ireland

I'm Not Fed Up with the Pacific Ocean • with Éamonn Coyne

I'm Not Fed Up with the Pacific Ocean • with Éamonn Coyne

What do an Irishman and an American play for a collaboration in Scotland? The answer is simple, a Swedish tune. Just before the Christmas holiday, on our one overlapping day, I reunited with an old friend in Edinburgh.

"Peggy Gordon" with Tommy O'Sullivan

"Peggy Gordon" with Tommy O'Sullivan

Back in 2013, I was headed down the west coast of Ireland and landed in Dingle for a day. As I order a drink at the Courthouse Pub, the man behind the bar asks, "Do you play the fiddle?" Yes. "Is your name Casey?" Yes. This man is Tommy O'Sullivan and he runs the pub with his wife Saundra. It turns out we had met in Texas. When planning to return to Ireland with my family, a stopover in Dingle was a must.

Doolin, Dingle & Cork, Ireland

Pub Session with Blackie O'Connell & Cyril O'Donoghue

Pub Session with Blackie O'Connell & Cyril O'Donoghue

Six years ago, I randomly met uilleann piper Blackie O’Connell and bouzouki player Cyril O’Donoghue while traveling through Doolin, Ireland. We had a memorable pub session night and reconnected on my Otherlands travels…at the very same pub! It was a wild night of tune energy.

Inishmore, Ireland

 

Headed out on a ferry for a day trip to the Aran Islands, off the coast of Galway. Spent the day riding bikes around the island, marvelling at the landscape, seeing a prehistoric fort, and checking out seals.

 

Ennis Trad Fest, Ireland

 

Leaving our home base in Galway for a few days, I took a weekend trip down to the Ennis Trad Fest. Days and nights were filled roaming the streets for sessions. Over meals, I read up on my family history and learned that some of my Irish peoples come from this area.