Tír na nÓgAbout Us
The nÓg Session is a community of musicians 
coming from different musical backgrounds, with various levels of ability, playing a variety of instruments, and having different musical viewpoints. We all share a common interest in exploring traditional style(s) of playing Irish music.
The nÓg session community also includes Irish step dancers, pub patrons, and the Tir na nOg staff. All contribute to the craic and help make Tír na nÓg the center of Celtic culture that it has become.
On 12/16/2007 the session musicians invited the local Irish set dancers to join us for an end-of-year party. The musicians played and the dancers danced the Kerry set. Check Session News for upcoming dances in the pub and for information about the monthly class.
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Note: If for any reason you prefer not to be pictured on this site, please let us know.
Passings
Not all of you knew Peter Schilling, who passed away on July 13, 2008. He was a regular at the Raleigh Hibernian pub for many years when I played at that session. Peter, Rodney Honeycutt, and my husband Dave would play cribbage (a card game) while the musicians sessioned. He got a Sunday job at 10,000 Villages about the time I started the session at Tír na nÓg, so we didn't see as much of him in the pubs. But, he sometimes came over to Tír na nÓg on a Sunday or a Friday, when he could.
Peter was a magician and ESL teacher, and very creative. He was passionate and opinionated, and we had some memorable arguments. He was one of my best friends, so I chose to spend as much time as possible with him at the end of his life (which is why I missed quite a few sessions). Peter touched many lives—friends, family, colleagues, his students; he and his own personal magic will be missed by all who knew him.
— Julie (shirt by Peter; hat by Jerry Jacuzio; photo by Annie)
We wish to express our deep sadness at the tragic death of Nancy Leidy on April 23, 2008. Nancy was our concertina-playing sessioner Ross Leidy's beloved wife, who supported Ross 100% in his Irish music endeavors (hell, she bought him his first concertina and found me to teach him). Nancy spoke Gaelic and loved everything Irish. Her lively intelligence, consideration for others, and laugh will be missed by so many.
— Julie
As most of you know, Annie Nice's son Andrew Britton was a talented young man who had recently published his third book. Andrew sadly died at the young age of 27 on March 16, 2008. You can visit his Web site to learn more about Andrew and his books. Read the books; they're excellent!
Session Leader: Julie Ross
While Julie Ross founded and leads the session, all session-goers have input into the session, such as what tunes we learn. And, anyone who wants to teach their favorite tune can volunteer to teach at any time (please!).
This is what Julie has to say about her background:
I have been obsessed with traditional Irish music since 1994, first on fiddle as a student of Cathy Sky. Later, I got interested in the concertina and became a long-distance student of Paul Groff. I have also studied fiddle and concertina at many Irish music weeks, including the Catskills Irish Arts Week, Gaelic Roots, the Swannanoa Gathering, and Augusta Heritage Center.
My major musical influences have been Paul Groff, Cathy Sky, Seamus Connolly, Fr. Charlie Coen, Paddy O'Brien, Matt Cranitch, James Kelly, and Catherine McEvoy. And, of course, the many who came before these living masters, particularly those from counties Clare, Galway, Cork, Kerry, and more lately, Donegal.
Disclaimer: I consider myself an intermediate-level player and am not an expert on Irish music. I've just been doing it a long time and am willing to show up every week to teach tunes that I know and love. Somebody has to do it!
Pub Manager: Annie Nice
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Annie describes herself as raised on songs & stories in the village of Camlough, Co. Armagh, Ireland.
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The County of Armagh is best known as being the seat of St. Patrick, great Irish musicians such as Tommy Makem and Pat Woods, and the famous Armagh football team who has proudly held the Sam Maguire Cup many times. County Armagh is rich with culture and history: bairds, poets, and writers with a strong love for all things Gaelic in sports, music, history, and tradition. On your next visit to Ireland, take in Co. Armagh, Ireland's own gem.
"When I was young there were always people coming to the house. My own mother was, and still is, a great singer. My father would get out the accordion and away you go—it's a party. So, no matter what else was going on in life, the bad times never felt that bad with music going on. For the most part I love the up beat traditional Irish music. I love to see people having a good time, and hear laughter ringing out in the air. It's a powerful feeling. And when I moved to America I missed that a great deal. So if you can't be at home, take a bit of it with you wherever you go. There are over 70 million Americans that claim Irish heritage so I got some good things going there. I started the Rockford Michigan Irish Festival and it is still going strong. I also hosted an Irish radio show at WBYW 89.9 for just over five years. It was all a tremendous experience and I still remain in touch with many of my close friends in Michigan.
I still miss the ones I loved and had to leave. Now I have made my home in NC, and found a great wealth of talent. IrishEventsNC was set up to promote our heritage and culture. And my job as General manager at Tir Na Nog, Raleigh's oldest and finest Irish pub, gave me a home to be able to bring together all the local Celtic Community—to have sessions, lessons, local and interntional musician, Irish & Scottish dance and workshops. As a result of the interest, I also started The Raleigh Celtic Culture & Celtic Music Meetup Group, so that like-minded people can get together for an afternoon or an evening session or show."