The Kitchen Sessions » The Kitchen Sessions conn@edgecast.ie ()

Here's a little memory from one of last year's Kitchen Sessions - Mickey Naughton's in Kilclaran, Feakle. It features - among other things - Charlie Harris who has been selected as winner of this year's TG4 Musician of the Year. Sometimes they get it so right. This is one such time! Charlie was born in Kilfinnan, Co. Limerick, but is a longtime resident of Ardrahan, Co. Galway. He has been travelling the high roads with musical companion Des Mulkere for a long time now. Last year they graced one of our Kitchen Sessions. Have a listen to these two selections from Charlie and Des. The piece opens with the ever-exuberant Des Mulkere talking about Joe Cooley whom he used also play with. Tom Neilan - from Knocklawrence, near Gort - also chimes in with stories and music. There's less chat from the more retiring Charlie. But oh! the music they make...

Here it is: the last in the series. Enjoy it. To see pictures from the night while you listen, click here.

Here's a little something to keep you going till the next (and final) Kitchen Session this Sunday. Dan Gurney is a young accordion player from upstate NewYork, who learned the nuts and bolts from Fr. Charlie Coen. He gave us some great music in the Boston Kitchen Session along with his musical companions, Maeve Flanagan (fiddle) and Jimmy Noonan (flute). Now a music student at Harvard (where "they don't really get the box"!), I caught up with him just after the Kitchen Session to record more music and a bit of chat. I started by asking him why he had chosen the accordion. Have a listen.

Sorry for the delay in posting this MP3 here. The Kitchen Sessions crew have been a little jet-lagged!

Paula will post more information about this programme shortly. In the meantime, enjoy the show, and don't forget to tune in to Clare FM at 5pm today for the final programme in the series, live from Pakie Malley's kitchen in Tulla. (That show will also be a podcast later.)

I had the loveliest day with Joe Derrane on Thursday last. I have been fascinated by his story - he recorded some highly acclaimed 78s in the 1940s, then disappeared from the Irish music scene and was presumed dead, only to make the comeback of all comebacks in 1994. And he's playing better music than ever now at age 79. I wanted to meet him, so Jimmy Noonan made the call, and Gerry Dunleavy drove me down to Randolph, 11 miles south of Boston. What a gentleman. And what a storyteller. We talked for hours. And he recounted in detail the amazing turns and twists of his musical career: from the heyday of the Irish dancehall scene in Middle St., Boston, through his days playing piano accordion at Jewish weddings, then his synthesizer days at sought-after supper clubs - to his re-entering the world of traditional Irish music in the 1990s after a 35 year absence. And during that time he didn't even own a button accordion.

You'll hear the full interview on The Wednesday Session on Clare FM, when the Kitchen Sessions finish. But for now have a listen to Joe talking about the ballroom scene in 1940s Boston. Watch this space - later I'll post another clip of Joe on how and why he got back into traditional music.

The Kitchen Sessions from Boston was broadcast last night on Clare FM - and now here's the podcast!

Watch this space in the next few days for photographs and stories from "behind the scenes" of this session!

If you use iTunes, click here to subscribe for automatic download of this and future episodes. And don't forget there's another chance to hear the show on Clare FM on Wednesday night!