Irish and Ireland in Middle Tennessee – Where to go to learn about Ireland?

The Irish and Ireland in Middle Tennessee – Where to go to learn about Ireland.

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta is a member of The Irish Gift, a group based in Middle Tennessee that promotes and preserves the Irish culture in this area. The Irish Gift also has a huge online presence as we continue to bring the Irish language, music song and dance to people all over the US and the world.

Sit back and relax to enjoy learning about how it was growing up in an Irish-speaking area of Ireland in the 50’s and 60’s.

The Irish Gift, bringing the Irish to Tennessee!

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta

Is mise Meaití mac le Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta agus le Neain Pheaidí Nic Dhiarmuda ach is fearr liom an leagan áitiúil de m’ainm, Meaití Jó Shéamuis, mar go mbraithim luascadh níos ceolmhaire leis ná an leagan foirmiúil, Máirtín Ó Fátharta.

 I introduce myself as Gaeilge in Ireland and also to people worldwide whom I know have Irish connections as on this particular occasion. There may be a small percentage who may know or remember me as Meaití Jó Shéamuis (even Mattie Joe Shéamuis, with or without the surname Ó Fátharta) as I am involved with The Irish Gift and participated in the T-CAIF fest in O’More College, Franklin TN, in 2011 and  2012.  I live in the south Connemara Gaeltacht area of County Galway known as Cois Fharraige and in a little townland village called Na hAille.

Music, Song and Dance in Galway, Ireland

I have seen many changes here and indeed all over the Connemara Gaeltacht area in my time.  Firstly, it was a relatively poor, craggy agricultural terrain stretching west from Lough Corrib for about fifty miles to Clifden. But poor as the land may be, it was one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country with Galway Bay on your left, and over looking the north County Clare Coast, the Burren and the three Aran Islands, for half of that journey; then the Carraroe peninsula, with the Isles of Lettermore, Gorumna and Lettermullen connected by bridges for almost the last hundred and fifty  years; returning to another peninsula, Muicineach-Idir-Dhá-Sháile, where another bridge will lead you to Camus, Ros Muc, Cill Chiaráin and eventually on to Carna.  Although this is a truly quaint and picturesque journey, it is not its physical geographical beauty which contains its most valuable wealth but its vast treasure of folklore, poetry, songs, dance and music which goes back thousands of years.

I consider myself fortunate as one of the last generation born into a house which had all of the above in its natural form, still intact, while growing up here in the fifties and most of the sixties. Ours was a little bigger than an average sized thatched cottage with three bedrooms and a large kitchen, very suitable for half sets, musicians, singers and storytellers. The party nights with a mix of songs and story-telling were a regular occurrence during the long wintry nights.  The “Party” otherwise known in the Connemara Gaeltacht as “Na Timeanna” in the houses, consisted of music, dance and song. Many of these took place in my parents home  when I was a young boy as they both loved dancing sets and céilí. The music was usually played by my uncle Máirtín, my father’s brother, who had been the resident box player at the céilís in the locality. I remember being so proud the first time I had permission to play with him at one of those “timeanna” in the village!

 

My mother’s brothers, who lived in the next village, paid frequent visits and in the winter time sung songs and recounted long stories of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and Fianna Éireann and their incredible heroics against such stalwarts as the Hag of the Burren or the King of the Eastern World. Other nights it would be extraordinary fairy stories or local folklore about the Great Famine, the American Wakes or certain great characters of the area in previous times.  It is a pity that there was no facility to record even a fraction of this lore, songs or even the dancing style of the previous generation and particularly the rich natural turn of phrase of our language, totally free of any English influence.  Little I thought then that most of those styles and pastimes were bound to disappear along with the vast changes in our native language and people.

Sea, ní bheidh a leithéidí siúd arís ann, go cinnte!

Traditional Irish Music Galway – where to find it online

Traditional Irish Music From Galway – where to find it online

The Irish Gift promotes the East Galway music tradition, the Irish language and sean nós singing and dancing. We have close ties to Galway, Ireland as all of our teachers (online and in-person classes) hail from Galway and are an intrinsic part of the traditional Irish music pub-scene in Galway . The sean nós singing and style is from the Connemara region of Galway and the Irish language dialect is Cois Fharraige, Galway. The Irish Gift offers online classes in traditional Irish music from Galway in bodhrán, fiddle, flute and uilleann pipes, sean nós singing and dancing.

The following article is from Andy Kruspe, a member of The Irish Gift family here in the South (USA)  and a student of Jim Higgins who is our bodhrán instructor. Enjoy!

Bodhrán In situ in County Galway

As a music student, my professors would often comment about how experiencing  music in situ could change one’s perception of a given work or style. For the past four years, I have been able to experience this dynamic by traveling to Ireland to study the ubiquitous Irish frame drum, the bodhrán. These trips took me to the heart of the Aran Islands Gaeltacht for some of the most memorable moments of my life.

The Summer School

  The Craiceann Bodhrán Summer School is held the last week of June on the small island of Inis Oírr, County Galway. According to the website , the event began as an “idea of linking the musical heritage of the Aran Islands, with the need for drummers to improve their skills.” This workshop achieves this by bringing some of the world’s best drummers to this amazing island. And this statement is no exaggeration- the list of past and present instructors and clinicians is a “Who’s Who” from the world of Irish Traditional Music. This list includes Cormac Byrne (Uiscedwr), Jim Higgins, Martin O’Neill, Tristan Rosenstock (Téada), and Rolf Wagels (Cara). In addition, it is not unusual to see other well-known players in the many nightly sessions held in the island’s pubs. Some of the master drummers that have made their way to the island include Johnny McDonagh (De Dannan), Eamon Murray (Beoga), and Colm Phelan (Goitse).

In addition to outstanding instruction, several world class bands perform concerts during the week. Past bands and performers have included Beoga, Frankie Gavin, Goitse, The Mártín O’Connor Band, We Banjo 3, The Evening Report. The result is a great way to see the techniques taught in class applied on the concert stage.

The Masterclasses

The first day starts around noon with registration and an audition. The auditions divide the approximately 100 students into six different ability groups. Classes begin that afternoon. Subsequently, the daily schedule went as follows:

10:30a-           First Class

11:30a-           Tea

11:45a-           Lecture and/or Recital

1:00p-             Second Class

2:00p-             Afternoon Break, Individual Practice

5:00p-             Additional Class with Tutor of Choice

6:00p-             Break

8:00p-             Evening Concert

The classes meet in the same rooms every day, but the teaching staff rotates. This allows each group to be exposed to a wide range of concepts from several teachers. Masterclass topics include tuning, using the bodhrán tonally as a bass voice within an ensemble, and interpretation of the rhythms found in Irish traditional music.

Lectures and mini-recitals are held between the mid-day classes. Lecture topics include the cultural significance of traditional Irish music and performance practices for the various Irish traditional forms and rhythms. Recitals allow the instructors to demonstrate their masterclass topics and techniques in context with a melody player in context.

The afternoon elective class allows for more exposure to the teaching staff and their respective specialties. These additional classes include topics ranging from Irish bone playing to the use of the bodhrán as a rhythmic voice in Eastern European folk music.

Finally, the day ends with the evening concerts.

The Sessions – Learning After the School Day

It is easy to glance at the daily schedule and question why one would travel all the way to Ireland to participate in what amounted to a five hour school day. However, a generous amount of instruction occurs as applied performance in the island’s nightly traditional music sessions. It may be tempting to dismiss these sessions simply as a time of “drinking and playing.” The truth is quite different, however.

Older players share tips and tricks with younger players. Melody players share tunes and ornamentation ideas. Everyone builds their repertoire of collected tunes. It is common to start these sessions at around 10:30pm and finish around 4:00am to 5:00am. We left tired but always with a little more knowledge…

… and several more friends. Craiceann is a great opportunity to meet others with the same passion for Irish music and culture. Students come from around the world, representing almost every European Union member nation, Israel, and the United States. And thanks to the wonders of social media, it is easy to maintain these friendships.

Inis Oírr – At the Heart of the Gaeltacht

Inis Oírr is part of the Aran Islands Gaeltacht. One regularly sees Irish in print and hears it in the conversation of the locals. As explained by Liam O’Maonlai, “This is… the language that we dream in.” I think this quote captures just how alive this language and culture are on these islands, and the sequestered nature of this geography allows for one to become totally immersed.

Go. See. Do.

It is one thing to take lessons for music or a foreign language, but it is another to go where those things are alive and flourishing and experience them first hand. Learning this style of drumming in these surroundings has made me a better drummer. And being able to see this art applied in its intended surroundings has greatly enhanced my understanding of this culture and its music. So if you can, go. You just may end up like me and the other several hundred Craiceannites- “seven days on the island, and 358 wishing that you were back on it.”

 

Sean nós singing – Irish Singing and Irish singers Online

By Karen Campbell

Online Sean nós singing classes

Two years ago, I was captivated by an Irish language television show which depicted someone learning to sing a sean nós (translated from Irish “old style”) song in the Irish language.  My fascination with Ireland and its customs, people and music goes back to my childhood, but I found something even more special in this ancient music tradition.  I wanted to learn how to do it.  So, I decided, I would just look on the Internet and find myself a sean nós teacher.  That proved to be much easier said than done.

I had hoped to find a teacher in my immediate area, but I could barely find someone here who knew what sean nós singing was, much less how to do it or teach it.  I began reaching out to different contacts I found on the Internet.  Someone told me that it is not even easy to find a traditional sean nós teacher in Ireland itself.  There are no textbooks or manuals for sean nós, I learned.  You learn it by listening and feeling it and doing it.  And that is what I learned by taking online sean nós singing classes with teachers from The Irish Gift, a school for traditional Irish music and singing located in central Tennessee and also offering classes in the Irish language, Irish fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and bodhrán.

No aspect of Irish music can be fully understood without a deep appreciation of sean-nós singing. It is the key which opens every lock. Tomas Ó Canainn

The Irish Gift

I began my classes with The Irish Gift late in 2012.  For my first semester my teacher was Máirín Uí Chéide, a native of the Connemara region of Ireland.  I am now meeting weekly on Skype with my instructor Micheál Ó Tnúthail (Mike Newell), originally from County Galway in Ireland.  I have learned not only the sean nós songs themselves, but have been immersed in the richness of Irish history and language and culture.  I have recently become familiar with some of the amazing sean nós singers in Ireland, both past and present.  It is not a textbook course, but a dynamic hands-on experience.

Studying traditional Irish singing with The Irish Gift combines two of my passions: the Irish language and music.  I feel very fortunate to have discovered sean nós, as well as The Irish Gift.

The Irish Gift is an invaluable resource in the preservation and sharing of the traditional musical heritage of Ireland.

Family Trees: How I Am Finding (And Strengthening) My Irish Roots

By Kristen

I couldn’t tell you when it started, my seemingly unnatural obsession with all things Irish. I could tell you that it was the first time I saw a book full of pictures of the beautiful landscapes or the first time I heard the enamoring accent or even the first time that I heard rumors of my long-gone family that first came to America from Ireland. I could tell you these things, but they wouldn’t be true. The truth is that it’s been there all along, for as long as I can remember. I think I must have been born with a bit of Ireland in my soul because I felt its pull before I could even locate it on a map.

A few years ago, I got into genealogy. I’ve always been interested in hearing old family stories, but as generations come and go, it is becoming apparent that much of the history of how we came to be is fading into black. The vibrant characters who loved and lost, fought and won, and traveled near and far to eventually bring me into existence are losing their dimensions and simply becoming names on a flat piece of paper. The birth and death dates are easy enough to find. They’re right there on the tombstones, after all, but it’s that dash in between that gets me. What magnitude of stories does that little line contain?

With this in mind, I set out to find as much as I could about all the people who came before me—not just that they were alive but how they lived. I haven’t been let down. Some lines of research do turn out to be dead ends, but the disappointment is mitigated by the admiration of a relative who was imprisoned for his faith in Scotland or the bravery of a man who set sail from Greece and started over alone in a new country. Every new story was a revelation to me, and each one encouraged me to keep digging, and then I struck gold.

I am royalty.

Okay, okay. Maybe not technically, but I am distantly related to the late Princess Diana and, therefore, her sons and all the generations that will live hereafter. As you may imagine, I was curious to find out what the connection actually was and what circumstances led to two such different outcomes for descendants of the one same person, whoever he or she may have been.

It turns out that the common denominator is a man called the Most Reverend John Vesey. Princess Diana’s line descended from a son, and mine descended from a daughter. While I was still intrigued by the lineage, what was most exciting to me was that John was Irish! This wasn’t exactly a new finding for me. I had traced some Irish heritage already. What was new was that John was findable and concrete. He was the Archbishop of Tuam at one time, so I can physically go to where he once worshiped and taught. I can go to the university in which he studied. I can find the house and estate that he built, which is at least partially still standing. One day, I plan to do just that.

The chancel arch in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tuam, where John Vesey presided.

While the individual characters are unique, my story is not. I am only one of an uncountable number of people who are interested in finding out more about their family history, and this seems especially true for my fellow Americans who are often either regaled by legends of some cool ancestor or really have no clue how all the pieces of their puzzles fell into place. Maybe you are one of these people, and maybe you understand what I mean when I say that it is pretty amazing how even just one link to a place can drive you to learn all you can about it, identify with it, sympathize with it, and love it.

I am very interested in all of my family roots, which are also made up of major portions of Greek and German. I love learning about both cultures and take every chance I get to immerse myself in them, but as you have probably already figured out, I feel most drawn to my Irish heritage and really wanted to connect with it in a big way. Part of this for me was a desire to learn Irish. Besides the fact that some of my family most likely spoke it at one time, I also just find it really fun and beautiful.

If you are like me, you may want to learn Irish but have no idea where to begin. If you are not blessed to live in an area with Irish speakers or the availability of classes to attend, you probably think it’s impossible or at least improbable. I did. I tried books and a computer program, and while I did enjoy them and learned from them, there is nothing like having a comhrá (Irish for “conversation”) with other speakers. This is where The Irish Gift comes into play.

I found The Irish Gift in a last effort to find classes near me after multiple previous searches. I really didn’t think it would yield any results, but I typed in my search query, and up popped the site.

The Irish Gift is made up of a group of very talented people who practice the traditional arts of Ireland. Collectively, they play everything from the uilleann pipes and flute to the bodhran and fiddle. They sing in the sean nós style, and they speak Irish. They see their talents as a gift passed down to them, and their mission is to share it with everyone.

I am currently taking the Beginner Irish Class offered completely online by The Irish Gift. It is a 10 week course delivered once a week through video chat, and more importantly, it’s a lot of fun. The goal is to be fluent in six months, and I feel that we are well on our way to meeting it! If you have not yet learned any Irish but have looked at a text written in it, you may think I’m crazy and that there’s no possible way anyone could learn all that in six months with just one class a week. The truth is, after just one session, you will be motivated to go out and learn on your own.

I read English words with Irish phonetic pronunciation inadvertently now. I watch television shows and documentaries completely in Irish and try to pick out the words I know. I literally have verb conjugation charts handwritten and posted on my wall, and yesterday, I wrote out numbers to over one hundred in Irish just for fun. It gets to you in the best possible way.

It’s often hard for people to understand why I am learning Irish. In fact, the normal response is, “Isn’t that just English with an Irish accent?” Once they learn that Irish is its own language with its own identity, history, and cultural ties, the next question is usually, “Why don’t you learn a useful language, like Spanish?”

I agree that Spanish is certainly a very well utilized language in our society today, and I find it very beautiful. In fact, it was my language of choice throughout school, and I spent years learning it. However, I can’t say that I personally find Irish any less useful. I can think of exactly zero reasons not to learn it and over 1,774,437 reasons why I should. 1,774,437. That’s how many people ages 3 and up were stated on the last Irish census as able to speak Irish. Theoretically, I could strike up almost two million conversations in Irish! Does that sound useless to you?

Not too long ago, I learned a new word: fernweh. It’s a German word with no exact English translation, but it can generally be thought of as a kind of homesickness for a place you’ve never been. That really resonated with me because it pretty much sums up the way I feel about Ireland. My life’s dream has always been to go there, and when that happens, I’ll be ready. Among my clothes and passport, I’ll be packing up my new Irish skills and taking them along. I may not get to all two million conversations, but I will make sure I get plenty of chances to take what I learn in my informative, stimulating, and often hilarious online classes and practice it in the heart of Irish-speaking country. Sure, my Appalachian dialect may make the words come out a little funny sometimes, and I’ll make mistakes as all language learners do, but if I can have just one friendly conversation with someone willing to let me try my hand at it, that will prove all those people who think this journey is useless wrong. After all, as Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart,” and that is enough for me.

How I Learn Irish Gaelic Online

by Crystalín

A Life-long Fascination with Gaeilge

Ever since I was a young girl growing up near Boston and I first heard Irish music on the radio, I have been fascinated with Irish language and traditions. The passionately ornamented style of Irish folk music and the beautiful ancient sound of the Irish Gaelic language made a resonance in my heart. I wanted to learn how to speak this beautiful language so I could sing along.

Learn Irish Gaelic online!

For years, I searched for a way to learn Irish Gaelic, which more correctly known as Gaeilge, or simply “Irish”. I purchased books and cassette tapes (this was way back in the day!) and I memorized phrases, but I could not get a handle on the mysterious grammar that was so different from English or the Spanish that I had studied. The various dialects or Irish baffled me, and the written words looked like gibberish with way too many letters!

I searched for Irish language classes in New England and my eventual home in Ohio, but to no avail – I could not find even one native speaker of Irish in here in America, and I could not afford to go live in Ireland for an extended period. What was I to do?

My passion for learning Irish was put on the back burner for a while, but I never forgot my dream.

Learning Irish Online

These days, we have some amazingly powerful tools available to us through the internet – video chat allows people from across the world to connect and share knowledge. It was this that lead me to search once more for Irish language classes online.

This time, I found an amazing organization called The Irish Gift, a non-profit dedicated to teaching traditional Irish music and Irish language online. Two speakers of Irish now coach me in grammar and singing, and we connect with students and teachers from all over the United States, Ireland, and the world.

The class is easy and fun, and I was able to understand a lot of words and even phrases in songs and on Irish television programs right away after just a few classes, AND I can listen in for free to the native and high-level speakers in their online conversation hour on Monday evenings.

The Irish Gift also hosts an annual gathering with Irish musicians, speakers of Irish, and people from the online community – I hope I will meet you there!

Find more about the classes I take at The Irish Gift.

A Gaelic Journey in Nashville

How I began learning the Irish Language and More

by Lee McGill

My Beginning

I come from one of those families that strongly romanticized its Celtic heritage. My family tree holds many strong Irish surnames such as Donley and Kelly, but other than memories of our ties to Ireland and the occasional traditional Irish tune blasting from our stereo, much of the traditional culture of Ireland has been lost to my family through the generations of living in southern middle Tennessee. I am sure that the Welsh, Scottish, English, and German heritage hiding in the branches probably aided this slow evolution from our original culture.

In an attempt to revive a bit of this lost family treasure, I decided to seek out others with a drive to connect with Ireland and the many facets of its culture. Not only did I find Tennesseans looking to connect with the Irish, I found Irish men and women who wanted to connect with Tennesseans!

An Unexpected Journey

One of my favorite pastimes is language learning. I firmly believe in the statement spoken by Ludwig Wittgenstein which translates as ‘The limitations of my language are the limitations of my world’. Given that I wished to connect with a traditional Ireland, I began to search for a way to learn Irish Gaelic, thus diminishing the limitations of relearning my family’s lost culture. A few Google searches led me to Éilís Crean who was facilitating Gaelic lessons online from native Irish speaker Meaití Jo Shéamais Ó Fátharta of Connemara, and she had arranged a space for students to take the online class together in a room at O’More College of Design just south of Nashville in Franklin, TN. It was nearly too good to be true since I had recently moved to southern Nashville for school. I gathered up two of my friends interested in learning the language, and we were southbound every Monday to join our fellow Irish culture enthusiasts for an hour or so of relaxed language learning.

Nashville’s Smorgasbord of Irish Culture Classes

The Gaelic class was only the beginning. Éilís was adamant about spreading traditional Irish arts, language, and culture in middle Tennessee and beyond. Through her organization now known as The Irish Gift, I began taking fiddle lessons in the East Galway style. Having wanted to learn the fiddle for some time, I jumped at the opportunity to learn to play some traditional Irish music!

Irish Breakfast at Kavanagh’s Pub

The Irish Gift hosts a festival each fall where professionals in Irish language, arts, and music gather to share their trades with the people of Tennessee. Last fall, I attended lectures on the musicians of East Galway, lessons on the fiddle, sessions of Irish music, courses in Irish Gaelic, a lesson in Irish set dancing, a demonstration of Celtic art, and even a Celtic Christian service, as well as a full Irish breakfast complete with black and white puddings shipped from Ireland herself! I will be doing the same this November 15th with the addition of taking a jaunt in real donkey and cart, watching a game of hurling, and participating in the Irish and Scotch whiskey tasting!

The Irish Gift now offers online classes not only in Irish Gaelic but also in Sean-Nos singing, Sean-Nos dancing, Irish flute, and Irish fiddle. They are not going to stop there though. More teachers and disciplines are being added as The Irish Gift is expanding its reach to those all over the world who wish to preserve even just a small bit of the beautiful, ancient yet thriving culture of Ireland.

Ó Leitirmóir go Nashville ag gabháil fhionn

From Lettermore to Nashville Singing

by Máirín Ui Chéide

It is quite a journey and a leap of culture to arrive in Nashville, singing the songs that are the very essence of your being,  epic tales of mystical life, times and places, forlorn maidens and elusive lovers, laments, to historical events, political rebellions, lullabies, satires and light comic relief passed down through generations ,without pomp or circumstance  effortlessly. The songs that flowed from their lips as they labored, played or journeyed, passed on by attentive listening ears and retentive minds. It was a way of life, the essence of life itself. The word Sean-Nós means old style, although I rarely heard that description associated with the songs as a child.  It was just what it was singing an old song.

Irish Singing in Nashville

Yet now I find myself teaching this singing style to an audience in Nashville. Living in the USA, I am reminded daily of the intense interest Americans have in the rich culture of Ireland.  There is grounding in truly connecting to one’s roots that are as multifaceted as our culture. For the many, whose lineage and heritage lies across the Atlantic Ocean, it becomes a labor of love to reconnect with their true selves.  It is the story of ancestry, shaping the present life story and ensures a continuance of this tale for future generations.  This is my heritage, my identity, and my innateness to pass on as pure as I heard it without change, correction or embellishment minimizing as  best I can, the changes that occur naturally  as in all oral traditions, yet embracing this ever changing world of technology to carry it to infinity.

When I sing, I remember the singers, some long gone, never recorded, never graced a stage other than the sanctity of their own hearths, revered by their neighbors. I remember the simplicity and unhurried air that seemed as if time had stood still. I hear the voices of my favorite icons,  Josie Sheáin Jeaic Mac Donncha,  Dara Bán Mac Donnchadha, Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Áine Bn Mhaitiú, gus Máire Nic Dhonncha  (Máire Cholman Johnny) as an gCeathrú Rua.  I hear the voice of  Antaine Pheatín Terry each time I sing Bruch na Carra Léith.  It is a treasure, an immeasurable wealth that I hope I can impart to others who are eager to journey with me there once again. Indeed, I have found an audience, eager students here in Nashville and all over the world. The history of this region shows that early Irish immigrants brought their prized possessions, oftentimes that being a musical instruments, the fiddle being the most popular because it could be played to sound sad and mournful or bright and bouncy.

The Irish Gift Community

As we return to this neck of the woods in the form of the Gift, we are humbled by the welcome and sincere interest in all aspects of our treasured culture. I am delighted to be in the company of Sean-Nós singers like Eamon Ó Donnachú and Meatí Jó Shéamuis, both masters of their art. I like to quote Tomás Ó Canainn, one of Ireland’s foremost uilleann pipers and founder of and singer with the famous traditional music trio Na Fili, as he asserts, ’no aspect of Irish music can be fully understood without a deep appreciation of Sean-Nós singing. It is the key which opens every lock’. Níl agamsa le rá ach go bhfuil mé thar a bheith buíoch go bhfuil deis agam an cultúr seo a chuir i láthair le mórtas  as ár n’aitheantas,ár noidhreact agus ár ndúchas.

“Everything that we inherit, the rain, the skies, the speech, and anybody who works in the English language in Ireland knows that there’s the dead ghost of Gaelic in the language we use and listen to and that those things will reflect our Irish identity.”

John McGahern

photo credit: sergey vyaltsev via photopin cc

An Irish Whiskey and a Scotch Please

The Differences Between Irish Whiskey and Scotch

by Layne Hendrickson

Pot Still

I told a new friend over the weekend that I was planning on writing a blog entry on the difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky. “That’s easy,” he said “Irish whiskey tastes like whisky and Scotch whisky tastes like Band-Aids.” I liked to have died laughing on the spot despite the fact that I love the peaty, medicinal taste of Scotch just as much as I love the smooth sweetness of Irish whiskey. If you try and force me to choose between the two, I will push you out of the way… and drink both. But they are quite different. The major difference is whether or not peat smoke is used to kill the sprouting barley during the malting process. As a rule, Scotch making involves peat smoke whereas Irish whiskey does not. Irish is also usually distilled three times – Scotch twice. There are exceptions to both these generalities of course. Scotland boasts of somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 distilleries, whereas Ireland can only claim five (although each makes a number of different brands of whiskey). So apparently someone other than myself likes the taste of Band-Aids now and then.

In the Beginning

Where did all this start? No one knows exactly when or where the distillation of alcohol began. It has been theorized that perhaps it was discovered accidentally by the heating of fermented beer in a cave somewhere. The hot, moist alcohol steam condensed on the cold stone ceiling. Perhaps some observant soul noticed a crystal droplet refracting the firelight in the darkness, reached out a finger, captured the liquid and bravely put it to the tip of his tongue. It must have been a religious experience. No one had ever tasted anything remotely like it. Liquid fire perhaps? The “spirit” of the fermented grain escaping in the vapor? A gift from the gods or poison? This last question remains unanswered. But like it or not, distilled beverages have played a central role in our culture for some time now and are likely to continue to do so.

Distillation of liquids for perfumes and medicines was documented by the Greeks, later by the Arabs and then by the Europeans returning from the Crusades. But the earliest definitive records of the distillation of alcohol itself are from 13th century Italy where brandy was distilled from wine. Monks, who had long been involved in the production of wine and beer, took up the process mainly as a means of helping alleviate the sufferings of those afflicted with small pox or colic. The practice spread through the monastic system of Europe and to the British Isles where there were few grapes for wine. As such, barley beer became the ready substitute for wine in the distillation process. “Uisge beatha” is Gaelic for “water of life.” Shortened to “Uisge,” this evolved into the modern word “whiskey.” The first extant record of whisky dates from 1405 Ireland, in which it is reported that a Scottish chieftain had died from “taking a surfeit of aqua vitae” at Christmas time. Perhaps that should have told us something then and there. Of course, the Irish and the Scots both claim to have invented whiskey. I’m just glad someone did.

Learning to Play Irish Flute

Learn to Play Irish Flute

by Jessica Dunnavant

Why Irish Flute?

I’m not Irish. I’m American, so it’s in the mix of my roots, but I’m also Scots-Irish, German, Dutch, Welsh, Manx and straight-up English—and those are just the family lines that we know of and can trace. I think it’s an important distinction to make, because we Americans tend to romanticize so much of our imagined Celtic heritage. My ancestors, real ones that I can name, climbed through the Cumberland Gap to claim a Revolutionary War land grant, and I as an adult live only 100 miles or so from the green valley where they settled. They weren’t Irish either, come to think of it, but finally, there’s the Irish—in some of their ancestors, people I can’t name, who boarded a ship and wound up in Virginia.

My Irish Flute

Before you decide I’m pointing my finger at my proud Irish-American friends, remember—I’m learning to play the Irish flute, meaning I’m just as capable of romanticizing! I can’t tell you in logical terms when I began to love traditional music. I have very little patience for pub songs, but I love the Bothy Band, Lunasa, Cherish the Ladies, Fiddler’s Bid (yes, I know they’re from Scotland!)…something about the whirl of notes, the combination of sounds as fiddle mixes with flute, with whistle, with pipes…it speaks to me clearly and calls me to play. Right now it calls me to play slowly, with lots of cursing and missed notes, but play I will!

I’m Cheating

I’m a cheater. I’m learning to play Irish flute, yes, but I’m a professional musician. Wouldn’t you think that would make it an easier thing to do? The problem is this: I’m a professional classical musician, meaning that I know lots of facts, historically speaking. I can tell you more than you want to know, ever, about music theory and the importance of many esoteric composers, people you’ve never heard of. It also means that as a performer, I am tied visually to a page of printed music. I am so used to reading the music I play that this world of Irish traditional music is a brand new place, far different from the musical world I’ve inhabited since the age of six. I love it! It fills me with glee to learn a new tune by ear, to play without a music stand blocking me from my fellow musicians or a prospective audience. This way of making music feels organic to me. The element of creativity required to deploy all the ornaments I’m learning into the tunes I’m learning is a breath of fresh air. So I only know six songs—so what!