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Sonya Rose |
Get sesh for Irish music
PREVIEW: IRISH SEISúNS
Haverstock Arms
SUNDAY evenings on Haverstock Hill this autumn are going to be alive to the sound of traditional Irish music played by more than a dozen musicians at the Haverstock Arms under the care of legendary Irish landlord, Andrew Carey.
Róisín Dubh, a sort of co-operative of Irish musicians led by guitarist singer Sonya Rose, gave spirited and exemplary performances of classic Irish reels, aires and gigs at their opening “seisun” last Sunday evening.
Sonya Rose has been playing traditional Irish sessions all over north London for over 15 years.
She’s got a core trio of guitar, violin and piano accordion and to that can be added any number of fiddles, banjos, mandolins, flutes and tin whistles to liven up the craic.
“All singers and musicians are very welcome to come along and sit in and play or sing with us,” she says.
“Keeping the tradition of Irish music alive is very important to me as my grandfather was one of the original London-Irish musicians to play in pubs in the 1950s.
“It isn’t well known here in England but the first traditional Irish sessions were played over here and not in Ireland.
“When the first Irish workers came here, they were mostly living in bedsits. They had no room for pals to come over and play with them in the kitchen as they would in Ireland.
“So they would all congregate in the pubs and play their music together.
“And from this arose the mighty ‘seisuns’ with up to 30 people playing together.
“We may not get that number at the Haverstock Arms but we’re certainly looking to get a lot.”
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