IRISH MUSIC IN FINLAND Seppo J Niemi, zaphod@cs.hut.fi 14/3/93 WHY IRISH MUSIC? Irish music is of increasing popularity in finland. I think the people of Ireland and Finland are very much alike in many ways. We are a bit inclined to melancholy and we drink too much; you can also find same sort of incidents in both countries' history - we too have been conquered several times and we've also been under the influence of a very powerful nation neighbouring us. The traditional music is quite similar, same instruments (fiddle, accordion) are often used, and the traditional dances also share some features. So I suppose it's no wonder why Irish music is very often heard in pubs and there are a number of bands playing it. Also the Finnish-Irish Society is a lively organization with members counted by the hundreds. If you are an Irishman and are planning to visit Finland, I recommend that you first contact the Society; see address below. WHERE TO GO If you want to hear Irish folk music in Finland, you'd better head for Helsinki, the capital of the country. It's the only city where you can find regular gigs. In other bigger towns, like Turku and Tampere, there is occasionally a chance to see Irish music live, but you'll have to be lucky enough to actually find it. Local newspapers are a good source of information. In Helsinki there are, at the moment, three places that offer Iirish live entertainment every week. At O'Malley's bar (Yrjönkatu 28, a couple of minutes walk from the bus station) there's a band playing every monday and tuesday plus sessions on sundays. In Honky-Tonk Cafe (Mikonkatu 8, close to the central railway station, behind Ateneum (an art museum)) there's live music on mondays. A new Irish bar, called Parnell's, provides live acoustic music on saturdays. The first two places are usually crowded and unfortunately people usually don't pay much attention to the music itself. If you want to go and listen to it, you'd better get as close to the stage as possible. Sometimes there's also been Irish live music in Pub Angleterre (Fredrikinkatu 43) and in Kappeli Kellari (Etelä-Esplanadi) but not very often recently. SPECIAL EVENTS The Finnish-Irish Society organizes an Irish Festival every September. The festival lasts for one week (varies a bit, this year it was ten days) and consists of good concerts all over the country, mainly in Helsinki though. The bands playing in The Irish Festival range from local bands to ultra-famous Irish groups or players (The Pogues, Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, Bringing It All Back Home). The main stage is in Tavastia Klubi (just outside bus station) and The Savoy Theatre. During the festival there are a number of sessions and other special events in several pubs of the town. Every 17th of March (surprise) there's traditionally been a fabulous St. Patrick's Day party. The place where this party is held, has changed over the years; last year it was in Tavastia Klubi, the year before that in Kappeli Kellari... There's been local bands and special guest stars appearing on the stage throughout the night. The atmosphere in these parties has been very good, and in the early hours of the morning you won't be able to tell the difference between the musicians and the audience any more. Traditionally a great party. To find out more about these events, contact the Finnish-Irish society. Address: FINNISH-IRISH SOCIETY RY c/o Olli Pellikka Kolmas Linja 31 B 31 00530 HELSINKI Finland Tel: 90 - 7539 808 (domestic) + 358 - 0 - 7539 808 (abroad) Or simply ask me, I might know. THE BANDS These are the bands that I know of. Of course there are probably many more, but they haven't made any public performances in Helsinki area or haven't released any records etc. I won't give the lineup, because I don't actually know all of them, and because they all change constantly. Boolabus A multinational band consisting at the moment of six players. They play mostly pub songs and ballads, perhaps something similar to The Dubliners. Their gigs are usually great fun, most of the band is often just as drunk as their audience. Korkkijalka One Irish and several Finnish players. They play ballads and instrumental jigs, reels and polkas. Very skillful and famous band, and to my knowledge the oldest Irish folk band in Finland. Nowadays the band itself, as a whole, appears very seldom on stage, but the members often play as guest stars with other bands. Unfortunately Korkkijalka does not exist anymore. The band has officially broken up. Shin Dig This is a mixture of the above bands sometimes with one or two extra members. Plays mainly traditional dance music plus an occasional song once in a while. Instruments: guitar, bouzouki (sp?), bodhran, flute, tin whistle, bones :-) and sometimes uillean pipes. A very good band when having acoustic sessions in some quiet and small bars. Deilinn A very good band, with four young Finnish players. They've only had a few gigs, but they play extremely well, mostly traditional instrumentals and ballads. There's a female singer in the band, who has the voice of an angel. Their instruments include guitars, bodhran, tin whistle, (flute possibly, can't remember exactly) and accordion. The Scrapes Their music is heavily influenced by The Pogues. A good, skillful band that is really fun to listen to. The instruments of the band are: fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, base and drums. Reel Music A team of young musicians lead by Dave Murphy. They have made good new arrangements of old traditional dance tunes, and they play their music with considerable energy. Also a couple of songs are performed once in a while. Instruments: flute, tin whistle, bodhran, fiddle, guitar, percussions and didgeridoo. ARTISTS All these people play in one or more of the bands mentioned above, but I thought it wise to list their names separately because they sometimes have gigs of their own. Mark Flynn Plays the guitar and sings. A good-humoured young man who talks dirty and knows how to take his audience. Malcolm Fay Usually plays the bodhran and sings with Mark Flynn. A loud and distinctive voice. Harry Bent A good singer. The lead singer of Korkkijalka, who very often makes appearances under the name 'Harry Bent and friends'. David Murphy Dave 'The Magic Horn' Murphy plays the flute, bodhran and tin whistle. He also sings ballads (unaccompanied) and has a very good voice. FINALLY This is a list I compiled from the top of my head. If you are from Finland and would like to correct some mistakes I've made or tell me about new bands or artist, please send me email to zaphod@cs.hut.fi Also if you would like to know some more about something mentioned here, feel free to drop me a line to the address mentioned above. I read mail very often and my response time can usually be measured in minutes. I would like to point out that this is not, by any means, a complete list of anything at all. It's just a brief overview of my knowledge about Irish music in Finland. I will try to update it, if I find out something worth mentioning here. Share and enjoy