Welcome to the Bushmills Inn Ballads & Tunes Session!

The regular Saturday night Session in the Gas Bar features 
Traditional Irish & Scottish Music 
of this region, plus a variety of Ballads.

If you are coming to the Causeway Coast area of North Antrim and you play or sing, then why not come along & share your music with us, at our weekly session. 

We'd love to meet you & share some tunes, songs & Craic . 

You'll find us in the Bushmills Inn every Saturday night. 

Bushmills Inn Gas Bar

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Bushmills Inn Gas Bar

The Bushmills Inn Ballads & Tunes Session!

Wherever you go, you will find that when people gather to relax, there will often be music & song, but what makes an Irish Session different, is not only the Songs which are sung, but also the instruments which are used to play the music.
At our Saturday night Session, you will hear the Irish Ballads, which involve singers, musicians & the audience. We sing the Ballads, not only because we enjoy singing them, but also because we enjoy seeing everyone present actually joining in, being involved & part of the fun.

The use of Traditional musical instruments is what gives any Session in Ireland its unique sound, so our choice of instruments reflects our geographic location, here on the N. E. coast of Ireland, looking out across the sea to the Scottish Highlands & Islands.
On any Saturday night then, the Traditional instruments you will hear will include the Fiddle, Harp, Mandolin, Northumbrian Pipes, Hammered Dulcimer, Fife, English Concertina, Anglo Concertina, Tenor Banjo, Harmonica, Tin Whistle, Bodhran & often Scottish Smallpipes.

The original group of musicians who play in the Bushmills Inn every Saturday night. 

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Riley Piddington, our lead vocalist,  plays Guitar & Mandolin & favours the Ballads of Ireland & Scotland.

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Dick Glasgow, is the groups founding member and anchor man on the musical front. 
Seen here playing the Hammered Dulcimer, he also plays Fiddle, Anglo & English Concertinas, Tenor Banjo & Mandolin.

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Sabine Glasgow plays Harp, Fife & Crumhorn as well as Vocals.

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Desi Hasson plays Congas, Bodhran, Spoons & Vocals.

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Brian Shaw, the other lead singer also plays Ukulele, Bodhran & Spoons.

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Sam Fleming plays Northumbrian Pipes, Harmonica & Tin Whistles.

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Between the Ballads & Tunes, on a Saturday night. 

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Video #1

Riley takes the lead on the well known Ballad - Sam Hall.

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Video #2

                                                                   Margaret's Waltz

Featuring Sam Fleming on Northumbrian Pipes 
& Dick Glasgow on Nyckelharpa.

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More Northumbrian Pipes videos taken at our session.

#1 ~ Irish Jigs

#2 ~ Hornpipes

#3 ~ Dream Angus

#4 ~ Flower o' the Quern

#5 ~ Derwentwater's Farewell

#6 ~ Spootiskerry & Roxburgh Castle

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Video #3

Local Piper Alan Wade often joins us, on his Scottish Smallpipes & Whistles.
Here he is playing an air, Steal Away & a couple of Reels.

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Up here on the North Antrim coast, you just never know what instruments you'll hear at our local sessions! 

Last night's session included Scottish Smallpipes, Northumbrian Pipes, Harp & Nyckelharpa, as well as the more usual Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar & Bodhran.

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Friends of the Bushmills Inn Session!

A wonderful feature of the Traditional Open Irish Session is that passing musicians & singers are usually encouraged to join in.
So you are coming to the Causeway Coast area of North Antrim and you play or sing, then why not come along & share your music with us, at our weekly session. 
We'd love to meet you & share some tunes, songs & crack. 

You'll find us in the Bushmills Inn every Saturday night.  

However, please note that extra Sessions do occur from time to time, especially during the summer months, when visiting musicians are in the area. So if you are passing through on another night, please do get in touch, because we'd hate to miss you! 
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In this section, you will see a selection of photos, showing some of the wonderful musical friends we have made over the years, at the Bushmills Inn Session.

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Here is a video of Sam & his Grandson Matthew playing their

Northumbrian Pipes, at our session on Saturday, 5th March 2011.
Here are two recordings of Sam & myself playing a couple of sets of Northumbrian tunes
on Mandolin & Northumbrian Pipes.
 Salmon Tails up the Water / Jimmy Allan / Munster Gallop
 The Keel Row / Keep Yer Feet Still Geordie / Hexham Races 

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This is regular friend Alan Wade on his Scottish Smallpipes.

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This lady travelled from Canada, to sing a few songs with us.
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These four wonderful Traditional Scottish Singers were a real treat.
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Emmett & Emmett junior, over on holiday from Nottingham, England, were

excellent musicians.
Emmett senior is a member of  the group Acushla
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These two talented English musicians & singers visit us regularly, when they over on holiday.
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This Flute player, Stiofán ó hEochaidh & his friend on Mandolin, added variety to yet another great session.
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Trevor Stewart on Uilleann Pipes next to Sam Fleming on Northumbrian Pipes.
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Sam Fleming plus Hazel & Chris on Northumbrian Pipes. 
Hazel & Chris visit us each year.  
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Dick Glasgow is joined here by good friend Kathleen Smyth.
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Local man on Fiddle Alec Kerr sharing a few tunes with visiting Scottish musician Norman on Button Accordion.
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These two fine American musicians, Mr & Mrs T.J. Hull, joined us on their Honeymoon.
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These three wonderful musicians, Rebecca, Norman & Angus are members of the Scottish group Canterach.
They gave us a spectacular nights music, when they joined our session.

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Last night we were delighted to have Hazel & Chris join us again. However this time, as well as some lovely Piping duets, we were treated to some glorious music on his Nyckelharpa
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Videos

1: Two Nyckelharpor in Bushmills

2: A Nyckelharpa comes to Ireland

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Last night's session really was a belter, because as well as Chris & his Nyckelharpa, we had the pleasure of being joined by Alan Wade & his Pipe Maker, Ian Kinnear, seen here on the left, all the way from Angus, in Scotland.

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Enjoying a wee session with Mick Moloney & friends 
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Mick joined us for a wee mid-week session in the Gas Bar.
Declan Forde (Guitar), Mick Moloney (Tenor Banjo), Alan Wade (Scottish Smallpipes), 
Dick Glasgow (Fiddle), Jerry O'Donnell (Fiddle) & Roy Arbuckle (Guitar).
We all had a wonderful evening of music, plus songs from Mick & Roy & recitations from Declan.
We're already looking forward to Mick's next visit.
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We were joined by Bernard & Chrissie, over on holiday from England,
with their Bouzouki & G/D Melodeon.

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Here's another video of our session. 

This time Alan Wade leads off on a set of Scottish Pipe Tunes.

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Last night, at our regular weekly session in the Bushmills Inn, we were joined by Joanna Clare, a delightful young Fiddle player all the way from New York.

                     Joanna is over here to compete in the All Ireland Fleadh next week.

Here is Joanna in action at the session, with her Mum Cynthia, enjoying the warm atmosphere of the Gas Bar.

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This short clip will perhaps give you an idea of just how talented this young lady is.

She played beautiful music for us on her Fiddle & certainly sounded like a champion to us.

We wish her every success.

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