Willie Clancy Summer School (Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy)

Held since 1973 in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, in memory of uilleann piper Willie Clancy, this summer school has grown into the world's largest gathering devoted to traditional Irish music. For a week each July, close to a thousand students take classes in pipes, fiddle, flute, concertina, accordion, singing and dance from leading tradition bearers, while the town fills with street sessions and céilís. The atmosphere stays firmly grassroots and community-taught rather than stage-focused.