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The classical way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Sounds Irish showcases the best and brightest of Ireland's vibrant classical music scene. (How to listen)
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Sounds Irish features music by and conversation with some of Ireland's most prominent classical artists and ensembles.
"Harper's Bizarre"
Learn about Turlough O'Carolan, an 18th-century blind Irish harper, and how the story of his life captured the imagination of Irish writer Brian Keenan.
Online exclusive: Hear author Brian Keenan read from his book, Turlough, about the life of Carolan.
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Carolan is said to have synthesized the Italian baroque style of Corelli and Geminiani with the Irish traditional harp style. Compare for yourself the styles of Geminiani and Carolan.
Geminiani: Listen
Carolan: Listen
Related Links
To hear radio in the Irish language, listen online to Radi na Gaeltachta.
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The Program
Great music and stories are at the heart of Irish life, and they're at the heart of Sounds Irish, too. This transatlantic celebration of Irish culture and music airs nationwide in time for St. Patrick's Day. (Check your local public radio classical music station for airdates and times.) Some 40 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland, whose national symbol is the harp. Returning for a third year, Sounds Irish, the award-winning special hosted by Classical 24's Tom Crann, introduces listeners to the rich classical music tradition of Ireland and some of the stories surrounding it.
Flutist James Galway, perhaps Ireland's most acclaimed musical ambassador, and an engaging storyteller, reviews his long and distinguished career.
We visit Ireland's noted Killaloe Festival, the picturesque summer home of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. It's held in the medieval St. Flannan's Cathedral on the banks of the River Shannon, and has garnered international acclaim. Sounds Irish includes a performance of a Corelli concerto by the ICO with musical director Nicholas McGegan conducting, as recorded at the Killaloe Festival.
And Sounds Irish examines the music of blind harper Turlough O'Carolan. More than 250 years after his death, he still has influence in present day Irish culture and music. We visit with writer Brian Keenan, author of Turlough. He has a remarkable story to tell. We'll also hear plenty of Carolan's music played by the Andrew Lawrence King's Harp Consort and harper Máire Ní Chathasaigh, regarded as one of Ireland's finest interpreters of Carolan.
 About the Host
Tom Crann is a classical music host and producer for Minnesota Public Radio's Classical 24 service. In May 1999, he became the first American "presenter" with a daily program on national radio in Ireland. He was one of the original voices of Lyric FM when Radio Telefs ireann (RT), Ireland's national broadcaster, put that country's first full-time classical music and arts station on the air. A New Jersey native, he's managed to put his love of music and his English degree from Providence College to use in public radio since 1987, working at stations in St. Louis; Evansville, Indiana; Buffalo, New York; and Los Angeles.
From the Archives
Sounds Irish 2001: Hear a quick lesson on the Irish language, listen to last year's two-hour program, and read an article from Tom Crann about Irish classical music concerts.
Sounds Irish 2000: Hear
the original two-hour program and read an article from Tom Crann about
his experiences in Ireland and how Sounds Irish began. |
