117: #117 | The Blue, Blue Grass of Home: Irish in Appalachia with Rebecca Wells

01/03/20 • 40 min

When we in Ireland think of Irish-America, our minds tend to rush towards rivers died green, New York cops and maybe even a Massachusetts political dynasty. But there’s a lot more to the story than that. In particular, the Appalachian region, crossing multiple states, has its own culture and identity distinct from its neighbours in the South and Midwest, of which Irish music and language have made a significant contribution.
In this week’s episode, Darach and Peadar chat to Rebecca Wells, a singer in Nashville, Tennessee. She tells the lads about her Appalachian roots, the influence of Irish music on bluegrass and other musical traditions, the overlap between accents and dialects and the way what you call a can of carbonated drink is an indicator of where you are from. She also tells the story behind her Twitter handle @faoiltighearna and her favourite Irish word.
Rebecca’s band Paper Ravens are on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IDMk7CcFgOyFIgN69Qkj8?si=lrULNBjWSUGxbHDugXVzVw
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Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/
Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge - https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/
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Contact the show:
twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor
email - [email protected]

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Previous Episode

116: #116 | Don't F*** With Fairy Forts

Listen. Sure lookit.
Na Daoine Uaisle. The fairy folk..
We wouldn't want to be bothering them.
In this week's episode, Gearóidín, Peadar and Darach tiptoe around the delicate business of addressing the folk of the otherworld. What do those beautiful weirdos want? Síofras? Sex? Gold?
We also consider which Irish people might actually be from the faerie/sí community.
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Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/
Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge - https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/
---
Contact the show:
twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor
email - [email protected]

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Next Episode

118: #118 | Thirty-Two Carat Gaeilge - Costing and Valuing a Language

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. That’s a quote attributed to the Roman senator Publius Syrus, who also said that a good reputation is more valuable than money.
We hear a lot on the radio and in the news about how much Irish costs. But what do costs mean outside the context of value? We know that a car or house might be insured for one amount, sell for different figure and be taxed based on a third value. If value is so uncertain for something so physical, how do we measure it in something as abstract as a language?
Placing a value on intangible assets - goodwill, a brand name, the difference between a print and an original - is tricky but not necessarily impossible. In today’s episode, Darach, Clodagh and Peadar welcome Osgur Ó Ciardha back to the Motherfoclóir studio. He explains some of the valuation concepts used in business for such intangibles, especially when they are linked to the unique selling point of another entity, such as tourism or the existence of the state.
And as the concepts of cost and value are intimately connected to the idea of private ownership, we ask if Irish belonging to all of us actually makes it more precious.
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Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/
Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge - https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/
---
Contact the show:
twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor
email - [email protected]

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