Blarney Pilgrims Irish Music Podcast

Episode 85: Barry Kerr Interview (Uilleann pipes, flute, singing)

January 17th, 2021  |  1 hr 19 mins

flute, singing, uilleann pipes

The Liam O'Flynn Award. Digging into the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Ulster hunting songs and mummers. Hare coursing. Life in Lurgan County Armagh. The Ceili House and legend of Seamus Tansey. Prehistoric cairns and building on the tradition. The magic of the session and finding inspiration in the music.

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 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 72: Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin Interview (Sean-nós, concertina, flute)

October 12th, 2020  |  1 hr 38 mins

concertina, eoghan ó ceannabháin, flute, irish music podcast, meiriceá, sean-nós, singing, the deepest breath, the green bunch of rushes, the merry sisters of fate, the monaghan jig, tá na páipéir dhá saighneáil, voice

Mitching classes to work on your music. Sean-nós: 'My granny would have just called them songs.' Tradition and change, art and technique and the soul of the thing. Writing in English, writing in Irish. Activism, collectivity and music as barriers against despair.

Episode 65: Shannon Heaton Interview (Flute)

August 30th, 2020  |  1 hr 44 mins

flute, interview, irish music stories, shannon heaton, shannon heaton interview

A Belgian neighbour in Nigeria and a first encounter with the whistle; traditional music in Thailand and a global musical imagination; Maria Carey, melismatic singing, Paddy Tunney and the Ulster song tradition; Irish music with Chris and Aidan and John, and meeting Matt Molloy. Holding on to a singer so they don't drift away. Composing, teaching and podcasting, constructing a living in music. And, you know, heart and soul stuff - like hope.

The Mountain Road and The Galway Rambler

The Irish Washerwoman

Episode 58: Kevin Crawford Interview (Flute, whistle)

July 14th, 2020  |  2 hrs 7 mins

flute, kevin crawford, lúnasa, michael grinter, teetotalers

Taking on the old tunes. Records on the wall. The art and laughter of Michael Grinter. The Teetotallers, that Gort Tape and the Irish music scene in 80s Birmingham. Living in America. The birth of Lúnasa. And the rise and rise of TV snooker and Irish music. Gold.

Episode 54: Máirtín Staunton Interview (Flute)

June 17th, 2020  |  1 hr 10 mins

flute, máirtín staunton

The northern flute style; working the bar at Matt Molloy's pub; capturing songs for posterity; on sean-nós singing, music as a release; life in Boston, and the regional sound of Melbourne

Episode 39: Catherine McEvoy Interview (Flute)

March 3rd, 2020  |  1 hr 15 mins

birmingham, birmingham ceili band, catherine mcevoy, flute, peig mcgrath, roscommon, sligo, táin ceili band

On Growing up in Birmingham, on the Sligo-Roscommon style, on slowing down Seamus Tansey records, on the Birmingham Ceili Band and Táin Ceili Band, on Peig McGrath, on women in traditional Irish music, on piano accompaniment and on Michael Grinter and Rudall and Rose flutes.

Episode 8: Beth McCracken Interview (Flute) - The Blarney Pilgrims Traditional Irish Music Podcast

July 30th, 2019  |  53 mins 42 secs

beth, blarney, celtic, classical, declan, fiddle, flute, ireland, irish, mccracken, melbourne, national celtic festival, pilgrims, simpson

Playing from the page, versus playing by ear, Beth McCracken talks about her transition from classical flute to traditional Irish music. Through her personal story, Beth highlights just how different these two worlds can be.

Episode 2: Corinn Strating Interview (Flute) - The Blarney Pilgrims Traditional Irish Music Podcast

June 5th, 2019  |  53 mins 6 secs

antrim, australia, belfast, blarney, celtic, corinn, flute, folk, honeyfields, ireland, irish, music, pilgrims, songs, strating, trad, tunes, victoria, whistle

Billy Far Out - How sitting on a train with Andy Irvine at 13 years old can change your life forever.