such as reels, jigs, hornpipes, slides, and a few other miscellaneous forms including polkas, set dances, airs and songs. It is not so much a performance but a sharing of traditional tunes among the musicians and those who care to listen. The instruments might include fiddle, flute, accordion, uilleann pipe, concertina, tenor banjo, whistle (a.k.a. penny whistle, tin whistle), mandolin, bodhrán, guitar, and sometimes piano. An Irish Session is not a “jam session”.

An Irish elder gentleman named Shawn wanted to meet Gerry from Galway. They shook hands and told tales of the homeland for a bit. Then Shawn sat down and began to sing a traditional Irish ballad solo. Scott shushed the room trying to silence the loud talkers at the end of the bar. Then everyone joined in on the chorus singing, “I met her in the garden where the praties grow.” With his second song, I sang along, “Come down from the mountain Katie Daly.” I’m Irish on my mothers side and warmed by the beer and music, I glowed. A woman dropped off a small Teddy bear holding a heart beside the old gentleman singing. When he was finished singing, someone explained, “You have a secret admirer.” The sketch ebbed and flowed with the music taking form almost on it’s own without any second guessing from me. After I drained my Guinness and finished the sketch, I had to go. I needed to start fresh on a new job in the morning. I shouted good night to Natalie and Vicki who stood and shook my hand. I owe these amazing musicians a beer, but I know I’ll be back. If you haven’t been to one of these sessions, you have to go.