Workshops in traditional instrumental music, song and dance
Join with the workshop facilitators Tuaisceart Loch Garman CCÉ to improve your skills with workshops in music, song and dance led by top Irish performers, focusing on specific instruments.
Please note : This year's workshops are suitable for experienced performers only.
Workshops take place in Gorey Central School (instruments/singing) and Loch Garman Arms (set dancing)
10 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Saturday August 22nd.
WORKSHOP FEE €20 (music and singing) €10 (set dancing)
Meet our tutors
John Wynne
Flute
John Wynne from Roscommon, is one of the most prominent flute players on the trad scene today. He is steeped and immersed in the North Connaught flute playing tradition and has had success in All Ireland competitions. With the group, Providence, he toured and released two albums before releasing solo CDs ,” With every breath”, and 'Ar nos na gaoithe – like the wind”. Fiddle/flute albums with John McEvoy, resulted in extensive touring and gigging. A member of the group Gatehouse , he is sought after during the year at workshops and Winter/Summer schools in Ireland and beyond. He is a member of the teaching staff at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, The Joe Mooney Summer School, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim and Scoil Eigse.
Tom Morrow
Fiddle
Tom Morrow is a distinguished fiddle player, whose effortless style and artistry have graced stages worldwide. A former All Ireland fiddle champion and member of the popular Irish traditional group Dervish, Tom is a native of Carrigallen in County Leitrim and is the eldest of a musical family. He has played extensively with a wide range of musicians around Leitrim and Cavan with including the Cornafean Group and Antóin McGabhann. While studying in Limerick, he was part of the vibrant session scene that existed in the area. Tom then lived and worked in Dublin and is regularly involved in music sessions in Dublin and throughout the country. With Dervish, he has travelled and performed widely.
Gary Curley
Accordion
Hailing from Boho, Co. Fermanagh, Gary Curley is an award-winning accordionist, experienced tutor and secondary school music teacher, widely recognised across Ireland and abroad for his musicianship and teaching. In recent years, Gary has also established great expertise with instruments such as the concertina and melodeon. As a sought-after performer, Gary is increasingly in demand, appearing at numerous festivals throughout Ireland and abroad, where he entertains audiences with his performances and imparts his knowledge as a guest tutor. A Fleadh Cheoil medalist, Gary also performs with the duo behind the album Chunky Business, known for their strong Ulster-style rhythm and drive.
Robert Harvey
Tin Whistle
From County Laois, flute player Robert Harvey was seven times All-Ireland Champion. In 2020, Robert released his critically acclaimed solo flute album ‘Feochán’. As a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, he has featured in the shows Boroimhe, Macalla 1916, Legacy and Oriel Wave. Robert currently lectures in Irish music in Trinity College Dublin, and is a well-established teacher of flute, tin whistle, whistling and lilting and is in demand as a teacher and guest lecturer at festivals and workshops having taught at Scoil Eigse. In 2025, with his brother James on banjo, they released a first duet album, 'The Lads of Laois', focusing on music from the O'Moore County.
Pádraig MacAodhgán
Concertina
Originally from Co. Wicklow and now based in Cork, Pádraig MacAodhgán is one of Ireland's most respected concertina players. He has released the outstanding solo album Tobar gan Trá, which received widespread acclaim for its exceptional musicianship and rich traditional repertoire. His concertina style, based on the push-pull system has been developed from the playing of the late Larry Kinsella, who was Padraig’s original mentor. It has been described as a ‘less is more’ concertina style. Highly regarded as a performer and a tutor, Pádraig has taught at many of Ireland's leading traditional music festivals, including the renowned Willie Clancy Summer School, and most recently at WexTrad.
Siobhán Buckley
Harp
Siobhán Buckley is a harper from North Co. Cork. Siobhan began her music studies at the Cork County School of Music before going on to study Music at third level in NUI Maynooth. A multi-instrumentalist, she has collaborated and performed with various groups and musicians including John Spillane and Jack L and is a multiple prize-winner at the O’Carolan Harp Festival in Nobber, the ESB Feis Ceoil and at Fleadh Cheoil ná hÉireann where she won first place in the senior harp slow air competition in 2015. Siobhán joined Music Generation Laois, where she now leads 2 harp ensembles, a harp orchestra and directs the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra. She has travelled to New York, Spain, Monaco and Edinburgh with her ensembles to perform.
Stephen McKee
Banjo
From Draperstown, Co. Derry, Stephen McKee is a respected tenor banjo player and multi-instrumentalist with a powerful rhythmic style rooted in the Ulster tradition. Performing widely alongside Gary Curley, he brings deep session experience and musical energy to his teaching. Like Curley, McKee was also raised in a musical family. His development was shaped first by his musical siblings, particularly his sister Lisa, who pushed him toward the path that would eventually lead to his distinct playing style. Later on, work with Aoibheann Devlin, the Armagh Pipers Club, Mark Mohan, and the influence of influence of Adrian McAuliffe and Brian McGrath honed his approach. He’s a banjo player, who also happens to play fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, with serious drive.
Liz Hand
Set Dancing
Liz Hand from County Carlow, is a well-known and respected Irish set dancing teacher, caller, and workshop leader who frequently collaborates with Syl Bell to teach traditional sets and two-hand dances at festivals and weekly events across Ireland. She teaches workshops and leads céilis throughout the region and she recently taught set dancing workshops at Enniscorthy Trad Weekend. Her workshops have the enviable reputation of being fun and engaging and in particular, very welcoming to those newer to set-dancing. Her Cuisle Cheoil workshop will be suitable for people who already are familiar with the basics of set dancing. Novice set dancers should consider her workshop ‘Introduction to Set-dancing’ at The John Dwyer Trad Weekend in New Ross, being held the previous weekend.
Ryan O'Donnell
Accompaniment
Ryan O’Donnell, from Omagh in Co. Tyrone, is a much sought-after accompanist known for his authentic traditional style on both songs and accompanying tunes. The multi-instrumentalist, now living in Newport, Co. Tipperary, has featured on more than a dozen recordings over the past 15 years as an outstanding accompanist. He is in regular demand with various line-ups for TV and guest appearances. For Cuisle Cheoil, Ryan will tutor accompaniment on guitar, bouzouki or piano/keyboard. He has just released a new recording with vocalist and flute player Tracy Ryan, featuring traditional songs alongside six of his own tune compositions.
Tracy Ryan
Singing
Tracy O’Donnell (nee Ryan), from just outside Newport in County Tipperary is a wonderful singer, flute and whistle player. Over the years she has performed and recorded with artists such as Shane McGowan, Micheál O’Súilleabháin and The Limerick Chamber Orchestra. Performing with her husband, Ryan O’Donnell, for some 15 years, she has honed a wonderful repertoire of songs and tunes. Living at the foot of Keeper Hill near Newport, the couple have recently recorded and released their debut collaborative album, ‘Fairy Island’. They have been active promoting the album at traditional music festivals throughout the country, where they are in demand as both performers and tutors.