Dominic Black

Episode 94: Nuala Kennedy Interview (Flute, whistle, singing)

March 23rd, 2021  |  1 hr 44 mins

An absolute stoater! A Great Session = 'The maximum fun possible, every night!' From Dundalk to Belfast, and finding freedom in Edinburgh. Wild nights in Sandy Bell's. Mike One-Shirt and Luke Plumb; Deaf Shepherd and the great encouragers like Cathal McConnell. The consolations of music. House sessions in Venice Beach, meeting the daughter of the man who wrote Thíos Cois na Trá, and so much more. Awesome.

Episode 93: Jimmy Mullarkey (Accordion)

March 15th, 2021  |  1 hr 3 mins

jimmy mullarkey interview

'I could play reels all night if I knew enough of them.' Country Sligo in the '50s and '60s, to London then Sydney. Father, mother and uncle playing the fiddle, learning at country house dances and 'having a go myself.' Ceili House on Radio Athlone, and looking forward to Friday night house sessions. Falling in love with the accordion. Listening to the greats of the London scene; learning the box, digging trenches and labouring; Kentish Town and Holloway Road. Plenty of work in Sydney, and getting out and about playing for dancers.

Episode 92: Gráinne Brady Interview (Fiddle)

March 5th, 2021  |  1 hr 14 mins

fiddle, gráinne brady

From Cavan to Glasgow. Party houses and late night tapes. Finding your feet in sessions that suit. Creating your own space to play. The Navvy poet Patrick MacGill, The Road Across The Hill, Newcomer and The Children Of The Dead End.

Episode 91: Angela Usher Interview (Banjo, whistle, tenor guitar)

March 1st, 2021  |  1 hr 32 mins

angela usher, banjo, tenor guitar, whistle

Tin whistle with Marian Egan (Flannery) in Hulme. Touring New Zealand and Australia. First banjos and joining Curragh. Toss the Feathers and choosing work over the road. The social side of learning. Joe and Jack Cooley and the lost tapes from America. The Love of Lucia, Kitty’s Twelve Roses and The Gort Mile.

Episode 84: Aoife Kelly Interview (Concertina)

January 6th, 2021  |  1 hr 49 mins

aoife kelly, concertina, fiddle, john kelly

'We ARE the source.' John Kelly of Capel Street and Scattery Island. Hiding the fiddle under your jacket in Dublin in the rare oul times. Strange hornpipes, slip jigs, slides. Patsy Geary, Jimmy O'Donahue and Kilfenora's three bakeries. The memory palace and preserving a life. Ireland, Australia, Tommy Potts posters and the evocative power of seagulls. Searching out the music in Darwin. Sydney, Melbourne and going back home.

Episode 83: SMASH HITS 2020 (PART 3)

January 4th, 2021  |  1 hr 25 mins

blarney pilgrims, blarney pilgrims podcast, cameron mather, caoimhín ó raghallaigh, catherine mcevoy, cathy custy, celtic, celtic music, celtic music podcast, celtic podcast, ciaran kelly, daithí gormley, emma lewis, eoghan ó ceannabháin, hajime takahashi, irish, irish music podcast, irish podcast, irish traditional music podcast, james keane, jason rouse, joanie madden, liam thomas bailey, music, podcast, rita farrell, sean lally, sean mathews, tara howley, tola custy, tola custy. ado barker., traditional irish music podcast, una monaghan, áine tyrrell

The third of our compilations from the year of 2020. Featuring Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Una Monaghan, Jason Rouse, Emma Lewis, Joanie Madden, Rita Farrell, Daithí Gormley, James Keane, Tara Howley, Sean Lally, Cathy Custy, Hajime Takahashi, Catherine McEvoy, Ciaran Kelly, Cameron Mather, Áine Tyrrell, Sean Mathews, Liam Thomas Bailey, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Tola Custy and Tola Custy live with Ado Barker.

Episode 82: SMASH HITS 2020 (PART 2)

December 22nd, 2020  |  1 hr 27 mins

caitlinn nicgabhann, caoimhin o' raighallaigh, don meade, elaine o'sullivan, ewen baker, geoff mcarthur, hajime takahashi, jody moran, kevin crawford., liam thomas bailey, mairtin staunton, mary mcevilly, michael walsh, rob zielinski, shannon heaton, una monaghan

The best of 2020 tunes and songs, Part 2 - a rattle bag of treats. Featuring: Don Meade, Shannon Heaton, Elaine O'Sullivan, Caitlinn NicGabhann, Hajime Takahashi, Geoff McArthur, Liam Thomas Bailey, Jody Moran, Mairtin Staunton, Caoimhin O' Raighallaigh, Una Monaghan, Michael Walsh, Rob Zielinski, Ewen Baker, Mary McEvilly and Kevin Crawford.

Episode 81: SMASH HITS 2020 (PART 1)

December 20th, 2020  |  1 hr 9 mins

All the best of the tunes and songs from the last year of Blarney Pilgrims Podcast. Featured in this episode: Karen Dolan - Unnamed tune, Aifric Boylan - The Golden Castle / Mickey Callaghan's Fancy, Daithi Gormley - My Love is Fair and Handsome and The Maid of Mount Cisco, Kevin Crawford - Old John's and The Longford Tinker, Luke Plumb - The Cornerhouse, The Lady's Pantalettes and The Bird in the Bush, Jack Brennan - Garrett Barry's Jig, Cathy Brennan - Roll Out The Barrel / Christmas Eve / Castle Kelly, Catherine McEvoy - East of Glendart / The Green Fields of Woodford, Theresa O'Grady - The Milky Way (Vincent Broderick), Ken Fleming - three polkas, one unnamed and The Blackwater 1 and 2, Eoghan O'Ceannabhain - A song Eoghan learned from his father and grandmother - Meiriceá, Merran Moir - The Longford Collector / Castle Kelly / and a mystery tune, Úna Monaghan - Mammy's, Mick Doherty, Bush Gothic, and Joe Fitzgerald - Andy's Gone With Cattle.

Episode 80: Joanie Madden Interview (Whistle)

December 13th, 2020  |  1 hr 28 mins

cherish the ladies, cherish the ladies christmas, cherish the ladies christmas in ireland, interview, irish music podcast, joanie madden, mary bergin, the cat's meow, whistle

Joanie Madden the hardest working woman in folk music. Hearing Mary Bergin and the beginnings of a career in the entertainment business. New York, the drive to succeed and picking up the phone thirty times a day to get a gig. Balls, weddings, county dances, and the circuit. An American in Ireland. Tour(s), interrupted. 'It's a tough old racket.' Keeping going and being present for the opportunity. Cherish The Ladies and more. Traditional Irish music podcast interview with Joanie Madden.

Episode 79: Rita Farrell Interview (Uilleann pipes, flute)

December 7th, 2020  |  1 hr 59 mins

belfast, drogheda, flute, ganley, graham norton, interview, irish, irish music podcast, leitrim, liam o'flynn, music, pipes, podcast, rita farrell, robbie williams, tommy reck, uilleann

Piping as meditation and not setting fire to the old Ganley flute. The session spaces of Belfast, open piping closed piping, Tommy Reck and saying 'I Love You' to Liam O'Flynn. Being a girl and running an all female session. A room tuned to G Minor, the Drogheda connection, and 'Lovely Leitrim.' Oh. And Robbie Williams and Graham Norton too.

Episode 78: Liam Thomas Bailey Interview (Fiddle, five-string banjo, singing)

November 30th, 2020  |  2 hrs 21 mins

depression, fiddle, five-string banjo, irish music podcast, liam bailey, psilocybin mushrooms, psychedelics, singing

Out of The Wind, Into the Sun: depression, loss, and the therapeutic power of psilocybin mushrooms. All of everything in a single tune. 'Keeping myself in the air as an artist.' The road, the weight, a writer not writing. Bruce Springsteen, Cillian Vallely, Jon Bon Jovi and a little bit o' John Denver.

Episode 77: Darren O'Mahony, Dominic Black, Gerry McKeague and a Huge Thank-You (5-string banjo, guitar, singing)

November 24th, 2020  |  1 hr 54 mins

5-string banjo, darren o'mahony, dominic black, gerry mckeague, guitar, irish music podcast, irish trad, traditional irish music podcast

A chat to mark passing the 100K download mark, with Gerry McKeague of Belfast and Geelong. About what we've learned so far and where we're going. Seriously great fun, and a lovely chance for us to think out loud about what this all means to us. And to say thank to all of you who've travelled with us this far.

Episode 76: Tara Howley Interview (Whistle, concertina and uilleann pipes)

November 16th, 2020  |  1 hr 58 mins

concertina, interview, irish, music, podcast, riverdance, tara howley, uilleann pipes, whistle

Kilfenora; the nervous you get playing in front of ten people, worse than playing in front of a thousand. Leaving your ego at the door. Being happy with what you're doing, being happy within yourself. First hearing the pipes and the trials of competition. Restless creativity, and finding your way to Riverdance. Managing social media and the inner self. (And a Burmese Mountain Dog called Saoirse)

Episode 75: Michael Walsh Interview (Flute, whistle, singing)

November 9th, 2020  |  1 hr 55 mins

chat, flute, hawk, interview, kepa junkera, manchester, michael walsh, quare, quarehawk, singing, whistle

" 'England gave me everything I ever wanted.' " The Quarehawk. Big Tom, Margo, the Manchester scene; Irish, English, and in-between. A love of England and making a whole out of two halves. Grieving, and crafting an album. Fathers, sons, boys, men. Asturias, the flute and identifying as one thing or another. Getting Kepa Junkera to play on your album. And so much more. Brilliant stuff.

Episode 74: Caitlín Nic Gabhann Interview (Concertina)

November 2nd, 2020  |  2 hrs 4 mins

battering, caitlín nic gabhann, concertina, interview, riverdance, set dancing

Jig songs, syncopation and keeping away from the funky chicken tunes. Playing out til 4 in the morning with your dad on a Fleadh Saturday night. The magic of Donegal, chancing your arm for a Riverdance audition and not talking to Maria Carey at the pyramids. Finding your own musical voice. Battering, sets and the beauty of West Clare dancing. Youth trad Tinder, the elusive high G# and teaching the concertina to learners across the world.

Episode 73: Sean Mathews Interview (Sean-nós, twelve string guitar, lap dulcimer)

October 25th, 2020  |  1 hr 58 mins

dreaming is allowed, dulcimer guitar, harmonium, irish music podcast, sean mathews interview, sean-nós, sweet dooley gate, the commuter's song, twelve string guitar, welcome to ballsgrove

From Ballsgrove to Dooley Gate. Drogheda singing group to Marcelo Bielsa. Innovating and finding your voice. Halloween, bonfires, fireworks, hash and Scrumpy Jack. Parochial Kavanagh, Jinx Lennon, Blindboy Boatclub and the rise and fall of regional communities and the commuter belt.