A Celebration of Irish Heritage in East Durham

EAST DURHAM - Mary Bergin: Ireland's most famous tin whistle player

Former session at McGrath's.

EAST DURHAM - For one glorious week each summer, the hamlet of East Durham is transformed into a hub of Traditional Irish Music and Culture. It is not an exaggeration to say that some of the best Irish musicians in the U.S. and Ireland come to this sleepy place of 904 residents to teach and play.

Under the auspices of the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre, this year’s Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) starts Monday, July 15, marking its 30th year. The workshop lineup is, as usual, extraordinary including but not limited to fiddle, flute, whistle, bodhran, banjo, Uilleann pipes, and mandolin. There are other classes in step dancing, singing, Irish language, and creative writing. Classes are geared toward different levels of experience from beginner to intermediate and advanced. Students can enroll full or part-time. Enrollment is not limited to teen and adult learners. On the roster is Instrument Ensemble for ages 5 – 11. Some 40 instructors have been lined up and 300 – 400 students are expected to attend, according to Quill Centre Treasurer, Terry Patterson. 

In the past, students have come from as far away as Alaska and California with many instructors coming from Ireland and sometimes even farther, says Patterson, including Japan. This year’s instructors include fiddle player Sorcha Costello and accordion player Diarmuid O'Meachair. In what is commonly known as the “Oscars of Traditional Irish Music,” Costello was proclaimed Young Musician of the Year by Irish television station TG4 in 2021, and O’Meachair in 2022. Also in attendance is Mary Bergin, Ireland’s best-known tin whistle player.

CIAW Artistic Director Paul Keating says what sets East Durham’s summer school apart is that it takes place in an entire Irish village rather than on an educational campus. Host sites for the workshops include the Cultural Centre and various resorts and pubs in the area including the landmark Shamrock House, McGrath’s Edgewood Falls, owned and operated by the McGrath family for 50 years, and the Blackthorne Resort.

Another site is Gavin’s Irish Country Inn. Bernadette Gavin, who grew up in East Durham and who is a former student of Irish dance and music, says it’s not unusual for the Inn to be booked a year in advance and that surrounding establishments in Cairo and Oak Hill also benefit from the influx of people.

Greene County Tourism Director Patty Austin doesn’t disagree with that. According to Austin, her office fields many calls from folks wanting to come to Greene County for the East Durham event and that area lodging tends to be at full capacity during Irish Arts Week.

In addition to classes, topical lectures will be held late afternoons at the Shamrock House along with nightly Ceilithe starting at 9:00 PM. Other establishments will be hosting public Trad Sessions in the evenings from 10 to midnight free of charge. Trad Sessions are informal and impromptu gatherings of musicians. Also open to the public with paid admission are the Evening Concerts 7:30 – 9:30 PM on M, T, Th, and F, the Wednesday night Barn Dance at 7:30 PM, and the Festival Finale Saturday afternoon, all held on the Quill grounds. 

Keating was one of the consultants who, in the 1990s, conceived of the Centre’s summer school format. He says the concept coincided with East Durham resorts looking for a way to regenerate interest in the area and to keep visitors returning. Keating calls what they came up with a “cultural holiday,” one where participants can advance their skills. Working with Keating was Schoharie County’s Gianna Sullivan, who spearheaded the concept. Other members included musician and former Artistic Director Don Meade and folklorist Nancy Groce along with long-time East Durham resident Donal Gallagher, a founding member of the Cultural Centre. Before his passing in 2022, Gallagher, along with his wife, musician Kitty Kelly, owned and operated the Irish import store known as Guaranteed Irish, a cornerstone of the hamlet and still run by Kelly.

Workshops are scheduled 10 –11:30 AM and 1:30 – 3 PM, Monday through Friday. Students can opt to do either morning or afternoon sessions or both. Registration is open until July 13 and includes admission to the Evening Concerts and the Barn Dance.

In addition to the CIAW, the Quill Center organizes the yearly East Durham Irish Festival held Memorial Day weekend. This festival, now in its 47th year, features both traditional and contemporary Irish Music. Other Quill events include the Irish Dance Feis, a competition held in August for step dancers of all ages and skill level, Gaelic football, and hurling. 

The Centre grounds are also home to an authentic Irish cottage built more than 200 years ago in County Donegal, Ireland. It was disassembled there and brought to this country where it was carefully reconstructed and commemorated in 2004.

The Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) educational, non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote and preserve the cultural and artistic heritage of the Irish and those of Irish descent. Its website is: https://ciaw.mjqirishcentre.com/