Irish Music Stories Podcast

What do Benjamin Moore paints have to do with Irish bands, modern performance practice, and gender balance? Insights from Karan Casey, Brian Ó hAirt, Laura Cortese, Nic Gareiss, Ellery Klein, and Dr. Lisa Coyne uncover different shades of inclusivity in the Irish tradition, 150 years after house paint titans Benjamin and Robert Moore emigrated from County Monaghan to Brooklyn, New York. Plenty of...

What's the story with traditional music and dance camps?  And with Irish, Scottish and New England fiddling gatherings in every time zones, who heads to these annual events? Host Shannon Heaton talks with Mick Moloney, Kathleen Conneely, Seamus Connolly, Lissa Schneckenburger, Robbie O'Connell, Kevin Crawford, Cecilia Farran, Deirdre Cronin, Fiona Howell, and Brennish Thomson about what motivates...

How did fiddle player and composer Liz Carroll get her groove? How does anybody living a creative life manage? Liz's thoughts about weathering different creative chapters, appreciating different styles, and savoring all the little moments  are an antidote to the frazzled, the doubters, the unsure. There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Brian Benscoter, Sc...

Is there magic in the medium ? Do different recorded formats influence how we hear and absorb traditional music? Are we missing out on anything now that it's much easier to record and FIND recordings online? Jeff Kszaiek, Kieran Jordan, Happy Traum, Steph Geremia, Kirsten Allstaff, Elizabeth Sweeney, Jacob Deck, and Natalya Kay help host Shannon Heaton explore early wax cylinder recordings, VR mus...

Why do old ballads endure? Does it make sense to sing about Willie and Mary, when our playgrounds are filled with Ozzies and Loxleys? Do we really need to say "my love is like a red, red rose," or can't we use a modern metaphor and call her really hot? Laura Cortese, Cathy Jordan, Sam Amidon, Robbie O'Connell, and Karan Casey help host Shannon Heaton explore old ballads in a dating app era. There'...

What exactly IS folklore… and tradition (in 2018)?  Host Shannon Heaton talks with accordion players Billy, Sean and Mikey McComiskey and folklorist Maggie Holtzberg about stories that transcend the bellows of the button box. Learn why it's important to "sustain, enshrine, and pass on living traditions." There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Susan Walsh,...

What's at the core of Irish dance music? Host Shannon Heaton talks to Eileen Ivers, Nic Gareiss, Marla Fibish, and Jimmy Keane about trad 'feel' and how our instruments, our bodies, our intentions, our culture, and even magical forces shape our rhythmic sense. There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Art Costa, Eoin Stan O'Sullivan, Holly Foy and John Hrusc...

What did Irish Boston look like in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s ? What were the days of social dance halls all about? Host Shannon Heaton talks to Sue Lindsay, Joanie Madden, Kevin Doyle, Helen Kisiel, and Brian O'Donovan about this colorful time in Irish American history… and about immigration in an Irish key. There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Michele Si...

What's up with the word 'Celtic,' and what does it have to do with Irish music?   Why does the C-Word sometimes come off as non-specific, simplistic, or academic? Host Shannon Heaton unpacks the meaning and mysteries of Celtic culture with Seamus Egan, Neil Pearlman, Marc Gunn, Ellery Klein, and coffee drinkers at Mystic Roaster in Medford, Mass.   There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below....

What's on tap for Season Two of Irish Music Stories? In 2018, host Shannon Heaton will explore mid century Dance Halls; old ballads in a millennial world; Irish summer schools; the HEARTBEAT of traditional music and… the C-Word. (Um, 'Celtic'… ) There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Brian Benscoter for supporting this episode. And thank you to Matt Heato...

Why listen to Irish Music Stories ?   The common thread of this month's stories is, of course, Irish music. But it's not the only thread. Digging into stories—whether they center around Irish music, chess, or ballet—uncovers real struggle and triumph. And it gives us all something to cheer about, something to remember. Here are memorable stories from Season One and a gentle remix of "Trip to Sligo...

What does the Irish language have to do with the Beatles? If it hadn't been for an unlikely stew of songs of pop music and songs learned in the Gaeltacht, singer and guitarist Dáithí Sproule might never have opened his heart to harmony and arranging. Host Shannon Heaton's conversation with Dáithí details a beautiful integration of Irish and Beatles songs, with a mandate of beauty, respect, and min...

Why do traditional musicians place a premium on humor and social rapport? Rory Makem, John Doyle, John Williams, Aidan Collins, Pauline Logue, Lisa Coyne, and Siobhan and Brendan McKinney help Shannon investigate the deep wellspring of Irish wit. Whether you already have an arsenal of quick comebacks, or you've never heard Irish people slag each other, this episode digs behind the banter. There's...

How does Irish dance connect with traditional music today? And what's up with all the different types of social, performative, and competitive trad dance? Kieran Jordan, Liam Ó Scanláin, the Glencastle Irish Dancers, and Jimmy Keane help host Shannon Heaton detangle a few musical threads in Irish dance today. There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Seán Mc...

What's the buzz behind the uilleann pipes? Here's the story of Irish piping: how the chanter, drones, and regulators hum together…. and how the lure, the lore, and the love of the uilleann pipes go for The Rowsome family, Tim Britton, Tom Rota, Patrick Hutchinson, and Isaac Alderson.   There's plenty of music here, too. Credits below. * * * * * * * Special thanks to Brian Benscoter and two anonymo...

What's up with Irish 'backing'? How does accompaniment fit in the melodic Irish tradition, and how does it feel to invent chords for Irish tunes and songs? Accompanists Matt Heaton, Neil Pearlman, Keith Murphy, and John Doyle talk about share their thoughts on culture, conversation, and the role that guitar, bouzouki, piano, and harp (and flow state) play in Irish music. There's plenty of music he...

How does Irish music get handed down? Host Shannon Heaton travels to New York, County Galway, and Boston to talk with musicians about how they learned their music, and how this has led them to pass it on . Hear stories about from Rose Flanagan, Margie Mulvahill, Patty Furlong, Séan Clohessy, Séamus Connolly, and Josie and her dad John Coyne. The stories here go way beyond jigs and reels. And there...

Can you really open a pub with a tune and a dream? Siobhan and Brendan McKinney and Tommy McCarthy, owners of two of North America's most esteemed Irish pubs, talk about what happened to them when they put the music and the welcome first. * * * * * * * Special thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for supporting this epiosode. And thank you to Matt Heaton for script editing and production m...

Why do people all around the world head out to Irish music sessions. Big-hearted session hosts Tina Lech, John Williams, Eoin O'Neill, and Brian Conway help host Shannon Heaton decode what their weekly gatherings in Boston, Chicago, Clare, and New York mean to them—and to all the regulars. Boston producer Brian O'Donovan, fiddle teacher Laurel Martin, and flute players Melissa Foster and Scott Boa...

 What's it like to have a head full of songs? Waterford singer Karan Casey talks about Irish songs, and how learning a song from someone is really about making connections.  This conversation urged host Shannon Heaton to listen–and sing–just a little more.  There's also a poem from Louis De Paor, and plenty of music (full playlist below). * * * * * * * Special thanks to Karan for the great chat. T...

This inaugural episode investigates  why 400,000 people–and a band of kids from Boston–ended up at the All Ireland music competition in Sligo. With visits to Boston, Dublin, Clare, and Chicago,   host Shannon Heaton digs into what the competition  meant  to all the kids, parents, and teachers who were involved in the qualifying round in New Jersey, and the big summer Fleadh in Ireland. Meet young...

Trailer for the November 2017 inaugural episode of Irish Music Stories .

A preview of the Irish Music Stories podcast, the new show about traditional music... and the bigger stories behind it. Music credits and much more at  IrishMusicStories.org