Let Me Tell You a Story

August 2003

'Eur' Vision is Our Vision                                     by Pauline Power   

Once upon a time a young man travelled across the sea from the Emerald Isle to the City of Romance. While enjoying the obvious delights of this enchanting Parisian lifestyle, he nonetheless missed the familiarity of his homeland. For several days he searched for others who would understand how much he longed for home. Within weeks he had established a network of friends, all interested in maintaining their connections with Irish music, culture, and sports. Therefore there was born a “home from home”, each member updating others on various events of interest to all.

Alas, all good things must indeed come to an end, and so too did this young man’s contract in Paris. Following his return home, however, he continued the friendships he had made while a lonely young emigrant in a strange land. Life went on, yet often this young man wondered if there were other Irish people in Europe feeling the same loneliness he had once experienced. He was amazed to discover that while there were well over 100,000 Irish people working in Europe, there was no central database through which they could obtain information about Irish music events, sports meetings or Irish based clubs and societies. And so an idea was conceived, tentative at first, yet one which soon grew and quickly progressed.

On Easter Monday 2003, a dream became a reality. A new Irish  web-site – www.EuropeanIrish.com , was launched, thereby providing Irish emigrants in Europe with an innovative and much needed service. The web-site is divided into eight categories- (a)Latest news, (b)Living in Europe, (c)Clubs and Societies, (d)Music (e)Pubs and Shops, (f) Embassies and Colleges, (g)Sport, (h) Return to Ireland.

While each category contains valuable information, it must be said that the music section is indeed one of the most informative and comprehensive resources on the internet. Not alone does it provide data regarding forth-coming events, it also includes lists of various Irish Festivals, Dancing Schools, Irish singers and bands, all of whom perform throughout the many European countries covered by the site. One of the most refreshing aspects of the site is that it does not wish to duplicate information already available. Rather its objective is to allow the visitor exercise his/her own preferences by simply guiding him/her to the various sites where further information regarding a certain event may be found.

One particular area of the music section is particularly interesting- simply click on “List of Irish bands in/Touring Europe” and immediately one is provided not only with a list of tour dates of many major Irish performers, but also their corresponding web-site addresses. Not content to rest on these laurels, there are also similar addresses for European based bands playing Irish music.

Therefore whatever your taste in music- from Mary Black  to Van Morrison, you’ll find details of their various dates and venues on the site. Not alone are Mary Black and Van Morrison touring in the coming months, but one can also look forward to the musical delights of The Celtic Tenors, Karan Casey, Sean Keane, Sharon Shannon, Altan, Jimmy Crowley, Tommy Fleming and The Kelly Family, to name but a few. If however you prefer a combination of Irish music and dance and are lucky enough to live in Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg or Netherlands you can catch various shows throughout the next six months. Should you be in or visiting any of these countries, why not include one of the Spectacular Performances in your intenerary.

While there are many well known Irish performers touring Europe, there are also countless singers and bands who, influenced by Irish music contribute their own unique melodies to the European music scene. One such group is BRAN, a band located in Hungary, who have been playing traditional Irish music for the last 10 years. The group leader, Gáborjan Kovacs studied in UCC in1992/3. Some of the subjects included Ethnomusicology, Celtic Mythology, the Cultural History of Medieval Ireland and the Irish language. One of his professors was the world renowned Micheál Ó Suileabháin. On his return to Hungary, Gáborjan sought to familiarise people with different aspects of Irish traditions. Indeed included in Bran’s concerts are lectures on Irish history and culture. Other members of the group include- Róbert Csáazar, Sándor Kis and Tanya Szabó. Together they create a unique and fasinating insight into Irish music. They have released a number of CD’s- Immran, Idir, Port, Antlerswood and Tír na nÓg, the last of which contains Irish fairy-tales which have been translated into Hungarian. The band appears regularly in Budapest. Included in their performance are slide shows, story-telling, céilí and dance classes. So if you’re in Hungary why not seek BRAN out, and experience Irish music with a difference.

Alas my dear friends it’s time to say “au revoir”. However if you are a member of a band or indeed are a solo singer and would like your details included on www.EuropeanIrish.com,  then send your schedules to us at:            siasy@EuropeanIrish.com  .

Pauline Power (c) copyright