Ranked #1

Episode 41- Transplanting Tradition in the Land of the Trees
Episode 41- Transplanting Tradition in the Land of the Trees
What do rampant evictions, military ship collisions, and Christmas trees have to do with jigs and reels? Learn how Gaeli... Read more
12 May 2020
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50mins
Ranked #2

Episode 34-Fairy Forts and Changelings
Episode 34-Fairy Forts and Changelings
Are Irish fairies REAL? And if so, could there be Sí folk living in New England?? Fiddle player Martin Hayes, singer Emi... Read more
8 Oct 2019
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52mins
Ranked #3

Episode 35- Last Night’s Food
Episode 35- Last Night’s Food
What’s up with the endless cups of Irish tea? Is there something genuinely nourishing about a pile of french fries and m... Read more
12 Nov 2019
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33mins
Ranked #4

Episode 05-Handed Down
Episode 05-Handed Down
How does Irish music get handed down? Host Shannon Heaton travels to New York, County Galway, and Boston to talk with mu... Read more
13 Jun 2017
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41mins
Ranked #5

Episode 02-Cuppa Tea with Karan Casey
Episode 02-Cuppa Tea with Karan Casey
What’s it like to have a head full of songs? Waterford singer Karan Casey talks about Irish songs, and how learning a s... Read more
14 Mar 2017
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32mins
Ranked #6

Episode 33-The Irish Woodshed
Episode 33-The Irish Woodshed
What do the Irish music and dance worlds think about practicing? Fiddle players Fergal Scahill, Finn Magill, and Rose Fl... Read more
10 Sep 2019
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45mins
Ranked #7

Episode 03-Every Tuesday at Nine
Episode 03-Every Tuesday at Nine
Why do people all around the world head out to Irish music sessions. Big-hearted session hosts Tina Lech, John Williams,... Read more
11 Apr 2017
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40mins
Ranked #8

Episode 15-Heartbeat of Irish Music
Episode 15-Heartbeat of Irish Music
What’s at the core of Irish dance music? Host Shannon Heaton talks to Eileen Ivers, Nic Gareiss, Marla Fibish, and Jimmy... Read more
10 Apr 2018
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37mins
Ranked #9

Episode 26-Kitchen to Concert Stage
Episode 26-Kitchen to Concert Stage
What happens when old traditional music and dance move onto modern concert stages? Do Celtic traditions get a big boost?... Read more
12 Mar 2019
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52mins
Ranked #10

Episode 04-Cuppa Tea with McKinneys and McCarthy
Episode 04-Cuppa Tea with McKinneys and McCarthy
Can you really open a pub with a tune and a dream? Siobhan and Brendan McKinney and Tommy McCarthy, owners of two of Nor... Read more
9 May 2017
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33mins
Ranked #11

Episode 17-Why Willie and Mary Matter
Episode 17-Why Willie and Mary Matter
Why do old ballads endure? Does it make sense to sing about Willie and Mary, when our playgrounds are filled with Ozzies... Read more
12 Jun 2018
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49mins
Ranked #12

Episode 40-Irish Tunes in the Key of C-19
Episode 40-Irish Tunes in the Key of C-19
How are traditional musicians and dancers continuing creative careers and group music events during the Covid-19 pandemi... Read more
14 Apr 2020
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54mins
Ranked #13

Episode 23-IMS Playlist
Episode 23-IMS Playlist
What’s a sure-fire way to make your season bright? Check out this PLAYLIST and collection of mini-stories from Laurel Ma... Read more
11 Dec 2018
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44mins
Ranked #14

Episode 31-The Scottish Connection
Episode 31-The Scottish Connection
How do Scottish and Irish music intersect? How are they distinct? And why do so many trendy tunes come from Scotland? H... Read more
9 Jul 2019
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48mins
Ranked #15

Episode 16-Pushing All the Right Buttons
Episode 16-Pushing All the Right Buttons
What exactly IS folklore… and tradition (in 2018)? Host Shannon Heaton talks with accordion players Billy, Sean and Mike... Read more
8 May 2018
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31mins
Ranked #16

Episode 14-Dance Hall Days
Episode 14-Dance Hall Days
What did Irish Boston look like in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s? What were the days of social dance halls all about? Host Sha... Read more
13 Mar 2018
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34mins
Ranked #17

Episode 07-The Piper
Episode 07-The Piper
What’s the buzz behind the uilleann pipes? Here’s the story of Irish piping: how the chanter, drones, and regulators hum... Read more
8 Aug 2017
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36mins
Ranked #18

Episode 32-Cuppa Tea with Len Graham
Episode 32-Cuppa Tea with Len Graham
Why learn old songs from your neighbors, when the airwaves are brimming with NEW music? And how can a rooster’s crow aff... Read more
13 Aug 2019
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38mins
Ranked #19

Episode 06-The Backer
Episode 06-The Backer
What’s up with Irish ‘backing’? How does accompaniment fit in the melodic Irish tradition, and how does it feel to inven... Read more
11 Jul 2017
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18mins
Ranked #20

Episode 11-Return to Sligo
Episode 11-Return to Sligo
Why listen to Irish Music Stories? The common thread of this month’s stories is, of course, Irish music. But it’s not t... Read more
12 Dec 2017
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36mins