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The
Best Way To Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
An interview from Minnesota
Monthly magazine, March 2000
Classical-music host Tom Crann is on hiatus from Minnesota Public
Radio to experience radio abroad, working for Radio Telefís Éireann
(RTÉ), Ireland's national broadcasting organization. He hosts
"The Breakfast Show," weekdays on the music and arts station,
Lyric FM, in Limerick.
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| Host Tom Crann in Limerick, on the banks
of the Shannon River. The 12th-century Norman King John's
Castle and the hills of Clare are in the background. |
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Crann will share a bit of the Irish with American listeners during
Sounds Irish, a St. Patrick's Day special of music and conversation.
Featuring some of the leading classical music figures in the country
- pianist John O'Connor, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Fionnuala Hunt,
The Vogler String Quartet, and more - Crann brings Ireland's rich and
vibrant classical music to life.
Here he tells us a little more about the show and his experience in
Ireland.
Is
there something about Irish classical music that we are missing in the
States?
Right off the bat, I'd say that the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
and the Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) deserve to be more widely known
in the U.S. The ICO has made a U.S. tour, and they were very well received.
I'm really impressed with their warm string sound. The National Symphony
is very flexible, and has made some fine recordings of Bruckner on Naxos.
And because this is a nation with such a strong folk music tradition
(or "trad" as they say here), those influences inform a lot
of work being done today.
What
new ideas and sounds will your show introduce to American audiences?
First off, some very attractive music by Irish composers such as Joan
Trimble and a couple of others who attempt to capture something Irish
in their compositions and whose music sounds Irish. And the National
Youth Orchestra here is excellent - very impressive. I'll feature some
of them in concert.
How
would you describe Irish radio?
The Irish love radio and listen to a lot of it. They depend on it for
news and love talk shows. Every shop you go in, the news agent . . .
the dry cleaner . . . there's a radio playing. For years, radio meant
RTÉ's Radio One, which is still a giant for news and talk. Hard
news shows like "Morning Ireland" and "The News at One" still pull big, big audiences. The quality of the news is excellent,
to my ear.
U.S. listeners would find formats more eclectic here. A music DJ will
play a wider mix and even take phone calls talk-radio style certain
times of the day. Irish radio is generally less narrowly segmented in
terms of format, so Lyric FM with its "niche" of classical
music, is something brand new. But it's nice to go into shops or taxis
and hear Lyric FM on more and more.
What
is Limerick like?
I always say that Limerick is a real Irish town. It's actually the third-largest
city. By that I mean that it isn't touristy, it's a working city. It
has a massive Norman era castle, and some great old Georgian architecture,
like "The Crescent," which is featured in Angela's Ashes.
It's on the Shannon where it's still pretty wide, and the river really
defines the city. City Centre is booming these days with a lot of new
construction. But the surrounding scenery like the soft, green hills
of Co. Clare is stunning. A few miles out, and you're in real Irish
countryside.
What
do you miss about America?
A good cup of coffee! The latté mania hasn't exactly caught on
here in the same way . . . at least not in Limerick as much as maybe
Dublin.
Are
you Irish?
Yes, by descent and now officially. My mother's parents were born in
Belfast, which entitles me to be officially registered as a foreign-born
Irish citizen. And my father's ancestors came from Sligo. I've always
been proud of my Irish heritage, and now it has an even deeper meaning.
As a dual citizen, I'll be in big trouble if Ireland ever goes to war
with the U.S., though!
Gotta go - "The News at One" is on the radio.
Sounds
Irish 2000 home
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