Tours with a musical accompaniment

Benny O'Carroll, from Tralee, is a classical guitarist with a sense of what is happening in Irish music right now and how it …

Benny O'Carroll, from Tralee, is a classical guitarist with a sense of what is happening in Irish music right now and how it might be marketed.

You could say that as well as having nimble fingers, Benny has a nimble business brain. He has come up with a tourism package that has surprised those in the business. He has assembled a group of the finest musicians from all over Ireland. The idea is that group tours will jet in for six days from Europe or North America and advance bookings will be made for them at various locations, each of which will have guaranteed Irish traditional music.

All the guests have to do is get off the aircraft and collect their baggage.

After that, everything is arranged. People here have seen the potential for golf holidays; Benny O'Carroll thinks the same is possible for Irish music.

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The popular perception of Ireland in Europe and across the Atlantic is that the ceili starts at Shannon or Dublin and that every pub has live traditional music. But that's not the case.

"The fact is that people don't really know where to find the live music. It might be available at one location but not at the next. It's a bit hit-and-miss, and that's what my idea was aiming to address. When the people arrive here, they are assured of convivial company and the traditional music to go with it," he said.

"Sessions from the Hearth" is what Benny O'Carroll calls this musical ramble, a coach tour around Ireland for six days. The title reflects an album of the same name which he has already produced.

And before the music gets going each evening, there is a full programme of events such as sightseeing.

The tourists will not have to look for the music, there will always be a number of players with them on the coach. The tours begin next November, and the interest in the trade is so high that he has already been asked to put together a year-round package. Benny does not need to be asked twice. This one could be a runner.

Who will be part of the "sessions" programme? In and out of the arrangement will come bodhran champion Neill Lyons, from Dublin; the bouzouki player, Jon Sanders, originally English but now living in west Kerry; Enda Skahill, who has 11 All-Ireland Slogadh banjo titles; Eamonn de Barra, the young Dublin flute player; Oisin Mc Cauli, from Donegal, who plays fiddle; and Richard Lucy, the Mallow, Co Cork, accordion player.

The well-known sean nos singer, Sean Carvey, from Cahirciveen, Co Kerry, will form part of the line-up, as will Deirdre Scanlon, the All-Ireland champion singer from west Limerick.

And, of course, Benny O'Carroll will be found in the middle of this talented bunch. I think he may have struck the right chord and I feel we will be hearing more about this.