Mighty Music Session at Celtic House B&B

Celtic House B&B, Kilkenny in Ireland's Ancient East

As the hosts of Celtic House B&B, John and I take so much pride in making our home a warm and welcoming place for our guests. Our Bed and Breakfast is only a five-minute walk from Kilkenny city centre, so there is so much to explore right on our doorstep, including restaurants, traditional pubs and tourist attractions. Kilkenny is also home to many lively festivals, which reminds me of a fond story I have which sums up our B&B quite nicely!

Big Squeeze Festival

It was around the time of the Big Squeeze Festival here, which is an annual accordion festival that brings so many music lovers to our area. It was a gorgeous morning and our guests were enjoying their breakfast. At the time, we had Adi Roche, the Chernobyl humanitarian, and her extended family staying with us. As the festival was ongoing, we also had a number of very talented musicians staying.

Breakfast with a twist

Over breakfast, a conversation started about the festival itself, as Adi was meeting up with family members who didn’t know much about it and she wanted to know a little bit so she could later explain it to them. I quickly filled her in, and she asked about what sort of instruments some of my guests played. As it happened, we had a guitarist, harmonica player and singer all sitting around the table. I knew how talented they were, as they were returning guests who had stayed with us many times.

The craic was mighty

Adi wondered aloud whether they would be willing to play a few songs for us, to get in the mood for the day’s festival ahead. Bear in mind that this was only 9.30am in the morning! I asked my musical guests whether they would be willing and luckily, they were more than happy to play for us. Once the lively traditional music started, it kept going for two and half hours! I’ll never forget the atmosphere at the breakfast table, as everyone was clapping and singing along. It was first thing on a Sunday morning and it was so unexpected. It just goes to show that you never know what fun might happen in our home, at any stage of the day! It is one of my fondest memories and I will never forget the mighty Celtic music session at Celtic House B&B!

Posted: 16 Jul 2019 by Claire Regan | with 0 comments

Tags: B&B of the Month