In Tune with Tradition - Perspectives on Session Etiquette in Irish Traditional Music

This episode of In Tune with Tradition was recorded in person in Miltown Malbay during Willie Clancy Week 2025, (shortly after the podcast was officially launched), where Clare fiddle player, teacher and broadcaster Joan Hanrahan joins Tara Connaghan for a warm, reflective conversation about what Irish traditional music sessions really are: shared spaces built on listening, trust, and people first. They talk through session etiquette, intergenerational learning, the role of repetition and repertoire, and why music can feel healing in moments of grief, joy, and everything in between.Chapters01:25 – What an Irish music session means to Joan02:22 – First sessions in Garvey’s in Inagh and learning tunes by osmosis04:55 – Why the intergenerational nature of Irish music matters05:51 – Nobody knows it all06:13 – Old tunes, repertoire and why quantity is not everything07:24 – Advice for joining a session when you know nobody08:25 – The natural high when a session really works11:15 – People first, music second12:27 – Music as a constant through grief, loss and life14:18 – Friendships across the world and a connection with Cape Breton17:13 – What happens when musicians truly gel18:21 – Processing grief through music20:05 – Writing tunes for Joan’s father and sister24:48 – Why Joan likes playing tunes more than twice26:21 – What blocks the flow of a good session29:44 – Welcoming people without asking them to prove their worth30:33 – Joan’s ideal session size and why sessions should inspire you31:58 – Festival sessions, hospitality and keeping music human35:18 – Ten ingredients of a successful session38:12 – Old pubs, open fires, singers, dancers and good listenersResources: The West Wind with Joan Hanrahan – Clare FM Joan’s long-running traditional Irish music and song programme on Clare FM.Scoil Samhraidh Willie ClancySession Etiquette Questionnaire Share a question, challenge or joy from your own session experience for a future episode.Support In Tune with Tradition Help support the recording, production and editing of the podcast.In Tune with Tradition: The Private Session ExperienceJoin the Session Etiquette mailing listRecorded and produced by Tara Connaghan and edited by Anita Alvarez Santos.Recorded in person in Miltown Malbay during Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy 2025.

Fiddle player and teacher Jacqui Martin joins Tara Connaghan to talk about friendship, slow sessions, rhythm, seating, safe places to play and why Irish music sessions can feel like strange social experiments where anyone can walk in and change the whole evening.Resources:https://www.cobblestonepub.ie/cobblestone-backroom/balaclavas-session Ceoltóir course - BallyfermotClontarf Comhaltas CCESession Etiquette QuestionnaireSupport the In Tune with Tradition podcastIn tune with Tradition: The Private Session Experience

This episode explores how music can regulate the nervous system, build belonging, and help people feel safe in communal playing spaces. Tara Connaghan is joined by Louise Kelly, a consultant music therapist from the North of Ireland, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Resilient Rhythms, whose perspective connects traditional music with anxiety, confidence, and connection.We discuss why some players sit on the periphery, why others play loudly or keep leaving and returning, and how those behaviours can be understood through fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses rather than judgment.Chapters00:00 - Music as shared nervous system regulation00:44 - Introduction to Louise Kelly and the episode’s focus03:02 - Louise’s background in music therapy and why she speaks publicly about music’s power04:32 - The TEDx selection process and the journey to speaking on stage06:24 - Why music is a biological necessity, not just entertainment07:46 - Sessions, teamwork, and rhythm as connection09:01 - Growing up outside the Irish music tradition and feeling drawn in10:55 - Discovering session etiquette through a therapist’s lens12:49 - The nervous system’s job: keeping us safe13:45 - Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn in session behaviour15:05 - Loud playing as a possible fight response16:33 - Playing louder after being ignored elsewhere20:03 - Shy entry, fawning, and freeze in newcomers21:00 - Humour and repeated movement as safety behaviours22:25 - Watching body language and seat choice from the outside23:39 - Why confrontation often pushes musicians toward flight24:34 - Cultural identity, language, and why the tradition matters so deeply25:08 - Louise rejoining beginner trad life through North Coast Antrim26:43 - Practicing a session at home by recording and replaying it28:26 - Therapy, music, and the value of repetition29:44 - Confidence, anxiety, and finding a voice later in life31:24 - Teenagers, music, and why young people live inside sound32:28 - Why adults lose sight of music’s value36:05 - What really stops newcomers is fear of getting it wrong38:53 - How shame is learned through family and society40:08 - School messages that damage confidence in music41:16 - Everyone can participate without being “a trained singer”42:06 - Walking in circles, staying on the periphery, and feeling safe first43:19 - The sweet spot where musicians become one44:17 - Coping strategies for anxiety and choosing music as support46:20 - Breath work, self-awareness, and self-expression as regulation tools48:08 - Session rules as a way to protect safety, not exclude people49:28 - Mind-body awareness in music and in everyday life50:44 - Music as mindfulness and being present in the moment54:09 - Slow sessions as beginner-safe spaces and why they matter57:47 - Session vibe, belonging, and why context changes everything59:39 - Louise’s advice for listeners: be open, curious, and avoid perfectionism61:34 - A memory of belonging in a school traditional group63:48 - The tune that still moves Louise and why music stays personal64:32 - Closing reflections on reopening a long-closed doorwayResources:Louise Kelly, TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTKezQB0A3Ehttps://resilientrhythms.co.uk/https://www.sessionetiquette.com/questionnaireIn Tune with Tradition - Private Session Experience: https://www.sessionetiquette.com/retreat

In this episode of In Tune with Tradition, Tara Connaghan speaks with Donal O’Connor in Belfast ahead of Belfast Trad Festival and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.This conversation goes straight into one of the hardest parts of Irish session culture: expectations.Donal talks about how different people arrive at a session wanting different things. Young musicians may want to play their new tunes. Adult learners and intermediate players may want the buzz of a big inclusive session. Older or more experienced musicians may hope for a smaller corner, strong repertoire, good listening, space, chat and musical connection.The problems begin when all of those expectations land in the same room and are not spoken about.Donal also talks about Belfast Trad Festival, the challenge of managing session trails, why master musicians need space to play too, how listening sessions can help, why song and dance matter, and why respect remains central to the whole thing.This is a practical, thoughtful conversation about sessions as living social spaces: places where music, people, rooms, listeners, age, gender, alcohol, confidence, safety and expectation all meet.

Join Tara Connaghan as she reflects on a vibrant year of exploring Irish music sessions, session etiquette, and community connection via the In Tune with Tradition podcast.This special episode features insights from musicians, educators, and session enthusiasts from around the world discussing what makes sessions meaningful and how to foster better experiences for all.Guests: Dr. Michael Walsh, Michael Eskin, Lori Madden and Mimi Vidaver-Davis.Transcript available on https://www.sessionetiquette.com/podcastThis episode is also available to watch on https://www.youtube.com/live/V6ItyDgg9y0ResourcesCeltic Back-Up for All Instruments by Chris Smith (book)John Doyle Guitar on YouTubeSheffield Folk Sessions Festival, UKDr. Michael Walsh Michael EskinSan Diego ComhaltasMimi Vidaver-DavisBlue Ridge Irish Music School Virginia-based Irish music educationPlough and Stars pubThe Starry Plough pubSlainte pubTheSession.org - source of tunes, discussions, directory of sessions TradRadar.ie - directory or sessions in IrelandShift.Irish - app to connect Irish people at home and abroad plus list of sessions / pubs In Tune With Tradition - Private Session Experiencehttps://www.patreon.com/cw/SessionEtiquetteIn Tune with Tradition / Session Etiquette website - https://www.sessionetiquette.comSign up to the In Tune with Tradition newsletter https://www.sessionetiquette.com/newsletter-signupIntro music: Track 1: John Phadaí Chonchubhair’s jig - Derek McGinley & Tara Connaghan ‘Far Side of the Glen’ album (2011)