(carefree Irish music) (carefree Irish music continues) - You're very welcome to "Trad Fest, The Fingal Sessions."

We're coming to you from the Great Hall in Malahide Castle.

Now this gorgeous room, built in 1475, was the hub of Malahide's medieval court.

(carefree Irish music) Our fabulous guests are Gemma Hayes, Tim O'Brien with Jan Fabricius, Katie Theasby with Alan Wallace, and Sorcha Costello.

- [Announcer] "Trad Fest, Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(carefree Irish music) (carefree Irish music continues) (carefree Irish music continues) "Trad Fest, Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

- Hey.

(laughs) Gemma Hayes, I am beyond thrilled that you're gigging again and making new music here with us.

- Well, I'm delighted to be here.

It's an absolute pleasure.

It's great to get out of the house.

- It sure is.

(laughs) You've got something that you're gonna share with us now?

- Yeah.

This song is called "High and Low."

Yeah.

(gentle strumming music) ♪ I must be in the wrong place ♪ Their lips are moving, but the word's bent outta shape ♪ ♪ I try to speak ♪ But all I do is call your name ♪ ♪ I fear I'm getting stranger ♪ Falling out into the street while people stare ♪ ♪ Am I really here (gentle strumming music) ♪ Or am I floating in mid-air ♪ I know, I know ♪ I'm always lookin' for you ♪ I know, I know ♪ You took something of mine with you ♪ (gentle strumming music) ♪ We lived in between the days ♪ In the kitchen, writing songs to ease the pain ♪ ♪ How were we to know ♪ It would set our worlds on fire ♪ ♪ As the people became your choir ♪ ♪ Calling out your name and now you're gone ♪ ♪ How can I go home, how can I go home ♪ ♪ When you're not waiting for me ♪ ♪ How can I go home, how can I go home ♪ ♪ When you took it from me ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh, ah (gentle strumming music) ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh, ah (gentle strumming music) (gentle strumming music continues) ♪ Turn up the noise to drown you out ♪ ♪ Since you've been gone, the silence seems so loud ♪ ♪ Wish I could reach inside and rip you out ♪ ♪ Girl, home steady (gentle strumming music) ♪ But if I dared to speak your name ♪ ♪ Thoughts come crashing just like waves ♪ ♪ I know, I know ♪ 'Cause they took you from me ♪ I know, I know ♪ Will I always be lookin' for you ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh, ah (gentle strumming music) ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh, ah (gentle strumming music) (gentle strumming music continues) (group applauds) (Gemma laughs) It's a quiet one.

- That was glorious.

It's gorgeous.

- Thank you.

- What a lovely tender song.

Where did that one come from?

It's beautiful.

- Well, I suppose when I put the kids to bed, that's when I can really sort of go into writing stories in my head, and that's when I get to daydream.

This song is a funny one for me.

It's about feeling like there's a ghost with you and you're trying to get on with your life, but something else is sort of always calling, and it doesn't leave you alone.

So then I kind of created a story, a love story around that feeling of longing.

It's a very quiet song, so hopefully it'll go up from there.

(laughs) - Sounds perfect in this room.

It's beautiful.

- Yeah.

Well, it is a pleasure to sing in this place.

- Thanks.

Tim O'Brien, we are delighted and honored to be joined by such celebrators of the Appalachian style, by yourself and by Jan Fabricius.

You're very welcome.

Thanks for being here.

- It's great to be with you today and with all the fine collaborators today.

- You're familiar with Ireland.

You've been here many, many times.

Tell me what kind of prompted this love affair that you have going back so many years with Ireland.

It's in your blood, obviously.

(laughs) - With Ireland, well, you know, when I was 12 years old, we were only Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

I'm four generations in from my great-grandfather's day.

But as I was growing up, I started playing guitar, I started playing some bluegrass.

I got obsessed with Doc Watson.

And it wasn't very long after that I realized these tunes that he plays, a lot of them, are Irish tunes.

So the tunes you'd hear in Barry Fitzgerald movie.

In school, I got an interested in Irish history and literature and read Yates and Joyce and stuff, and history, politics.

And then the music just kind of kept coming on.

And finally in 1976, I had a chance to visit and I went to the Big Flaw in Buncrana, the all Ireland flaw.

- I see.

- And it was mind blowing, and I haven't been the same since.

And it's great because after that first visit, I was trying to learn Irish music, but after the first visit, I realized the people here really liked traditional American music because it's just a mirror image, just a different accent on it, kind of.

And by the time I started coming back to perform, people knew my music 'cause I'd been busy doing that for a lot of years.

So it was a great thing to keep coming.

- You're gonna give us the few tunes that you got from Kevin Burke and from Alton?

- Yes.

Learned some tunes from Kevin Burke and from Alton.

The first one is called the "Hop Down Reel," and I think that comes from the Sean and Dolores Kane's family.

- Okay.

- I'm not sure, from Galway.

And then the second one's called "Johnny Doherty's Reel," and I guess that must come from Johnny Doherty.

(chuckles) - (laughs) I guess it must.

- From "Doney Gal."

And that second one I recorded as part of a song with Alton.

One of their recordings, they came to Nashville and recorded.

Anyway, we'll try to give our Appalachian White trash version of this for you.

(strumming music) (everyone laughs) - Beautiful.

Thank you.

- All right.

Top down, and a one, two, three.

(upbeat bright music) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) - (applauds) Wow.

(laughs) That's fantastic.

"Hop Down Reel" and Johnny Doherty.

Beautiful harmonizing between the two of you there.

- Oh, thank you.

- Really, really gorgeous.

- Yeah.

Well, the first thing you realize about Irish music is you have to get about 500 tunes or something so you can get the language of it.

- Yeah.

- And then you learn that you just play 'em once or twice and then you shift to another tune and you gotta keep lively with your ears.

- Yeah.

- But in bluegrass, we sort of toss it back and forth.

So the second tune, we did that, and it's fun to try it.

It's kind of, sometimes not workable, but if you lean a little bit one way or the other, they can come together pretty well.

- Yeah.

It's an amazing thing, amazing thing.

Katie Theasby, how are you?

Great to see you.

From the county of London via Kilfenora and County Clare.

Am I right?

- That's correct, yeah.

- How are you doing?

- I'm good.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, I'm good.

I'm delighted to be up here.

It's just an unreal building to be playing in.

It's gorgeous.

- You're gonna sing us one of your own songs now?

- Yeah, one of my, no, one of my own songs.

I've only ever written one, so- - Have you written just the one song?

This is it?

- Delve into my, no, this is it.

- This is Your repertoire.

- This is my repertoire.

- Fantastic.

Do you wanna tell me about it before you sing it or afterwards?

- No, I don't mind.

I'll tell you before I suppose.

I went to John Spillane's Hit Factory, which opened in Dolan, and 13 of us walked in with no song, and 13 of us walked out with a song.

I'd never written a song before.

Don't compose melodies, particularly like yourself, have them in my head, and sometimes I might put them into the phone, but they don't go any further.

So walked in and this is the first song and only song I've ever written.

And the melody came out with the words.

It was just like, when I was writing the song, the melody came with it, which was, I don't know.

- Was this a songwriting workshop with John?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And it was just, I had a lot of memories of my dad, going around in my head, you know, and just kind of like some of them universal, like the child dancing on their dad's toes, standing on their shoes, and that kind of... Everyone remembers that.

But it was just a particularly strong one for me.

Another one was a 5:00 in the morning feasts.

He'd come back from the pub and he'd go, "Come on, get up.

We'll have the breakfast."

(everyone laughs) So he put on the pan, and I thought it was a great adventure, but actually what it was, was he was hoping to get to lie in so I wouldn't be up in an hour and a half go, "Come on," you know?

So there was a few little memories like that, all kind of going around my head, and just that's what came out in the song.

So, yeah.

- What's it called?

- It's called "When You Were Big and I Was Small."

- "When You Were Big and I Was Small."

I can't wait to hear it.

- It's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?

(everyone laughs) Anyway, shall we give it a go?

(cheerful strumming music) ♪ This song is dedicated to my father ♪ ♪ Who was taken from this Earth just far too soon ♪ ♪ No more I'll hear his laughter or his singing ♪ ♪ His soul flew out the window late in June ♪ ♪ The last song of the summer was a cuckoo ♪ ♪ Outside the window of your room ♪ ♪ It was the last time of that year I heard him calling ♪ ♪ Your soul flew out the window late in June ♪ ♪ I stood upon your feet, we danced together ♪ ♪ Come on, Eileen, we spun from wall to wall ♪ ♪ Childhood memories, that go on forever ♪ ♪ Those days when you were big and I was small ♪ ♪ You still wake me up before the sun did ♪ ♪ With the scent of rashers cookin' on the pan ♪ ♪ And the radio was playin' "Come on Eileen" ♪ ♪ Picked me up and took me by the hand ♪ ♪ Stood upon your feet, we danced together ♪ ♪ Come on Eileen, we spun from wall to wall ♪ ♪ Childhood memories, they go on forever ♪ ♪ Those days when you were big and I was small ♪ (peaceful flute music) (gentle strumming music) (peaceful flute music continues) (peaceful flute music continues) (peaceful flute music continues) ♪ It was up by the blue screen in the small room ♪ ♪ Cigarette in hand and singing "Grapefruit Moon" ♪ ♪ That is how I see you in your last days ♪ ♪ In the dark and hummin' that old tune ♪ ♪ I stood upon your feet, we danced together ♪ ♪ Come on Eileen, we spun from wall to wall ♪ ♪ Childhood memories, they go on forever ♪ ♪ Those days when you were big and I was small ♪ ♪ Those days when you were big and I was small ♪ (gentle music winds down) - All right.

- What a beautiful song.

(everyone applauds) - Thank you.

- I think the fellows on the wall seemed to enjoy that one there.

(laughs) We're in hallowed company around here.

What do you reckon that is?

- Yeah, I think their noses are all the same.

They're all related.

(Fiachna laughs) - [Gemma Hayes] Their heads are kind of small.

- Yeah.

- [Gemma Hayes] Compared to their bodies.

But maybe that's how it was back in... - Look, to give them credit, they're good listeners.

(laughs) They're good listeners.

- I think they're a bit judgey.

(everyone laughs) - Well listen, we have the roads from Clare well worn because Sorcha Costello is here with us as well.

How are you Sorcha?

- I'm great.

Delighted to be here, Fiachna.

- Good, well, it's nice to see you.

Well Katie is from Kilfenora, which is a place that has huge resonance when it comes to Irish music.

Bertola, which is where you're from, has huge resonance as well, always there.

(laughs) - We're rivals.

- Are you, okay.

- Bertola Ceili Band and the Kilfenora Ceili Band.

I know, well, I love the music of the Kilfenora Ceili Band, and, oh they team up from time to time.

- Do they?

- In general, I think back in the day they probably were rivals.

(laughs) - And I love the music of the Bertola Ceili Band.

- Do you?

- There you go.

- Yeah, no, I do.

- There's been sort of a Bertola-Kilfenora agreement is in place.

(everyone laughs) So not only have you been acclaimed for playing tunes for the traditional repertory, but you've also started writing your own tunes as well?

- Yeah, that's something I've started doing very recently.

Only just last summer in 2022, I decided to just sit down and see what came out.

'Cause I hadn't tried it before, and I always wondered was I capable of doing it?

(chuckles) And I had a particularly inspiring weekend of music in Germany where I was with people who had composed a lot of their own music.

And I said, "Why am I not doing that?"

So I came home and I sat down and I was reasonably pleased with what came out.

So I haven't written many, I've written about six.

- It's an amazing thing though, really, because I suppose the way tradition stays alive is by people continuing to write.

I suppose tapping into the tradition, but bringing out something of yourself in that.

- Well, this is it.

I suppose I'm so deeply rooted in the tradition that the tunes that I usually play are hundreds of years old.

So what I really wanted to do was be able to compose, but stay within that realm of tradition where I wasn't challenging the tradition, but keeping it going with some new material, but sticking within the the realms of my area.

- You've not been met with any challenges locally by some of the diehards who was kind of- (voice trails off) - I haven't, no, but I haven't performed my tunes that often.

- Okay.

- So just getting out there with them now.

- Now what are you gonna play for us now?

- Yeah, so I'm gonna play two reels that I have written.

This is actually the first time I'm gonna play them in public.

(laughs) - Fantastic.

Great, great.

- So I wasn't sure about the names of these, but when I was forced to send on the names of them today, I was like, "I think I'll stick with it now."

So the first tune, I didn't have a team when I was writing it.

I wasn't saying I'll write it about this or that, it just came out, but it came out in a very minor sounding tone and it was quite complicated.

So I decided to call it "Minor Complications."

- Okay.

(group laughs) - And the second tune, similar idea, I just started to write it, but it really reminded me of the times that I have spent in Miltown Malbay at the Willie Clancy Festival with my friends, and we were going to the front of Clancy's Bar where it was absolutely tiny.

You'd only fit four or five people.

And we would just jam in there real close and play tunes for 12, 13 hours, and the vibes that came off each other for that was just phenomenal.

So the second tune sort of reminded me of those times.

- Fantastic.

- So yeah, I called it "Clancy's Bar."

"Clancy's Bar."

"Minor Complications" and "Clancy's Bar."

Well look, in your own time.

- Thank you.

(carefree fiddle music) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) (carefree fiddle music continues) - Yep.

- Beautiful.

(group applauds) Fantastic.

That's so great.

- Thank you.

- "Minor complications" and "Clancy's Bar," as I was listening to you there, just one question that occurred to me is that when you write your own tunes, do you write them in your head first or on the instrument first, or is there a bit of both?

- I write them them in my head.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

There's always something going around in my head and that's why I really thought I should really get something down, because there's always something going on there.

So yeah, it's in my head first and then I put it on paper and it doesn't always work.

So I use the fiddle to see what it sounds like and adjust.

- Well, thank you for "Minor Complications," "Clancy's Bar."

Well, that rounds off this sumptuous episode of "Trad Fest, The Fingal Sessions."

We've been coming to you from the Great Hall in Malahide's Castle here in the company of these outstanding collection of musicians, Tim O'Brien and Jan Fabricius, Sorcha Costello, Gemma Hayes, Katie Theasby, and Alan Wallace.

(speaks foreign language) - [Announcer] "Trad Fest Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(bright Irish music) (bright Irish music continues) (bright Irish music continues) "Trad Fest Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(carefree Irish music) (dramatic theme music) (upbeat theme music)