Famine to Foodie is a podcast exploring how Irish food has changed over time. Join UCSC students Mimi, Austin, Sharon, Maddie, and Poema as we talk to Mark Murphy, owner of the Dingle Little Cheese Shop and the Dingle Cookery School, and Eilis Kennedy, singer and owner of John Benny’s Pub.

Megan, Will, Ali, Randy and Riley work to discover the secrets behind the art of poetry in beautiful Dingle, Ireland. How does the long, vibrant literary tradition impact the local writers of the present? Is it all to do with the incredible, inspiring landscape or is there something deeper? And what does it mean for the future of the art? Listen to find out!

Dingle harbor from Eask Tower

Simon:

Once out of nature I shall never take

My bodily form from any natural thing,

But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make

Of hammered gold and gold enamelling

To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;

Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

W.B. Yeats

Simon O’Faolain

Megan: That is the voice of Simon O’Faolain, a local poet, reading the final stanza of the poem Sailing to Byzantium by W.B. Yeats. Yeats is a great example of poetry from the past. In this podcast, we hear from two poets who live and write here in Dingle, Ireland. We want to understand the legacy of Irish poetry on the present writers from the area, and how they are carrying a vibrant literary tradition forward. We are Megan, 

Will: Will, 

Ali: Ali, 

Randy: Randy, 

Riley: and Riley. And we want to know: Why is there such an abundance of poetry here in West Kerry Ireland? Where does it come from? And what is its future?

Simon: Irish has a very old and venerable and continuous literary tradition going back earlier than English. After Greek and Latin, it’s the oldest literary language in Europe starting from around the fifth, sixth century. So it’s not like you’re writing in a vacuum.

Famous Irish writers of the past

Riley: According to Simon, Ireland’s literary culture stems from a long history of struggle and  survival despite the English attempt to wipe out the language. Irish poetry lived on through storytelling, folklore, and Sean-nos singing. County Kerry’s reputation as a hotbed of poetry grew in the 1930s literary revival. 

Five authors of the Irish Literary Renaissance

Simon: Once that reputation was established, then from that time on, people who are interested in literature, and culture were coming here. I think in the modern context, that’s where it comes from, it’s a self- perpetuating thing.

Will: Okay, so, the poetry in the past influences poetry in the present. But where does it actually come from for the poet?

Nicholas: My poems, they can come from something. It can be an idea or an image or a feeling most strongly, they are feelings, but they have to be translated into concrete imagery. And some people say the poems come from somewhere else. Michael Longley, the Irish poet, was asked where did he think poems came from. And he said, “if I knew that, I’d go and live there.”

Michael Longley

Will: That is Nicholas McLachlan. He is a poet and teacher here in Dingle. But what really draws him to write poetry? 

Nicholas: Poetry says things that other forms of writing can’t say. It can reach deeper parts of oneself.

Nicholas McLachlan

Megan: So, reaching those deeper parts of ourselves sounds easy, but how do you put it into words?

Nicholas: When you begin to write something, what have you got? You’ve got a blank sheet of paper. It’s very hard to improve on a blank sheet of paper. Quite often it’s just a vague thought. Tantalizing vagueness is what you’ve got in the beginning. It’s just a thought, and sometimes it comes to something and sometimes it comes to nothing. 

Megan: Simon has a similar perspective on how to begin a poem. Simon says…

Simon: Why try doing the work when you can let the subconscious do it for you. I do think that the unconscious is a huge part of it. It does most of the work. Less effort, more effect is what I’d say.

Megan: For the poets, there are really no firm rules guiding their writing, just the imagination doing its work. 

Nicholas: There are millions of rules, but nobody knows what they are.

Simon: As simple as possible, as complicated as necessary.

Ali: There was another common thread between these poets: the power of nature.

View from the top of Connor Pass

Nicholas: A lot of my poems begin in nature, and they move into some sort of imaginative or emotional kind of space.

Simon: A lot of what I write about has to do with land. Landscape, places, quite a lot to do with ecology and archeology. These are things that this area is quite rich in. And in that sense, I get a lot out of this area because that’s where a lot of inspiration comes from. Not something I can get anywhere else, because I don’t have that history anywhere else.

Megan meditating with a view from Dingle Lighthouse

Randy: Simon graciously agreed to read some poetry of his own. It was originally written in Irish, and translated into English. This particular poem stood out to us, because it paints a picture of the faults of memory, and the beauty of the world around us.

Simon: Bedouin. 

The sod is hard with frost at dawn,

Hunkered cattle chew the cud, steam above them,

Twin mountains stand – the Géarán  and the Géarán’s  Point

(the names are not important, nor the words, but what is seen) – 

Stand swathed in white symmetry, an abstract form

With angles straight and gentle rising on each flank

To the zenith of the two peaks, and between

There sags a narrow ridge, a perfect curve;

Saddle bow on the hard horse of the world;

Or a recurve bow in Olympian hero’s grip – 

He hits the heart, the bulls-eye every time;

Or Cupid’s bow atop luxuriant lips

Which make us itch to match them to our own.

But no, those images are all wide of the mark,

For now the mind throws up a simple shape

Full of mystery and standing in the lee

Of a crescent dune deep in the desert heart,

High angles from each side to each pole-tip

 – two of them – and the canvas looping down

A breathless arc between, the night had come

And next the solitary tent there winked

A small fire’s boldness in orange and gold.

It has burned clear through my mind to the far side,

How I saw it through thin purple air

At hour of star-unfolding, clear

From the window of a cruising jumbo jet,

Craning my neck forward to look back,

Wishing I need never lose the sight,

But the angle narrowed, perspective became lost

And now maybe it was just a winking fire.

Simon: I spent a long time as an archaeologist and a lot of that has been looking at the landscape and reading the landscape and its associations and its relationship to memories. So that’s kind of what this poem is about, and it’s simply about standing outside the house.

Randy: Everybody understands that feeling of not quite being able to recall something that they saw, even if it was something super important to them. Where each time you try to recall it, you stop and think, ‘that’s not quite right,’ Nicholas agrees.

Nicholas: There has to be some element of surprise or something that you look at in a different way. Something that you maybe see all the time, but now you’re seeing it with new eyes.

Randy: Poetry has evolved through time. The poets of the present find themselves inspired by the past and the beauty of the land. But what about the future?

Ali: It is a necessity to preserve and perpetuate the art of poetry. It is also our responsibility to bring new ideas to the genre, honor our forefathers, and celebrate the land. This we have attempted in the form of a collaborative poem that draws upon all that we have learned through this poetic exploration of Ireland.

Megan: The eternal art of poetry barely begun

Will: This island of rain is hiding the sun

Randy: Fog sets in and vague words tell

Riley: A blank page to cast a magic spell

Ali: Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Ali: Thank you so much for listening. And thank you to Simon and Nicholas for giving us an insight into their magical worlds of poetry. We hope that we have left you with new eyes to see the world. We are Ali,

Riley: Riley,

Randy: Randy, 

Will: Will, 

Megan: And Megan.

Ali Brutlag

Riley Amos

Randy Ehrlich

Will Clason

Megan Parkhouse

Image sources:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-butler-yeats

https://www.versopolis.com/poet/361/simon-o-faolain

https://worldcometomyhome.blogspot.com/2018/01/3244-ireland-irish-writers.html

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/michael-longley-obituary-acclaimed-northern-irish-poet-h0mfdps0h

https://www.poetryireland.ie/education/writers-directory/nicholas-mclachlan

https://liu.cwp.libguides.com/archives_and_special_collections/ilr

Audio sources:

https://youtu.be/UfWac4yxshA?si=PNcldwt6Rj7_yMTE

https://youtu.be/28SHPL1CBd0?si=p3qlTUObb6VHcukl

Leann:It’s a Friday night in Neligans,a tiny pub in the west coast of County Kerry, Ireland. You enter off the rainy street into the humid air, and it hits you: Spinning dancers whirl to a lively accordion jig in happy chaos. This is Irish set dancing at its finest,

Amanda Today, we will be taking you on our journey to explore Set Dancing in Dingle, Ireland.  We’re your hosts Leann, Katie, Gunnar, Manav, and Amanda, five students from UCSC’s study abroad program, and this podcast is “Hold My Guinness!”

Katie When we arrived here we had no idea how to set dance. We went on a journey into a fun and challenging dance form that had no rule book. Word in the town said that set dancing happened at Nelligan’s pub. So, Friday night we walked in and …

Gunnar: We wanted to join in the dance. .We cautiously went up to the guy who seemed to be the leader. His name is  Breanndán O Beaglaoich. (Brown Don Begley)And to our surprise, he invited us to join 

`

 Breanndan: I remember the first, the first céilí I went to, it was very intimidating because the dancers were written up on the wall and “this is what we’re gonna be doing today”, and  none of them I knew. I stood in the set and I said, “I have no idea how to do this and can you help me?” And everybody there was, was lovely. I was welcomed into the community even though I was brand new.

Katie: With that boost of confidence, we danced: 

Gunnar: In my previous experiences dancing in America I found a toxic environment that cares too much about the competitiveness of dancing. I got driven out of all the dance clubs. But when I went set dancing the community welcomed me with open arms. I didn’t have to be good, they just cared that everyone was having a fun time.

Amanda:  I absolutely loved set dancing that night. My heart was racing, adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and I felt like I was flying. I was giggling, and spinning, and stepping, but also dripping in sweat and confused out of my mind. I was exuberantly happy. I’ve been back at Nelligans dancing twice a week ever since. 

Gunnar: It’s a Monday night. We’re back at Nelligan’s—hearts racing, feet ready. The Monday sets are known for being a bit more advanced, but this wasn’t our first rodeo. We know the steps, the rhythm, the energy. We are ready. 

But for Manav? This was all new.

The music kicked in, and suddenly we were spinning, sliding, laughing—swept up in it all. But while we were having the time of our lives… Manav?

Manav:

When I first stepped onto the dance floor, I was paired with a partner who smiled and said, “Just carry yourself through, you’ll be fine.” I wasn’t.

As the music started, my right foot turned into another left foot. I stumbled, disoriented and off-beat, panic rising with every clumsy step. Within seconds, I’d lost the rhythm, and her. I spun in circles like a puppy chasing its tail.

Then she stepped forward, took my arm, and led me off the floor. “Maybe next time when you’re more experienced,” she said, firmly.

My heart sank. I walked out into the cool night air, the music fading behind me. I needed space, needed to breathe. I was unsure if I’d ever try set dancing  again. 

Leann: Damn Manav that sounds rough, 

Not to worry, we met someone who made it much better for everyone! Dance caller Angela Griffin has seen many Manavs before

Angela: I can spot a dancer. the tell tale signs of whether somebody’s a beginner is, first of all, they’re. Just like a deer in headlights.

 I like to bring a fun element to wherever I’m dancing. It doesn’t matter where. And if I’m in a set, I just have fun. I enjoy it. I laugh, I make conversation.. I do come across people that are a bit too serious about it.But by the time I’m finished with them, they kind of see the fun element of it and they have a laugh. 

Amanda: We decided to take a set dancing lesson after stumbling through several fast sets at the pub. We wanted to know more steps to polish up our moves. 

Katie: There are couples spinning around, while Christy Mac Gearailt calls out the moves. Our feet tap on the hardwood dance floor, as laughter explodes from the room. 

Amanda: People have set danced in Ireland for hundreds of years. The dances had names like “The Seige of Ennis” .People danced for fun and to get together as a community. But when electricity reached these rural villages, it almost died out. Until recently. 

There was like five or six years ago, you’d find it very hard to put a half set together on a Saturday night. Now you’re fighting to try and get room on the floor. 

there’s an energy, there’s a buzz with it. And, um. But I do, I’ve been teaching kind of all over the world really. I still get the same buzz today as I got like all those years ago. 

Amanda: As Christy says, “the younger generation has figured out it’s great fun!” But don’t just take his word for it… 

Leann’: I am so glad that I was able to take a class because when I dance at Neligans I have no idea what I’m doing. Now II know how the sets are ordered. At least now I know simple terms like “house” “swing” “christmas” “dance at home”. 

Amanda: After the class, these new dancers were sold on set dancing. 

Sunny: I’m totally gonna go again on Monday at Nelligan’s. 

Emily: You’re like, you’re tripping and you’re falling, but they’re picking you back up and you just kinda have to keep going. You can’t stop. You just have to keep going and you’re gonna make it. You’re gonna make it through, and it’s gonna be so much fun in the end. So, yeah, it’s worth it.

Gunnar: Back at Nelligans,Breanddan reminds us that dancing is really about community 

I think that dancing removes the awkwardness from social interaction.I’ve lived in a lot of communities in, in my life, and this is the first time I’ve actually given back to a community. And I think that this provides a lot of joy to a, to a community and, and happiness.

Katie reflection: I feel so much less pressure when I’m on that dance floor, like my feet are floating as I glide across the floor. I am looking forward to learning more. 

Closing: 

Katie: We all had a great time learning how to set dance! It’s so easy to get involved, and we can’t wait to continue our journey back in the United States! 

Thank you so much for listening, it’s Katie, Gunnar, Manav, Amanda, and Leann, from UCSC’s study abroad program in Dingle, Ireland,  and we will hold your Guinness!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_set_dancing

https://nationalinventoryich.tcagsm.gov.ie/irish-set-dancing

https://www.henryandjacqui.com/Essays/Irish.htm

https://www.seacoastsetdancers.org/about.htm

https://www.mulligans.nl/irish-set-dance-ceili

UCSC students Annie, Emily, Salah, Erin, and Katie journey into the heart of Dingle, Ireland, where music isn’t just heard, it’s lived. In this episode of Tuney Tales, they sit down with renowned traditional musicians Breanndán and Máire Begley to explore how Irish music and language are preserved across generations. Tune in as we uncover how the sounds of the past continue to echo in the voices of today. 

Transcript 

**Breanndán Begley Singing**
Breanndán Begley: “ They were able to get a vaccine for COVID. But there’s no vaccine for music when it’s in you.”

Annie: Time seems to pause as Breanndán Begley’s gentle voice drifts through the air, effortless and steady. His songs flow like a river fed by some endless, ancient spring—nourishing anyone willing to stop, listen, and let the music wash over them.

*Breanndán Begley singing continued*

[Ocean SFX]
Salah: We’re a group of study abroad students from UC Santa Cruz, in the small town of Dingle, Ireland — where the land meets the sea, and the wind carries the sound of tradition. Here, songs are passed down like heirlooms, carried in the lilt of a voice, the call of a fiddle, or the heartbeat rhythm of an accordion echoing through old stone pubs and misty fields.

I’m Salah, and with me are 

Annie: Annie

Emily: Emily

Katie: Katie

Erin: And Erin. 

**Accordion starts playing**

Katie: In today’s episode of Tuney Tales, we ask: How does traditional Irish music continue to thrive through the people and places of Dingle – and what role does the musical Beagley family play in keeping the songs alive in everyday life? We are lucky enough to have as our guests, Breanndan Beagley and his sister, Maire Beagley, two of the area’s most revered musicians. 

**Accordion Plays **

Emily: Breanndán Begley, the youngest of the Beagley family, is a master accordion player and a keeper of West Kerry’s musical flame.  He invited us into his memory, his family, and his heart.

Breanndán Begley: “I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t music in the house”. 

**Music – The Accordion**

Breanndán Begley: “If it wasn’t indoors, it would be outside in the yard or in one of the outbuildings, where someone was milking the cows or cleaning the cowshed, shaving, knitting, or mending some old garment.”

Katie: Music binds generations. Passed from parent to child, it stitches melodies into memories – a quiet, yet influential inheritance. 

Breanndán Begley: “Music goes from heart to heart. And from there to the feet, dancing. And of course, singing does that. And by speaking honestly to people, that too is what music is. It’s an honest, the most honest form of communication there is.”

**Accordion continues** 

Salah:  For Breanndán, music is an identity – carefully curated through time, and passed from heart to heart. Tradition stays alive by staying authentic. As he said, “Those who won wrote the books. Those who lost wrote the songs.” In Ireland, history lives in music.

Breanndán Begley: “Your music has to be as personal as your signature.”

**Accordion continues to play**

[SFX: Chatter and glasses clinking]

Annie: On Saturdays at Neligan’s pub, you can find Máire Begley, the eldest of the nine Begley siblings, lost in accordion melodies and songs she’s known since childhood. Her soft grey curls and mischievous smile come from a lifetime of music and laughter. 

Máire Begley: “My name is Máire Begley — or Marnie Douglay — and I’m Irish. I was born in Baile na nÓg, about eight miles west of Dingle. There were nine of us, and in the house, there was my mother, my father, my grandfather, and my grandmother.”

“It was a very musical family. My mother was musical, my grandmother and grandfather — they were always singing.”

Emily: In Máire’s home, music lived in many tongues. It echoed in Gaelic lullabies, the gentle crackle of a gramophone spinning distant melodies. The songs weren’t just Irish; they carried the footsteps of those who had left and returned, of memories brought back across the Atlantic. 

[SFX: Claps]

So while the heart of the house beat in Irish tradition, it also held space for the voices of the wider world.

Máire Begley: “They would be in Gaelic, you know. Then we’d have school songs, too. We had a gramophone in the house, and my father would sing English songs — songs like My Little Gray Home in the West, There’s This Pretty Spot in Ireland…”

Erin: But the Irish songs nearly died out two generations ago when her grandmother was punished for speaking the language.

Máire Begley: “They had to wear a tally stick, a thin rope around their neck with a stick hanging down. Every time someone spoke Irish, the teacher would use a penknife to cut a notch in the stick.”

“Then, the English inspector would come and say, “Oh, you spoke Irish five times — five slaps for you.”

“She hated the language. She hated her own language.”

Emily: Even as the Irish language quietly faded, Máire’s parents ensured that their children embraced music.   

Máire Begley: “ My father, when I was about seven, he bought an accordion. And I remember the day it came, which was a single row accordion. And when he’d been out, I learned it myself, and I just started with the buttons in and out, **singing.** We had practice every night for 20 minutes. So I sat down, I studied it myself, and I worked out the chords myself, the different chords, the different songs. I had four years to do it. So I was self-taught, really, most people are self-taught, themselves.”

Erin: Maire didn’t learn everything on her own, though. Her songs come from her community.

**Máire Begley Singing**

Katie: The Begley family illustrates that music isn’t merely passed down; it’s interpreted uniquely by each generation, each adding their own style, voice, and truth to the melodies. Their performances are living memories unfolding before us. 

Erin: Singing in Irish isn’t just about tradition; it’s a quiet rebellion. A way of holding on, even when history tried to make you let go. **Accordion music plays** And listening to the next generation of Beagleys, you can hear it loud and clear: the language is still alive, and so is everything it stands for.

*Music closing*

Salah: Thank you to our wonderful guests, Brendan and Máire Begley, for sharing their incredible music and stories with us. This episode of Tuney Tales was made possible by Salah, 

Emily: Emily

Katie: Katie

Erin: Erin

Annie: And Annie. 

Salah: As we close, let the lingering notes of Breanndán Begley’s music remind us of the rich tapestry of sound and story we’ve enjoyed together. Until next time, stay tuned and stay inspired.

**Breanndán Begley singing song fades out** 

**Accordion plays, and fades out**

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Irish Colorguard: Now, if ye could please rise, and remove your cap, for the Irish National Anthem…

[Irish National Anthem, metal cover]

Connor: Hey, everyone. Welcome to “On the Éire.” I’m Connor

Zoe: I’m Zoe

Arjun: I’m Arjun.

Sunny: I’m Sunny. 

Vicky: And I’m Vicky. We’ve been studying in Dingle, County Kerry, for the past 6 weeks.

Zoe: And during our time in Ireland, we’ve been curious about what it really means to be Irish. We all know the Irish stereotypes: the Guinness, the luck of the Irish, the fighting… 

Connor: But that can’t be what it really means to be Irish. It has to be something about the craic, the music, or Catholicism.

Zoe: Who the hell knows? 

Vicky: What’s deep in the heart of the Irish is not a single note; it’s a complex chord. We’ve scoured the internet, and neither academics nor politicians, and certainly not the British, could figure out what it means to be Irish. 

Connor: So, we asked the last people you would ever think to ask: Irish people on the streets of Dingle.

Leah: The Irish music, it’s such a culture, it’s such a way to meet people in the bars. The craic is mighty.

Lenka:  Definitely the Irish humor. It can be dry, sarcastic, self-depreciating… Even when conversation gets heavy, there is always that one person that would make a joke. 

Horse Girl: It means to learn how to horse ride and vape.

Arjun: Well, that last one can’t be right. We thought it would have to be something to do with Catholicism. 

John Haslin: I’m a Catholic. 

Arjun: Thank God. 

Sunny: Oi! Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain!

John Haslin: I don’t think there’s really much of a difference between Catholicism and Protestanianism.

Hamish: Catholicism and Protestantism.

John Haslin: Yeah.

Sunny: Of course, the younger generation would think so; religion around the world is on the decline. So we asked a local historian who has lived and worked in Dingle nearly his entire life.

Michael: My name is Michael O’Colin. I am from Dingle. I am fifty-nine years of age. 

Arjun: So, Michael, what’s the word on the Word of God? 

Michael: The country’s much more secular now. We had uh, 2015, we had the same sex marriage referendum in Ireland. It passes by two-thirds majority. And the church had voted strongly against that. So yes, it’s having a huge impact in the country. I saw a report recently, and as far as I remember, it said sixteen percent of Irish people attend church on a regular basis. 

Sunny: So it’s not being Catholic. Apparently, young Irish people are hardly even going to church anymore. 

Arjun: Even after all Saint Patrick did for them? 

Sunny:  Not all Irish traditions are fading; some are making a comeback. In 2022, almost 1.9 million people stated they could speak Irish, a six percent increase. Here in Dingle, there is a summer Irish language immersion program that’s kind of a rite of passage.

Hamish: I’m just here to learn Irish and about my heritage and stuff.

John Haslin: also here to learn some Irish and shift some women.

Hamish: Shifting is basically like tongue kissing, and you know, like average teenage activities.

Arjun: Sunny tried to give them tips on how to do so. They could tell he was inexperienced.

Hamish: The British Occupation of Ireland: I’m big into that ’cause I’m a hundred percent anti-treaty and I really support like, anti-treaty movements such as Kneecap and stuff.

Sunny: “Kneecap” is a controversial Irish band who’s been advocating for Irish reunification. I think Michael mentioned them too, right?

Michael: Kneecap, whether you agree with them or not, have tapped into something that is like the voice of the downtrodden over the last hundred years, and now they’re finally getting a kind of an upper hand, and they’re making the most of it…

[Kneecap: “H.O.O.D”]

Arjun: We heard that a few other places, didn’t we?

Sunny: Yeah, Irish identity really seems to have developed in opposition to the British.

John Haslin: I’m just proud of our ancestors, what they’ve done. You know, rebelling against the English.

Leah: My grandfather and granddad, my dad’s parents, they were quite involved in the IRA, like I think my grandmother, she smuggled a lot of weapons and, like, notes into jails and stuff. 

Thomas: I suppose sort of solidarity with other people who’ve experienced similar things to our country’s history, you know? I would definitely feel more obligated to look at the world through the lens of oppressed people and try to understand what it’s like having your country occupied for as long as we did.

Arjun:  Reviving the Irish language seems like it’s a big part of that resistance.

Hamish: I think it’s like a part of our culture, and the British very much took it away. They ended up somewhat erasing the Irish language from our culture and history. And now they’re bringing back Irish culture and our Irish language. It’s our native language, like it’s our native tongue, and it’s a beautiful language.

Leah: The Irish language is such an amazing key tool to have. I’m so proud to speak it. And it used to be a dying-out language, but it’s not anymore, which is absolutely amazing. 

Thomas: Both my parents are from England, but I’m born and raised here. I feel very attached to my nationality. Even though they wouldn’t know who I am here, they still accept me as soon as I speak Irish to them. We instantly have that connection.

Arjun: Speaking Irish seems to be very central to the culture of Ireland… but we did only interview people from Dingle. 

Arjun: This means that speaking Irish will be a lot more important to people here than in other places in Ireland. 

Michael: Belfast is… speaking the language up there is almost a political act. The majority of Irish people can feel one hundred percent Irish without ever speaking or understanding a word of the language. 

Vicky: While many people said language made them Irish, for Seán Pól O’Connor, it’s his deep ties to the land itself over generations.

Seán Pól: One of the deep connections that I have to Ireland is that I own a farm. This farm was inherited from my father, who inherited it from his father. And I feel huge connection when I go into a field and I touch the soil, touch the grass; I get goosebumps when I do that. This land is mine; my forefathers fought for this land. And I have a sense of responsibility to hand it over to the next generation.

Zoe: For his wife, Lenka, who immigrated from Slovakia, national identity can be complex. She appreciates the gentleness in the way people here speak, but also sometimes misses the directness of her original homeland. 

 Lenka: I’ve been here since I was nineteen, and I’ve lived here for nearly two decades. So I think I’ve adapted very well to Irish humor, Irish traditions, the Irish ways of doing things and thinking, and it became part of me. So, I feel that these two identities rather coexist within me. 

Connor: Whether their families have lived here for hundreds of years or they’re a first-generation immigrant, one thing remained true for everyone we spoke to: they were all undeniably proud to be Irish. 

Vicky: From the humor, the music, the language, to the rolling green hills, they all took pride in living on this beautiful land. Maybe the Irish really are lucky after all.

[Irish National Anthem, metal cover]

Arjun: Thank you for listening. This has been, Arjun

Connor: Connor

Sunny: Sunny 

Vicky: Vicky 

Zoe: And  Zoe. You’ve been listening to “On the Éire.” Slán!

Image Sources:

– https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irish-Family-Names-Herology-Shields/dp/0957544502
– https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3A1913_Seachtain_na_Gaeilge_poster.jpg&psig=AOvVaw0kCKQLLAxi6KctKofsT-0T&ust=1753545141873000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBUQjRxqFwoTCJiwruyu2I4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
– https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fartist%2F1ZVACPeq7ccGCoUXwtafUU&psig=AOvVaw2s1D5fdYM1bnRw8TZx8sRn&ust=1753545165237000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBgQjhxqFwoTCPjrwveu2I4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
– https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicworldreport.com%2F2017%2F03%2F17%2Fthe-order-of-irish-catholics-you-probably-havent-heard-of%2F&psig=AOvVaw35w5zEWxk471ZDEOP9mW2T&ust=1753545198316000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBgQjhxqFwoTCPDm3Yav2I4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Audio Sources:

– Assorted Interviews
– Assorted YouTube videos, converted to MP3 format. Including…
^ https://youtu.be/ecZjzrbIbGk
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uExQKlhx5ms
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHEHcE6_TlQ
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvoynCy_mJU
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c4x9M3v-ug
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUS2WFpKAWs
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1J_DVutL-w

You’re here today with Punya, Aspen, Rose, and Oliver. We’re in small town Dingle in County Kerry, where traditional Irish music is everywhere! We’re talking with singer-songwriter Segotia and a trad musician, Eilis Kennedy, about what music and tradition mean to them.

Please check out Segotia and Eilis Kennedy if you enjoyed their music! 

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