The home of Irish & British Traditional folk music, song, storytelling & Retro Folk

The Irish Folk Club Munich celebrates its 24th. anniversary in 2012. Is that old? For a Folk Club, it is indeed. People get older and their tastes and priorities change. Young people lose interest in the idea of “handmade music” preferring the ease of a quick audio- visual download to the idea of traipsing down to a folk club to sit and watch the artists display their finely honed craft live on stage. However, the latter idea has been the driving force behind the Irish Folk Club Munich.

It was 24 years ago, when Alison Moffat and Frank McLynn first booked artists for the club, then based in the Max-Emanuel-Bräuerei in Adalbertstr. in Munich’s Schwabing. We never thought that we would be able to generate enough interest in live traditional music, song and theatre from Ireland, Britain and Mainland Europe to fill a kitchen, let alone a theatre. But we filled venues and people appreciated what we were doing. They loyally followed us from the “Max” to the “Theater im Fraunhofer “, Fraunhoferstr. 9a, where we turned Monday nights into calendar fixtures that were missed at the audience’s peril. People appreciated the idea of watching and listening to world -renowned artists in the ambience of one of Munich’s oldest theatres.

Over the years a distinguished array of first class-artists have graced our stage, and we fondly look back on nights with musicians like Frankie Gavin, Andy Irvine, Dick Gaughan, Kieran Halpin, Jackie Daly, Tony MacMahon and Eileen Ivers, Chris O'Neill (R.I.P.), Micho Russell (R.I.P.), Susan McKeown,Tony Macmahon, Chris Wood & Andy Cutting, John Campbell (R.I.P.) & Len Graham, Sean Tyrell, TonyMcManus, Matt Cranitch, Benny McCarthy, Pete Morton, Kathryn Tickell & Jez Lowe. Bands such as Blowzabella, Chanting House, The Late Night Band, Altan, Show of Hands and DeDanann alternated with nights of storytelling from Len Graham and John Campbell while keepers of the tradition Liam Weldon and Micho Russell shared the club stage with writers, playwrights and actors Desmond Egan, Terry McDonagh and Ulick O’Connor and Chris O’Neill. This is only short list of the artists who have played our stage. A quick look through the photo galleries will give a better idea of those who have played the club.

Today, the Irish Folk Club (which is, was and will always be non-profit making) exclusively presents selected traditional artists on different dates at chosen venues.
Of late we have been enjoying the hospitality of
 Ars Musica im Stemmerhof **  www.ars-musica-muenchen.de ,
so why not drop by and enjoy some of the legendary artists performing in 2012 and beyond.
You won’t regret it.

Go here for event details, venue and reservations

The Rantapine