Tutors
Paddy Fitzgerald (Session master)
Internationally respected button accordion from Clare who has been living in Australia since 1959. In 1963 he married Eileen Nash, and together living in Melbourne they raised nine children. Paddy has played in a number of bands including the Merry Moonshiners, The Bards and Gaelic Inheritance, as well as the famous Fitzgerald Family Band. Paddy will be leading many Lake Schools sessions including the Billy Moran Memorial Session at Micky Bourke's Pub on January 4 2009. Paddy will be assisted during the week by Melbourne fiddle player Nicki Kramer.
Ewen Baker (fiddle)
Ewen Baker returns to the Lake School to lead the Lake School fiddlers in 2009. Ewen has a relaxed and down to earth teaching style that gets the basics of celtic style fiddling across to his students. He has recently toured with local icon singer and songwriter Shane Howard, and plays with a number of celtic music combinations in Melbourne. During the past year Ewen has become a father (congratulations Ewen to you and Kate from all at the Lake School on the safe arrival of your daughter - Tully), and has been working with bowmaker and luthier Atelier Puglisi in Melbourne.
Vince Brophy (guitar - fingerpicking and song accompaniment)
A leading Irish/Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. An APRA award winner and a frequent performer around the nation at festival and concert venues. Vince's group of guitarists have been a regular fixture at The Lake School. In July 2007 Vince was being inducted as Legend of the Lake, by Martha McEvoy from the Embassy of Ireland, at an evening at Micky Bourke's Hotel. Koroit.
Maria Forde (singing)
Maria's singing group has become one of the best attended events at the Lake School, and her students have been full of praise for her approachable teaching style. As well as singing regularly around at concerts and festivals around Australia, Maria leads the Inner Moment Retreat workshops and and organises an annual Celtic Spirituality tour of Ireland. For enquiries contact mforde@alphalink.com.au
Tommy Carty (DADGAD guitar - irish tune accompaniment)
One of the finest guitar accompanists of Irish music in Australia, and was well recognised in Ireland before settling in Warnambool some 20 years ago. Tommy's Irish tune accompaniment class was a great success last year, and we can look forward to more in 2009. Tommy has been at the hub of Irish music in Warnambool for some years, and has lead many sessions in the district. Expect to see Tommy at the centre of sessions at Micky Bourke's Pub and the late night session venue any night during the Lake School.
Tommy is being inducted as a Legend of the Lake by Ted Egan at
Micky Bourke's Pub, Koroit on July 5 2009
Dennis O'Keeffe (songwriting)
Geelong and ex-Warrnambool resident, Dennis O'Keeffe, is one of Australia's most original and authentic song writers. The success of the songwriters class and their concerts has become one of the highlights of the Lake School. Over 100 songs have been written and some have begun to have a life of their own, including winning songwriting awards. The Lake School Songwriters have also started to have a life of their own and have performed at the Maldon Folk Festival and twice at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Dennis has recently published an article about the history of the song Waltzing Mailda, and reveals a hidden story about the song which we all as proud and informed Australians should know. Don't miss Dennis's songwriting class - its unique and very special.
Ade Kelly bodhran and Paddy O'Neill Award
Ade Kelly has been tutoring bodhran at the Lake School since 2004 and we welcome him back in 2008 to tutor the adult's classes. This year Ade will continue his tutoring o the Paddy O'Neill Award students, and will be assisted again by Ballarat guitarist, Geoff McArthur. The children's bodhran classes this year will be lead by Mark McDonnell.
Ade also organised the band Setante, made up of Lake School tutors
which wowed audiences at the Port Fairy Festival in March this year
Margie Brophy, Christine Meagher and Gary Egan - Kids Program
Christine 
Margie
Margie and Christine return to the Lake School Kids program in 2009 after having another great year in 2008. The kids program in 2009 will be a general program of drama, singing, dance, games and fun activities. Ray Argall joins the Kids Program team this year to lead the Lake School youth in producing the Lake School Newsletter which was a sensation at the school last year. Ray and his family have become an integral part of the Lake School and have been attending with Ray's energetic mother, Barbara, who is famous as the creator of the mogyum! Ray himself is a well known film and documentary maker!
Ray
Mark McDonnell (Anglo Concertina)
Mark joins us again in 2009 after leading the slow session and concertina workshops in 2008. The beginners session is designed for players who feel that they can't keep up with the tempo of the individual classes. For beginners Mark sees it as an opportunity to learn and go over some basic and easy tunes at a slow tempo. Mark has shown himself to be a gifted tutor at this type of teaching and his session at Father Flannagan's every Tuesday night in Collingwood has attracted many players, and we have received great feedback about his 2008 slow session classes. Mark has been playing the anglo concertina for many years and also repairs and makes them as a hobby. He is also co-author of "A Beginners Guide to Traditional Irish Music Rhythms."
Jack Brennan - uillean pipes
Jack Brennan returns this year as tin whistle tutor for the adult classes and for pipes. Jack has been playing Irish music as long as he can remember and started playing the tin whistle with the legendary Tim Whelan Snr in Adelaide in the 1970s. He bought his first set of Irish uilleann pipes in 1981 and has been influenced by pipers such as Finbar Furey, Leo Rowsomme, Liam O'Flynn, Paddy Keenan and Seamus Ennis. He has performed with numerous groups over the years including Hopscotch, The O'Carolan Quartet and Celtsquad. In February 2005 he released his own CD titled "Pipers Dream" which features him playing traditional, contemporary and original compositions. He has mastered the art of reed making and plays a Concert D set made by Alain Froment in 1986.
Fay and Morgan McAlinden (Irish Set Dance)
Fay and Morgan join the Lake School team again in 2009 to bring you a comprehensive program of Irish set dancing.
Fay and Morgan came to Australia in 1974 and soon after started the Morgan's Kitchen dance group in Geelong. They have been heavily involved in the traditional dance scene in Victoria ever since, and organise the annual Ceili Mor. In 2004 Fay and Morgan were inducted as Legends of the Lakeby Irish Embassy Cultural Attache, Martha McEvoy
Lynelle Moran (Flute)
Lynnelle returns to the Lake School in 2009 as the flute tutor. We warmly welcome Lynnelle back and look forward to the exciting repertoire she teaches on the flute. Lynnelle plays in a number of line-ups around Melbourne, including one with her partner andguitarist Dan West, and she recently toured New Caledonia with a band that included Ewen Baker (Lake School fiddle tutor)
Mossie Scanlon (Irish Language)
Mosie Scanlon joined the Lake School team of tutors for the first time last year
and lead a highly amused group of beginners in Irish langauge through the dictionary of Irish insults and comic put downs...thats only because they asked for it. Join Mossie for a fun introduction to learning the Irish language and for lots songs, laughs and good craic!
Danny Bourke (Irish Music Masterclass)
Danny Bourke has been a fiddle player for many years in the Melbourne Irish music scene and played with some of the best including - Anthony O'Neill and Louis McManus Jnr ! Danny's grandfather was a previous mayor of Koroit,
and Danny brings many family memories as well as some awesome chops on the fiddle. Join Danny on the January 9 for a special one-off event - the Irish Music Masterclass
Teresa O'Brien (Oral History Project)
Teresa will be continuing her work with the South West irish Association and the Friends of St Brigidsin collecting and presenting folkore of South West Victoria and in particular the Koroit and Killarney area.
Teresa will be based at the Koroit Historical Society (the original Lake School)
at Victoria Park in Koroit.
Lou Hesterman (Event recording)
Lou recorded almost the entire Lake School event last year and has made a wonderful collection of the music played. Overcoming many technical obstacles and finding a friend and helper John "Ozzie" Osbourne, Lou managed to record nearly all the concerts and many of the sessions and burn them to CD. These recordings are available to enrolled Lake School studenst to purchase for a small fee, and Lou will be recording the 2009 event and selling Cds in a similar manner. Lou will be based at the Koroit Historical Society and will be open for business every day during the Lake School.
