At the Augusta Irish Retreat, choose from dynamic workshops on Irish tunes, songs, and cultural traditions, while enjoying tune & song sessions, a concert, a ceili dance and more. This year’s retreat takes place at downtown locations in Elkins, WV, with a top-notch staff of Irish music legends from both sides of the pond. We’re delighted to welcome back Brenda Castles of Dublin, Ireland, as artistic advisor for this year’s event.
The Augusta Irish Retreat is organized a little differently than other Irish Music camps. Instead of learning tunes and technique from one teacher on your specific instrument for the whole event, students will take a variety of workshops from different teachers on different instruments. These workshops will cover topics like tune and song repertoire, stylistic nuances, ornamentation, and cultural context, while welcoming multiple instruments in the same classes. Students will leave with some great new tunes, but also a deeper understanding of the music they love.
Workshops for 2026 will include the following (plus more!)
- Slips and Hops: What’s the Difference?
- A Hornpipe a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
- Piano Accompaniment for Irish Music in the Style of Felix Dolan
- A Deep Dive on a Single Precious Tune — The Blackbird — following its threads into different musical forms and its travels into (and from) other cultures and places
- Using a Toolkit Approach to Adding Variation
- See below for the full schedule of workshops!
What students are saying about the Augusta Irish Retreat:
- “The staff for the Irish retreat are always absolutely fantastic!! Great teachers, with great perspectives, and who always come up with such interesting topics that are much broader than “just learning a tune”, and usually open up into great discussions about music and culture.”
- “A rare opportunity (especially when you can’t make it all the way to Ireland!) to learn authentic Irish music and dance traditions from a talented, accessible, and generous staff”
- “Great event for Irish music camaraderie and late night tune shares. Wonderful and supportive atmosphere for learning and playing together.”
- “A wonderful opportunity in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia to learn, share, and be immersed in the special magic of traditional Irish music.”
- “I left the Retreat with a deeper feel for and understanding of Irish music. I felt a warmth and closeness for the staff and other attendees.”
You can register today for tuition for the weekend. Stay tuned for meal information coming soon! Students can arrange housing wherever they choose. Most events will be in close proximity to the Tygart Hotel in downtown Elkins.
Schedule for Augusta Irish Retreat 2026:
Thursday
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Check-in with with Augusta (check with your hotel about the specific check-in times wherever you have chosen to stay)
7:00 pm: Orientation (Meet the staff, learn about the weekend workshops)
Following Orientation until 9:30 pm: Irish Session with all AIR Staff and Students
Friday
9:30 – 10:45 am: Period 1
- Making Fiddle Tunes Sound Irish with Kevin Buckley
- A Hornpipe a Day Keeps the Doctor Away with Brenda Castles
- Interpreting Irish Music on Plectrum Instruments with Marla Fibish
10:45 – 11:15 am: Tea Break
11:15 – 12:30 pm: Period 2
- Slips and Hops: What’s the Difference? Brenda Castles and Marla Fibish
- Piano Accompaniment for Irish Music in the Style of My Father, Felix Dolan (Harmonic concepts are transferable to guitars, harps, etc.) with Brendan Dolan and Liz Hanley
- Guitar Accompaniment with Kevin Buckley
12:30 – 2:30 pm: Lunch Break
2:30 – 3:30 pm: Period 3
- Grupa Cheoil with Brenda Castles and Brendan Dolan
- Ornamentation in an Irish Ballad with Liz Hanley
- Session: Play Some Tunes and Chat on Session Etiquette with Kevin Buckley and Marla Fibish
3:30 – 4:00 pm: Tea Break
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Student-Led Sessions
4:00 pm: Instructor Sound Check
5:00 – 7:30 pm: Dinner Break
7:30 – 9:00 pm: Concert: Masters of Irish Music
9:30 – 10:30 pm: Staff-led Tune & Song Sessions
After 10:00 pm: Open Tune and Song Sessions
Saturday
9:30 – 10:45 am: Period 1
- Grupa Cheoil (Part II) with Brenda Castles and Brendan Dolan
- Irish Fiddle on Songs with Liz Hanley
10:45 – 11:15 am: Tea Break
11:15 – 12:30 pm: Period 2
- Accompaniment: Supporting the tune with Kevin Buckley and Brendan Dolan
- Using a Toolkit Approach to Adding Variation (All Instruments) with Marla Fibish
- Repertoire Class with Liz Hanley
12:30 – 2:30 pm: Lunch Break
2:30 – 3:30 pm: Period 3
- Harmony Singing with Brenda Castles and Liz Hanley
- Digging Deeper: Take a Few Preselected Tunes (Provided in Advance) and Explore Ways to Bring in Ornamentation, Explore Phrasing and Variation. (All Instruments) with Marla Fibish
- Session: Play Some Tunes and Chat on Session Etiquette with Kevin Buckley and Brendan Dolan
3:30 – 3:45 pm: Mini Tea Break
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Student Open Mic (Please bring a song, tune, or bit of verse to share! We love these student sharing opportunities!)
5:00 – 7:00 pm: Dinner Break
7:00 – 8:30 pm: Ceili Dance
8:30 – 10:00 pm: Staff-led Tunes & Song Sessions
After 10 pm: Open Tune and Song Sessions
Sunday
9:30 – 10:45 am: Period 1
- Harmony Singing, Part 2: Honoring Mick Moloney with Brenda Castles, Brendan Dolan, and Liz Hanley
- Music Theory for Irish Music with Kevin Buckley
- A Deep Dive on a Single Precious Tune — the Blackbird — Following Its Threads Into Different Musical Forms and Its Travels Into (And From) Other Cultures and Places with Marla Fibish
10:45 – 11:15 am: Tea Break
11:15 – 12:30 pm: Farewell Tune & Song Session with All AIR Staff
Tuition for the weekend is $385 until September 15, 2026 and then it will raise to $415. Students will need to reserve their hotel rooms directly.
Augusta Irish Retreat 2026 | Artistic Staff
Brenda Castles, Artistic Advisor | Concertina, Vocals
Brenda Castles is known both as a respected solo performer and as a member of Mick Moloney’s Green Fields of America. She has a series of All Ireland Fleadh titles to her name in solo and group competitions. Originally from County Meath, she hails from a rich tradition of music held by her family and the musicians she credits as her extraordinary teachers. She herself is an in-demand teacher, privately and at festivals such as the Catskills Irish Arts Week. She currently is based in Dublin and New York and spends time performing around the world including recent gigs in Alaska. Her CDs, Indeedin’ You Needn’t Bother and The Light Side of the Tune have been critically acclaimed. In addition to being an accomplished musician and singer, Brenda is a licensed veterinarian. She once owned a horse named Rocky who was the companion for Irish champion racer Oscar Time.
Marla Fibish | Mandolin, Vocals
One of the prominent voices of the mandolin in Irish music, Marla Fibish brings a deep and distinctive sensibility to the tradition on one of its lesser-heard instruments. Marla also plays mandola and tenor guitar, and dabbles at the button accordion. She sings and composes music as well — musical settings of works from a variety of poets, as well as original tunes written in traditional forms. This work is featured in the duo Noctambule, her longtime collaboration with guitarist and husband Bruce Victor. Together, they have released 4 albums, most recently Every Migrant is My Fellow in 2021.
Her discography also includes a 2025 duo recording with fiddler Rebecca Richman entitled Playdate, her 2020 solo album The Bright Hollow Fog, The Morning Star, a duo CD with legendary Irish singer and bouzouki player Jimmy Crowley, as well as the 2010 Three Mile Stone recording.
An experienced and sought-after teacher, Marla teaches private students and classes, online at Peghead Nation, and has been on the faculty of many music camps, including The Swannanoa Gathering, The Mandolin Symposium, California Coast Music Camp, O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, Portal Irish Music Week, Lark Camp, and others.
Kevin Buckley | Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
St. Louis native Kevin Buckley is a critically acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer. Raised playing Irish Traditional fiddle music, Buckley toured and competed nationally and internationally, earning many winning titles and establishing himself as a key proponent of the Irish-American music scene. During these formative years, Buckley acquired a 4 track cassette recorder and also began performing with garage rock, country and swing bands on a wide range of string instruments. By the mid-2000’s, Buckley had come to produce a large body of original work via the now electrified band, Grace Basement, gaining international notice for his songwriting and record production. The musical journey still continues to this day. For some, versatility is a survival mode, but for Buckley it is a way of life and an opportunity to work with many wonderful people.
Liz Hanley | Fiddle, Vocals
Liz Hanley is a Brooklyn based singer and fiddle player across many genres.
Growing up in Boston, Hanley learned traditional fiddle tunes from family and friends. She attended the New England Conservatory Preparatory school where she studied with Blanka Bednarz and Eric Rosenblith. Hanley graduated from NYU with a BM in violin performance. There she studied with NYC Ballet concertmaster Arturo Delmoni and folk musician/ethnomusicologist Dr. Mick Moloney. She has toured globally with Mick Moloney and the Green Fields of America, as well as prog folk rock ensemble Frogbelly and Symphony chamber rock band Emanuel and the Fear and folk duo The Murphy Beds.
Hanley spent many years living between Brooklyn, NY and Sheffield, England, immersed in the both city’s rich folk music scenes and collecting songs and tunes. Today she can be found mostly playing around NYC in the Irish traditional seisiún scene.
Hanley’s debut album “The Ecstasy of St Cecilia” was hailed “a gentle work of beauty” by FolkWorld. Hanley’s sophomore album will be arriving in 2024. Both records feature long time collaborators and friends Jefferson Hamer and Eamon O’Leary of the Murphy Beds.
Brendan Dolan | Flute, Piano
Brendan Dolan is a multi-instrumentalist, excelling in the piano, Irish flute and tin whistle. He has worked with accordionist John Whelan, singer/songwriter Cathie Ryan, Andy Statman and Itzhak Perlman, and can be heard on the latest recordings of Billy McComiskey, Brian Conway and The Green Fields of America. Dolan is a teacher at the annual Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins West Virginia, and the Irish Arts Week in East Durham, New York. He maintains a vibrant school of Irish music for children in the New York City area, and has recently completed a Master’s degree in Irish and Irish-American Studies at NYU, where he currently works as an archivist on the Mick Moloney Irish-American Music and Popular Culture Collection.