In Ireland, traditional singing is a multifaceted folk art, the importance of which extends beyond the island and into communities in diaspora here in the United States. I am one such example of the presence of traditional singing in such a community. Many of these communities are integral in the passing on of Ireland’s cultural traditions and have been so for many, many generations. Singing is a form of storytelling and is found in myriad settings in Ireland and abroad including by the fireside, in the public house, at music festivals and competitions, and more recently, on stage and in film. Traditional songs in Ireland act as repositories of history and communal memory, tactics of political subversion and satirization, forms of emotional and artistic expression, and show the interplay between the island’s two language communities. It is a common feature of everyday living used to pass time while doing remedial work such as churning butter or herding cattle as well as a challenging artistic endeavor that incorporates complex poetry and melody that harkens back to the Medieval period.

I was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri by parents from rural southern Indiana. Traditional music was a feature of my mother’s home community and therefore I grew up keenly aware of folk music. In particular, I was drawn to the music of the Ozark Plateau in my home state and the Appalachian region further east. My own family’s connection to Ireland actually stems back to the earliest settlements of Irish in the Appalachian range in the 18th century.

Consequently, when I was exposed to the Irish Gaelic language in my teens, I quickly became interested in understanding its history as well as some of the cultural traditions associated with it in an effort to reconnect with my familial past. As a result, I became involved with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann an Irish-based organization focused on the teaching of traditional music and dance. At that time, I also attended many regional festivals that promoted Irish traditional music and began participating in regional fleadhanna and feiseanna competitions. As a result, my abilities excelled and in 2002 I competed in the foremost competition for traditional music in Ireland, the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and won first place in the traditional singing category. I am the first American and youngest competitor to do so. During this period, I worked closely with native Irish singers Áine Nic Dhonncha from Cinn Mhara, County Galway and Len Graham from Glen Arm, County Antrim. Through ongoing relationships with these two individuals I gained an acute knowledge about not just one but two very distinct singing traditions—the Irish Gaelic lyrical song tradition (known stylistically as sean-nós) of the western province of Connacht and the English language ballad song tradition of the northern province of Ulster. I consider both of these individuals dear friends and mentors and have had the privilege of touring annually with Len for a decade presenting songs from the Ulster tradition to audiences across North America and Ireland.

Subsequently, I have earned two master’s degrees at Irish universities and have spent considerable amounts of time living and participating in some of Ireland’s richest cultural communities. After returning to the U.S. I moved to Portland, Oregon in 2009 as a full-time musician and music educator and have since focused on enriching the Irish cultural communities of the Pacific Northwest through ongoing educational workshops, collaborative performances, and cultural programming. For over two decades now the traditions of Ireland have greatly enriched my life by returning to me a sense of identity, purpose, and legacy while also allowing me the privilege of sharing these traditions with communities around North America.

Songs play an important role in many Irish rituals and ceremonies centered on the life cycle and the passing of seasons. In particular, an caoineadh or the keen, is an extemporaneous song used at the wake to eulogize the recently deceased and to express the outpouring of grief experienced by the family and community. Songs are also used ceremoniously to welcome the cuckoo home for summer, to honor an emigrant’s long journey away from family and friends, and to celebrate the coming of spring on Lá Fhéile Bríde—St. Bridget’s Day—to name but a few examples. In short, the song tradition occupies every corner of the Irish experience and serves as the deepest form of cultural expression found in Ireland. Even as Ireland faces rapid modernization and loses many aspects of its own traditions, the importance of singing is still very much evident at any celebration. Due in part to the deep connection the songs have to their native communities and the very unique features of the Irish language and its congruous singing style, it is very difficult to promote traditional in Irish Gaelic singing here in the U.S.

All-Ireland Senior Champion—Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Listowel, Co. Kerry 2002.

Best Sean-nós Singer—Irish Music Awards, Kansas City, MO 2009

Best New Band—Irish Music Awards, Kansas City, MO 2009

 Four stars—Irish Times review of In Two Minds (w/Len Graham)