O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat

‼️ Schedule! Extracurriculars! Resources! Oh my! ‼️

We're excited to announce that the retreat schedule is LIVE!

For a print-friendly PDF:https://oflahertyretreat.org/documents/schedules/2026/2026ActivitiesSchedule.pdf

For a mobile-friendly version (this is coming soon): https://oflahertyretreat.org/schedule-of-activities/

Please note that meal concerts, session leaders, and classroom assignments will be posted closer to retreat time.

Additionally, we're happy to provide information on all the extracurricular activities you can choose from! While we count down to registration time, take a look at all the amazing options here:

Workshops: https://oflahertyretreat.org/curriculum/workshops/

Lectures: https://oflahertyretreat.org/curriculum/lectures/

Informances: https://oflahertyretreat.org/instructor_role/informances/

2026 Retreat Tunes are also live! We will make a separate post tomorrow to highlight this and other helpful student resources.

We hope you're as excited as we are!! 😁☘️

It's registration month!! So we wanted to let you know about some pricing changes for this year.

Our goal is to keep costs low for students (with the generous help of our donors), but we do have to adjust prices every so often.

For "early bird pricing," we are keeping the price of enrollment for students the same as last year ($350 for adult students, $250 for invited youth) from the start of online registration on June 20th through July 31st. Starting August 1st, the price for each will increase by $50 ($400 for adult students, $300 for invited youth).

If you have any questions, let us know at [email protected]!

Sources reveal he has a mind to join the cat and the fiddle; decision not clear on allowing the dish and spoon to join session. Cow to be questioned after return from moon.

So are we! 🥹

Sources say that in an unexpected twist, the third beverage request is actually just a glass of warm milk to encourage sleepiness. 😉🥛

Thank you Irish Music Magazine official! We're very excited! 🤩

O’Flaherty Retreat – Irish Music Immersion
23rd Annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat
October 22nd – 25th, 2026
oflahertyretreat.org

The 23rd Annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, organized by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society and supported through a grant from the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, will be held October 22-25, 2026 at the Hoblitzelle Camp & Conference Center in Midlothian Texas. The retreat is internationally renowned for instruction in Irish music and dance by highly respected teachers from Ireland and the United States.

Students can choose from a wide range of courses on acoustic instruments, singing and Sean-nós dancing. Additionally, workshops explore topics ranging from Irish music history to music theory. At every meal there are guest concerts and each evening instructor concerts followed by sessions. A céilí is held on Friday evening.

The instructors for this year’s retreat are: Aileen Bourke – Concertina; Sarah Collins – Fiddle Fundamentals; Sorcha Costello – Fiddle; Máirtín de Cógáin – Singing; Cedar Dobson – Whistle; Brenda Dowling – Flute/Whistle Fundamentals; Shane Farrell – Mandolin; Micky Fearon – Guitar; Catriona Fee – Concertina Fundamentals; Rob Forkner – Bodhrán Fundamentals; Sean Gavin – Uilleann Pipes; Gráinne Hambly – Harp; Simon Lace – Mandolin/Tenor Banjo Fundamentals; Mattie Mancuso – Fiddle; John McEvoy – Fiddle; Sinéad McKenna – Fiddle; Donal Murphy – Button Accordion; Alan Murray – Bouzouki; Seosamh Ó Neachtain – Sean-Nós Dancing; Elaine Reilly – Tenor Banjo; Cara Wildman – Bodhrán; and John Wynne – Flute.

Tuition is $350 for participants 18 and older and $250 for youth 12-17 years old (admitted by invitation only). $50 late registration fee after August 1st. Meals and lodging are separate.

For more information and to register, go to oflahertyretreat.org.

O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat
Irish Music Magazine official

Researchers are still unsure who put the bodhrán in the Large Hadron Collider, but confirm accelerated subatomic particles make for a lovely alternative tipper. 🤓