Why musicians are travelling from near and far for The Eltham’s Irish folk music jam

THEY come from far and wide, armed with fiddles, flutes, tin whistles, accordions, drums and guitars, ready for a good old-fashioned Irish folk music jam session.

With glasses of Guinness lined up on the table, the musicians fill the Eltham Hotel beer garden with the soulful, spirited tunes of the Emerald Isle.

“The atmosphere in the pub is just great,” convenor Phil Levy said. “It’s a friendly, social vibe. It’s just become a bit of an institution now really.”

Levy, who also runs an open mic night at The Eltham, said the monthly sessions began after the 2022 Northern Rivers floods, when a previous session at Hotel Lismore was unable to continue after the pub was severely damaged in the natural disaster.

“It’s grown from a core group of around eight musicians to around 20 now,” he said. “Most of the tunes get played in sets. You might play three tunes in a set, which are either jigs or reels.

“There’s a certain repertoire that gets played at sessions but there could be 20 tunes you don’t know, so you respectfully sit back, then ask what the tune was and go and learn it if you like it. A lot of the time people know the tune, but not the name.”

Levy’s great-grandfather came from Ireland, and he has been enamoured with Irish music since he first heard the fiddle while growing up.

 

“In parallel to listening to rock and pop music I just took an interest in folk music and I heard Irish tunes,” he said. “It’s stayed with me my whole life. There’s some connection.

“There’s a lot of soul in it and I dabble in bluegrass, which has its roots in Irish music in America.”

Levy, who lives in Bexhill, said the musicians who join range in age from their teens to their 70s and come from as far as Brisbane and Kyogle, attracted by the inclusive nature of the sessions.

“They like the way we encourage and let everybody in,” he said. “It can get a bit cliquey elsewhere if you’re not up to scratch or not as good a player. There’s kind of a hierarchy in cities and places where people are more serious about it.

“I’m just trying to encourage an interest in the music. For me it’s great to see the real deal and be able to play along with them.”

Levy said a few of the regulars are of Irish background and enjoy socialising with like-minded people.

“Young and old Irishmen come and join in,” he said. “Sometimes they will stand up and sing a song. Last month we had a young fiddler who was out here working come and play a few tunes.

“And you can have a few Guinnesses while you’re there, enjoying the craic as the Irish would say.”

The Eltham Hotel’s Irish folk music jam takes place on the second Wednesday of the month from 5pm to 8pm.