Siamsa Montreal School of Irish Music

Siamsa Montreal School of Irish Music The School is dedicated to promoting Irish music, culture, and a sense of community in Montreal. The school is now guided by a board of 5 volunteers.

In the winter of 1991 Brendan and Bernadette Walsh were struggling on their own to learn Irish traditional fiddle so they organized group classes with David "Papper" Papazian. At the same time, they recruited Nancy Lyon and Philippe Longval to teach tin whistle and bodhran, respectively.Since then, the roster of teachers has grown and changed, and dancing, drama, and other instruments have been ad

ded. The school is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Irish music, culture, and a sense of community by holding classes and other activities like dances and workshops. For more than 25 years, our objectives have been:
- to educate members about Irish music, Irish song, Irish dance and Irish literature ;
- to develop among the general public an appreciation for Irish culture ;
- to promote the Irish cultural tradition ;
- to foster camaraderie among members. These activities are made possible by the hard work of many volunteers who organize the ceilis and other fundraising activities, and with generous help from patrons. Our chief patron throughout the years has been the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal.

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À l'hiver de 1991 Brendan et Bernadette Walsh se démenaient pour apprendre le violon traditionnel irlandais. Ils organisèrent donc des ateliers avec David "Papper" Papazian. En même temps, ils recrutèrent Nancy Lyon et Philippe Longval pour apprendre respectivement le tin whistle et le bodhran. Depuis, le corps professoral s’est agrandi et a évolué. Des classes en danse, en arts dramatique, et autres instruments ont été ajoutées. L'école est dorénavant dirigée par une équipe de 5 bénévoles. L'école est un organisme à but non lucratif dédié à la promotion de la culture irlandaise, de sa musique, et de son sens communautaire, en proposant des cours et diverses activités comme les danses traditionnelles et autres ateliers. Depuis plus de 25 ans, nos objectifs sont:
- enseigner à nos membres la musique, la chanson, la danse et la littérature irlandaise;
- développer auprès du grand public une appréciation de la culture irlandaise;
- faire la promotion des traditions culturelles irlandaises;
- encourager la camaraderie parmi nos membres. Ces activités sont rendues possible grâce au magnifique travail effectué par nos bénévoles qui organisent les Ceilis et les autres activités d'aide communautaire, mais aussi grâce à l'aide provenant de généreux donateurs. Notre donateur principal depuis plusieurs années est la "St. Patrick's Society of Montreal".

Siamsa Céilí • Saturday April 25 • 7pmSt. Kevin’s Parish Hall, 5600 ch Côte-des-NeigesSpring has sprung, and we're ready...
04/14/2026

Siamsa Céilí • Saturday April 25 • 7pm
St. Kevin’s Parish Hall, 5600 ch Côte-des-Neiges
Spring has sprung, and we're ready to celebrate with music and dancing! As usual there will be dances to suit beginners and experts alike with the Siamsa Céilí Band.

Veillée Siamsa • Samedi 25 avril • 19h
Église Saint-Kevin, 5600 ch Côte-des-Neiges
Le printemps est arrivé, célébrons en dansant et en musique! Il y aura des danses pour les novices et les experts avec le Siamsa Céilí Band.

https://siamsa.org/en/ceilis

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HzP2KueRV/

From all of us at Siamsa! De nous tous à Siamsa!
03/17/2026

From all of us at Siamsa! De nous tous à Siamsa!

March 21st - 7pm - It's time for our most popular evening of the year: the St. Patrick's weekend céilí - always an excit...
03/12/2026

March 21st - 7pm - It's time for our most popular evening of the year: the St. Patrick's weekend céilí - always an exciting evening! The band, the callers and our fine team of volunteers are all looking forward to welcoming you for an electrifying night of music, dance, and surprises.
Details on our website: https://siamsa.org/en/ceilis
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/18Bw2S9e9p/

21 mars - 19h - La plus grosse soirée de l'année est arrivée: le céilí de la fin de semaine de la Saint-Patrick - c'est excitant! Le band, les calleurs et notre équipe de valeureux bénévoles on hâte de vous recevoir pour une soirée électrisante de musique, danse et surprises.
Détails sur notre site Internet: https://siamsa.org/fr/ceilis
Événement Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18Bw2S9e9p/

Time to thump on your bodhráns to ring in the New Year,Concertinas and boxes bellow out with good cheer.Grab your flutes...
12/31/2025

Time to thump on your bodhráns to ring in the New Year,
Concertinas and boxes bellow out with good cheer.
Grab your flutes and your whistles and go blow off some steam,
Mandolins, banjos, guitars pluck away like a dream.
Fiddles bowing together, such a wonderful sight,
Don't forget: pay the piper, and play on through the night!
-Philippe Murphy, 2025

Happy New Year from all of us at Siamsa!!!
Bonne année de la part de toute l'équipe de Siamsa!!!

Nollaig Shona Daoibh, Merry Christmas!From everyone at Siamsa, we wish you very Happy Holidays. May there be gratitude a...
12/20/2025

Nollaig Shona Daoibh, Merry Christmas!
From everyone at Siamsa, we wish you very Happy Holidays. May there be gratitude and love in your heart, and may music fill your home with good cheer!
⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐🌲⭐
Nollaig Shona Daoibh, Joyeux Noël!
De toute l'équipe de Siamsa, nous vous souhaitons un joyeux temps des Fêtes. Que votre cœur ressente gratitude et amour, et que la musique emplisse votre maison de joie!

ℐ𝓃 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓁𝒶 ℳ𝒸𝒢𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓃Sheila was a journalist who arrived in Montréal after working her way up through various pub...
12/01/2025

ℐ𝓃 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓁𝒶 ℳ𝒸𝒢𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓃

Sheila was a journalist who arrived in Montréal after working her way up through various publication and spending a year in France to brush up on her French. This allowed her to land a coveted position with the Montréal Gazette.

Sheila built a full life here and had many close friends. She was a pioneering member of Siamsa, where she developed a passion for Irish dancing and the harp. Sheila served on the Board of Directors for several years. She organized the school's 10th anniversary and was also the driving force behind the first iteration of our famous green Siamsa t-shirts.

She will be remembered for her warm smile and gentleness, her talent for baking, and the friendship she shared with fellow Siamsa regulars Colleen and Peggy Curran, and Margaret Walton.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends.

View Sheila Mary McGovern's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

11/12/2025

Toute la communauté de musique irlandaise aimerait offrir ses condoléances à la famille, aux proches et aux élèves de Richard Forest, qui nous a quitté aujourd'hui pour le jam éternel. Richard était le gentil géant de la musique trad du Québec et il va nous manquer.

Because of the ongoing transit strike and the challenges it’s creating - especially returning home after class - the Sch...
11/05/2025

Because of the ongoing transit strike and the challenges it’s creating - especially returning home after class - the School's Board has decided to cancel all in-person classes at Collège Notre-Dame this Thursday, November 6th 2025.
Online classes and off-site classes will continue as usual, so those aren’t affected.
To make up for the cancellation, we’ll be adding classes on Thursday, November 20th, which was originally an open week in the schedule.
This break will also give us a bit of time to set up some transportation sharing options to help everyone get around more easily. We’ll share more details about that soon.
Thanks for your understanding and flexibility!

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En raison de la grève des transports en commun et des difficultés qu'elle engendre - notamment pour le retour à la maison après les cours - le conseil d'administration de l'école a décidé d'annuler tous les cours en personne au Collège Notre-Dame, ce jeudi 6 novembre 2025.
Les cours en ligne et hors campus sont maintenus comme d'habitude.
Pour compenser à cette annulation, nous ajouterons des cours le jeudi 20 novembre, semaine initialement libre.
Cette pause nous permettra aussi de mettre en place des solutions de covoiturage pour faciliter les déplacements de chacun. On vous donnera plus de détails prochainement.
Merci de votre compréhension et de votre flexibilité!

Address

3791 Queen Mary Road
Montreal, QC
H3V1A8

Opening Hours

7pm - 10pm

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