Sunday Sessions: In My Tribe

Tradition, heritage, connection.

Events and circumstances are shifting and changing across many spheres of life.

These three --tradition, heritage, connection -- can offer valuable and necessary ways to stay steady and to go forward.

From the stories held in its landscapes to the work of it ancient scribes and bards to the immigration and emigration tales handed down through families to the stories and songs told and sung, written and composed, by its people today, Ireland knows a lot about tradition, heritage, and connection.

Those connections came to musician Cathie Ryan’s mind one time when she was on a visit to the US southwest.

Ryan is Irish American, first generation daughter of parent who came from Kerry and Tipperary to raise their family in Michigan.

Ryan grew up. most often spending summers back in Ireland with her grandparents.

Ryan headed to New York for university, where she evetually crossed paths with Joanie Madden, then in the founding stages of what would become the renown band Cherish the Ladies. Madden chanced to hear Ryan sing at a birthday party and, she’s recalled. thought “How could you not want that voice?”

Ryan was with Cherish about about eight years; then it was time for her to set out on her own. Forming her own band from her base in New York state, she toured internationally. Several years ago she decided to move her home base to Ireland.

Back to the story of the song that came from her time in the southwest: for part of her time there, she had a First Nations guide. Through their conversations they found that they were both musicians. They did not know they were both drummers until her guide brought his drum to show her -- Ryan plays the bodhr

an, the Irish frame drum.

This time led Cathie Ryan to write the song In My Tribe.

A song of my people that my mother gave to me
In my tribe music is blood memory

Tradition, heritage, connection. You hear each of those in the song.

You may also wish to see

Lyrics for In My Tribe

About Cathie Ryan’s album The Farthest Wave

Walk the Road, another Sunday Session with a song from Cathie

There’s also a song from Cathie Ryan in this piece about Ireland and immigration songs

...and in this: Women of Ireland: 4 Musicians to Discover

A bit about Cherish the Ladies

Photograph: Rostrevor and the Mournes in County Down, looking across Carlingford Lough from Carlingford in County Louth, by Kerry Dexter

Thanks for being here. I invite you to subscribe...

If you’d prefer to make a one off show of support, you can do so through Ko.fi