July 20th, 2001
Andy Irvine at Blas Summer School

Andy Irvine gave the final evening concert of this year’s Blas on July 18th. The three-hour concert, held in The Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick, was one of the highlights of the two-week event. MadForTrad met up with Andy after his second day in the classroom for a quick chat.

Andy is a regular guest tutor at Blas and enjoys the experience of teaching: "When it works - and it always has worked the few times I’ve been here - it’s very satisfying". It is only in recent years that Andy has begun to teach in this type of setting: "I never sat down and analysed what I was doing so I didn’t really know what to show students. Now I see that people just want to see what I do."

The Blas programme impressed Andy Irvine: "I think it’s great; it’s ideal the way everyone lives on site. Feed back on the lectures was very positive and you are entertained daily by some of the best musicians in Irish music". It’s also a "great place for meeting people".

Other tutors at the school included Tommy Hayes, Karan Casey, Matt Cranitch, Niall Keegan, and John Carty.

The other evening concerts were by Michéal Ó Súilleabháin and Karan Casey, Sliabh Notes, Frankie Gavin, and a great evening featuring some of Irish music’s finest button accordion players.

Andy Irvine recently launched his own Official Website.