Celtic Session
The first Newport Celtic Session was organised by Simon Leverton at the Newport Bowls Club in 2011. It brought together club members with a love of this music (and some tune playing skills), who wanted to be part of a local monthly session. Since then we have maintained a vibrant group of regular players, joined occasionally by “out-of-town” visitors, and a dedicated group of people who come to listen (our fans!). You’ll get the most out of this group if you have a reasonable level of instrument skill to be able to join in with the tunes we play. It takes time to build up your tune knowledge so practicing at home is a good idea, as well as a lot of fun.
We always welcome new members.
Polkas
Dennis Murphy’s
£40 Float
Church Street
Bally Desmond
Davy Knick Knack
Soldier’s Joy
Bill Sullivan’s
Britches Full o’ Stitches
Rose Tree
Nancy
Rakes of Mallow
Portsmouth
Session Etiquette
Simon, or other nominated session leader(s), will start each session off and keep it going during the evening. Other people are encouraged to start tunes too.
We follow a few simple ‘rules’ of etiquette to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and gets to participate, no matter what their level of proficiency.
First thing is to make sure your instrument is in tune – there are side rooms to do this away from the group, or do it in between tunes/songs but not during them.
We usually play each tune 3 times through. If you’re uncertain of the tune, play quieter than normal, and only play the bits you know. Please avoid guessing notes and hoping that some might be the right ones - this will likely put other players off and spoil their enjoyment. Make a mental note to practice that tune at home - you'll nail it in no time!
Tunes are mostly arranged in sets (typically 2 or 3 tunes to a set). The idea is to play smoothly from one tune to the next. If the group finishes playing and you know another tune that follows on naturally, then launch into that tune.
The tempo chosen by the person that starts the tune or set is kept throughout (except for Drowsy Maggie which always speeds up – it’s a tradition!). This gives less accomplished players a chance to start a tune or set of tunes at a pace that suits them.
We try not to play so fast that hardly anyone else can join in – our session is about participation. Beginners may find many of the tunes are too fast for them, but with practice and in time they will be joining in more and more – playing an instrument is a journey. That said, some of us also enjoy playing tunes at or close to dance tempo. To accommodate the mix of skills in the group the first half of the session will focus on slow to moderate tune speed, and the second half after the supper break will go at a brisker pace.
New tunes/songs
If you’re introducing a new tune, tell us the key and tune type (eg. a jig in D). You may hand around copies of the sheet music (with chords), although learning by ear is the preferred approach though this does take some time and practice. Even better, send the sheet music with chords to Simon at least a week before the session and it will be available to everyone for download from the webpage before they come.
Songs are very welcome, and some of us can join in choruses, sing harmonies etc. and maybe add some instrumental backing.
Organiser
Simon Leverton
Simon has been a member of the Newport Fiddle and Folk club since it began. He has played and sung folk and other kinds of music since his teenage years (when photos were black and white!). He sings, plays guitar, mandolin and fiddle and performs with a range of friends at all sorts of places. He has been in numerous bands over the years, including the bush band Black Sheep where many Celtic tunes were learnt and played.
When
7:30pm on the first Friday of each month February - December
Venue
Newport Community Hub (Mechanics Hall)
13 Mason St Newport
(Enter via Library entrance.)
Venue is wheelchair accessible.
Entry
Entry is $5 or $3 for NFFC members.
See our Covid safe policy for entry conditions.
Format
From 2025 onwards we agreed to try a new format for the session. Each year we will have a core repertoire of about a dozen tunes/sets that we will practice every month (i.e. most items practiced at most monthly sessions). This will have the effect of giving people a focus for their practice at home and developing a group proficiency for when we're invited to do a performance. There will also be time to play other tunes (and songs of course!), either new ones introduced by group members or ones we’ve played before. As a general rule slower tunes are played in the first half of the session and faster ones played after supper.
Tunes
A tune book has been prepared as a resource to support the new session format. Recordings of the core repertoire tunes/sets have also been made. These are all available for download below. The core repertoire for 2025 is –
-
Calum’s Road (strathspey)
-
Planty Irwin/Morrison’s Jig
-
Margaret’s Waltz/Lovers’ Waltz
-
Tom Bhetty’s (waltz)
-
Si Bheag Si Mhor (waltz)
-
Blarney Pilgrim/Banish Misfortune/Jimmy Ward’s (jigs)
-
Over the Oceans/Miller of Glanmire/Tripping Upstairs (jigs)
-
Kerfunten/Old John’s Jig/The Black Rogue/Bank of Ireland (jigs and reel)
-
Concertina/Spootiskerry/Drowsy Maggie (reels)
-
The Cup of Tea/Cooley’s Reel
-
Musical Priest/High Reel
-
The Maid Behind the Bar/Banshee (reels)
The tune book contains music and chords for all tunes/sets in the core repertoire, as well as music (some with chords) for the many other tunes that have been played at the session over the years. The book will be revised and updated as errors are corrected, new tunes added and maybe old ones ditched. It can either be loaded onto a tablet device or printed off as a paper copy (all pages double-sided. Scores covering two pages have been ordered so you don’t need to turn the page during the set :-). If printing the book we suggest loose leaves be arranged in a folder of plastic sheet protectors so that updates can easily be added.
Airs
Planxty Irwin
Inisheer
Waltzes
Tom Bhetty’s
Where to find even more tunes
One useful source of simple Celtic tunes that has been around for a long time is the publication Begged, Borrowed and Stolen compiled by Chris O’Connor and Suzette Watkins, which can be purchased at Celtic Southern Cross. Another fabulous resource is The Session, where almost any tune available is listed, along with downloadable sheet music and a MIDI file.
Or just loose yourself on YouTube or Spotify for a few hours listening to the endless variety of tunes and performers.
The Newport Craic
A sub-group of Celtic Session players has formed a performing band called The Newport Craic, which is open to new members. For more information on this group, go to the Performers page.
