100 tv shows-#96-Faoi Lán Cheoil

[karaokegal]

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Here's a bit of a wild-card. Neither US or UK, but rather a "reality show" from TG4, a public service channel for Irish language speakers in Ireland.

My husband is the following:
Of partial Irish ancestry.
A lover of traditional Irish music.
A player of traditional Irish music. At the time of this writing he currently owns and can play to some extent, the tin whistle, the Irish flute, the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, octave mandolin and a few others.

Two years ago we traveled to Ennis in County Clare to attend the Fleadh Cheoil. At that time he'd pretty much just taken up the flute and took classes at the Fleadh with 6 year old flute players who could already kick his ass.

Around that time we discovered this reality show on Youtube. (It's since been pulled.) The premise that eight celebrities (seven of them Irish) learn to play a traditional Irish instrument with the help of a famous player. The non-Irish person is English actor Jeremy Irons, who lives in Ireland in a castle and who I kind of adore. He may have been my "hook" into the whole thing. He was the only one I'd ever heard of, although I was amused to find out that at least two of the actors appeared on an Irish soap opera called "Ros Na Rua," which I was super-amused by on our trip to Ireland in 2001.

Obviously as in all "reality" shows, the situation is arbitrary and who knows how much of the difficulties in learning the instruments are completely real or just part of the set up for suspense as the big performances arrives?

That being said, and have seen all the episodes multiple times, because when we like anything of a musical or documentary nature, we watch it over and over and over, and it's thoroughly enjoyable.

It gives so much insight in the music and the people and Ireland and oh my god, I now love Jeremy Irons even more than I used to so if he's problematic for you for any reason...skip that one. I'm not sure where to find it now that TG4 has pulled the Youtube plug, but if you get the chance and you love Irish people, Irish music, Irish instruments, Irish accents, or Jeremy Irons...go for it.

Here's the line-up:

John Creedon learns the flute

Marie Jones learns button accordion

Adrian Dunbar learns Sean Nós Singing

Macdara Ó Fátharta learns tin whistle

Paddy Courtney learns the Bodhran

Jeremy Irons learns the fiddle

Andy Reid learns Banjo

Dearbla Lennon learns concertina