In Ireland, it is common for musicians to gather in pubs to play traditional music.
For the last year and a half, husband and wife Mikey and Katie Dunlavey of the Wild Swans have encouraged the same get-togethers with their traditional Irish music sessions.
They perform Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hotel McCoy.
Mikey plays the Irish uilleann pipes while Katie performs on a traditional Irish drum called the bodhrán. Katie recently began to learn a free-reed instrument called the concertina.
The couple moved to Tucson in 2021 and formed the Wild Swans in 2023. Before starting with the Irish uilleann pipes, Mikey had a background as a singer and guitar player. The two studied in Donegal, Ireland, at the Ceol na Coille School of Irish Traditional Music.
“It definitely helps to be in an environment where you’re just focused on the music and learning some new techniques or new songs,” Mikey said. “At any school, you can’t help to improve your abilities. It’s fun to meet other people that the common theme is you all love the same music or the same instrument.”
The live music sessions at Hotel McCoy are open to folk musicians of all skill levels. Mikey said he and Katie have improved their craft through those gigs.
“One of the reasons we formed the sessions was to help us progress on our own instruments,” he said. “I was coming from a singing background with the guitar. I wasn’t as familiar with session tunes, which are basically instrumentals.”
Mikey said that the sessions also allow other musicians the chance to grow as well.
“I’ve been impressed by the number of musicians who have started off as beginners or were trying to learn some of the session tunes,” he said. “I’ve been amazed by how far a lot of them have come. They’ve really gotten good at playing. That inspires me to keep improving, and it inspires other folks that are newer.”
The sessions attract a core of about 12 musicians, although Mikey said they regularly see new faces. Sometimes, musicians who are visiting Tucson on their travels will jump in and play.
Tucson has a few different traditional Irish music sessions for varying skill levels. Mikey said there is a twice-monthly session at Monterey Court that tends to be geared towards more advanced musicians. A session for beginner level players used to be held at Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. Mikey said they have recently been looking for a new home.
He went on to say that their sessions at Hotel McCoy often attracts beginning to intermediate level musicians, although anybody is welcome. Musicians have brought different types of instruments to the Tuesday gatherings, including harmonicas, bagpipes from Macedonia, fiddles, banjos, whistles and flutes.
They tend to choose from around 100 common Irish session tunes. Mikey said that he chose the playlist based on common session tunes played by musicians around the world. The songs tend to fall into the categories of jigs, reels, waltzes, polkas and hornpipes. Mikey said that other musicians will also bring in songs and will gather together when he and Katie can’t be there.
“Whenever we leave town, we know that the sessions are in good hands, and people are going to keep playing, whether we’re there or not,” he said. “That always was the goal that this is the group’s sessions, and everybody has ownership in it.”
The Wild Swans are hosting a Celtic New Year celebration concert at the Sea of Glass Center for the Arts on Friday, Nov. 1. The event will incorporate live music, poetry and storytelling and will be focused on ghosts, fairy tales and folklore.
“There’s such a deep tradition of folklore in Ireland, even up to today,” Mikey said. “There’s still a lot of people that believe in what they call ‘the wee folk’ or the fairy people. Even though it’s a strong Catholic country, it also strongly believes in its legends. You see it everywhere you go, whether in place names or in the stories or tunes.”
During the upcoming event, the Dunlaveys will be joined onstage by Peter Rodgers on the fiddle, Mary Bouley on the harp and Michael Tomcal on a type of long-neck lute called the bouzouki.
Mikey said that one of his goals is to bring Irish music throughout the year through music sessions and different types of events.
“I really love the opportunity to tell stories, do some poetry and focus on the meaning of the tunes,” he said.
Live Traditional Irish Music Sessions
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays
WHERE: Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road, Tucson
COST: Free
INFO:thewildswansmusic.com
A Celtic New Year Celebration Concert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1
WHERE: Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. Seventh Street, Tucson
COST: $25 online, $30 at the door
INFO: 520-210-4448, theseaofglass.org
