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In June 2006, Irish Philadelphia's Jeff Meade finished second in a contest of bodhrán-banging skill: The Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil in Pearl River, N.Y. As a result, he qualified to compete in the 2006 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, God save us all.

These stories track his progress from Pearl River to Letterkenny.

Part 1: Earning the Right to Get My Butt Kicked By Experts
Letterkenny is the Bodhrán World Series, and I am Bob Uecker. And not even Bob Uecker during his career, but Bob Uecker in his 60s, doing lite beer commercials.

Part 2: Doing It All Backwards
First, I qualified to compete in the All-Ireland music contest known as the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Second, I signed up for lessons on bodhrán, the traditional Irish frame drum with which I will do battle.

Part 3: Picking the Perfect Tipper
A tipper is not someone who sneaks into a pasture at night for the purposes of bovine pranks. In the bodhrán world, a tipper is something you use to hit the drum. Albert Alfonso makes some of the best.

Part 4: A Bodhrán Virgin in Ballyvaughan
Awake 30 hours, jet-lagged to a perilous degree ... and happy as only a bodhran player can be, playing for the first time in Ireland.

Part 5: After the Fleadh is Over
The competition is long over, Letterkenny is returning to normal and I'm still clueless. So what else is new?