The Irish Airs Project is…
the echoes of Ireland's Soul.
For the past couple of years, we at the Irish Airs Project have traveled between the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland in pursuit of documenting and preserving the rich tradition of Irish airs. Throughout our research and collecting, we have had the privilege of meeting and recording an extraordinary array of master musicians, each sharing their cherished airs, stories, and insights. With your support, we can continue this important work—helping to preserve and promote Irish traditional airs while capturing the artistry, knowledge, and musical heritage of these remarkable performers for future generations.
Kell Chole
Traditional Irish airs set my heart on fire. As I play an air, my imagination sends me to live the story. It’s a transmigration of my soul. And that transformation also happens when I experience a master musician playing an air. The player is my seanchaí, helping me experience the story, making the emotions palpable. Whether it is the tale of a beautiful dream or the tragedy of a soldier dying in his lover’s arms, I get to live that reverie or to be that lover.
So, along with filmmaker Cait Ryan, I have set a course to record the best of Irish trad airs players and to talk to them about their music, to learn why they tell the story the way they do.
If you would like to join us on this journey, listen to The Irish Airs Project Podcast on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. If you would like to tell your own story of an air you are passionate about, join us as a guest on the program.
Caitlin Ryan
Caitlin lives and works in Chicago,Illinois. When she’s not working on the podcast you can find her spending time with her son, working on her ceramics or teaching at the only public performing arts school in her city, The Chicago High School for the Arts.