Old Blog Node 2.0

This relaunch and revival of the Old Blog Node marks my move from Blogger to WordPress. The original blog landed online in January 2008, back when blogs were still a big thing or already passé depending on your perspective. The goal was to create a space for informed and insightful writing about Irish culture and arts with a focus on traditional music from an immigrant perspective. The music was a cultural lifeline back to Ireland once I emigrated to the United States.

Initially, I wanted to have more than my voice on the site. I had hoped to persuade musicians to write about music-making, insights into the creative process, or any aspects of performance or stage-craft. That dream remained unrealized. Musicians, I came to understand, place more value on playing and performing over sitting down to write, and who can blame them?  However, my posts contain links to other writers, many more polished than I, providing more resources to contextualize my commentary. This takes care of the Node mandate in the title.

Writing about music is an odd preoccupation. Listening is always required for getting into music but sometimes the right words can bring new or old music to people’s attention. I’ve benefited from that exchange a few times myself and I aspire to expand the musical range of my readers.

I had a fortunate bi-cultural, urban and rural, upbringing in Ireland before the effects of television, telephones and technology began to erode our traditional culture. I heard some of the best traditional players and singers on Irish radio thanks to Ciarán Mac Mathúna, Séamus Ennis, and Seán Ó Riada, among others. I reveled in the folk revival of the 1960’s tuning in to the Clancy Brothers, the Johnstons, the Dubliners and the Chieftains. Then, my tastes were further expanded by Planxty, featuring Donal Lunny, Christy Moore, Andy Irvine and Liam O’Flynn, or as I call them the Holy Trinity Plus One of Irish music.

And, as if that was not enough, when I resumed my sidebar writing career over twenty years ago it intersected with the upward (stratospheric?) trajectory of Martin Hayes’ career. I have written about Hayes a number of times but more importantly I have seen him play live many, many times. A good part of my continuing education in traditional music came from Hayes and other key figures like Paddy O’Brien, Tony Mac Mahon, Michael and Shay Black and a slew of other lesser-known musicians who schooled me in the music. In fact, it is the countless host of musicians who play and perform for little or no reward that keeps the music alive. Irish roots music is arguably in better shape and in better hands today than ever before.