How the week flows... Everyone arrives on Sunday afternoon, checks in to their lodging and gets settled down. There's a buffet supper followed by introduction of the teaching staff, each of whom will play a tune and say a few words. Apart from that, there are no organized events on Sunday night. Classes start Monday morning and run through Friday, with four one-hour sessions per day.

Mealtimes are set each day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and every evening before dinner we offer talks and panel discussions with the teaching staff. After dinner there are organized sessions led by the teaching staff on most nights, including some "guided" sessions at moderate tempos. There's also a "listening session" one night, with the teaching staff all playing together, and a ceili at least once in the week for those who like to dance. In addition to the organized sessions there are plenty of good spots for informal ones, so it's not hard to get into a session. The week ends with Friday night's staff concert at the San Juan Community Theatre in Friday Harbor, followed by sessions in town at The Place restaurant and bar.

Stay a little longer... The Roche Harbor folks have made us a very kind offer; if you'd like to stay an extra day or two, they'll give you the same great rate on your lodgings either before or after the week. Last year it was a lot of fun to relax and have some low-key sessions after the week had ended. Check with the reservations desk for more information.

Friday Harbor Irish Music Week - 10 Years

Randal Bays and Dan Paulson founded the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp in 2002 as a place where people who love Irish traditional music can come together to learn and share good times.

Here are some links to photos from past years

Here's an alphabetical list of the great musicians, singers and dancers who've taught at Friday Harbor over the years:

Randal Bays, Joel Bernstein, Aidan Brennan, Mairead Casey, Johnny Og Connolly, Andrea Cooper, Tom Creegan, Kevin Crehan, Jackie Daly, John Doyle, Florence Fahy, Bridget Fitzgerald, Eliot Grasso, Liz Kane, Yvonne Kane, James Keane, James Kelly, Roger Landes, Antoin MacGabhain, Dave Marshall, Davey Mathias, Anne McCallum, Catherine McEvoy, Tony McManus, Leo McNamara, Maldon Meehan, Aine Meenaghan, Sean Moloney, Mick Mulkerrin, Gearoid O'hAllmhurain, Eoin O'Neill, Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh, Patrick Ourceau, Daithi Sproule, Fintan Vallely, Susan Waters, John Williams.

In 1993 Randal was in Co. Clare and visited the famous
Willie Clancy Summer School at Miltown Malbay, a visit
that included this appearance in the fiddle recital with
three great East Clare fiddlers, Francie Donellan,
P.J. Hayes and Martin Hayes.

Returning home to the Pacific Northwest, Randal decided to try and create something like "Willie Week" on a smaller scale, and when Dan Paulson suggested his home town of Friday Harbor, it seemed perfect.