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]