This episode of In Tune with Tradition was recorded in person in Miltown Malbay during Willie Clancy Week 2025, (shortly after the podcast was officially launched), where Clare fiddle player, teacher and broadcaster Joan Hanrahan joins Tara Connaghan for a warm, reflective conversation about what Irish traditional music sessions really are: shared spaces built on listening, trust, and people first. They talk through session etiquette, intergenerational learning, the role of repetition and repertoire, and why music can feel healing in moments of grief, joy, and everything in between.
Chapters
01:25 – What an Irish music session means to Joan
02:22 – First sessions in Garvey’s in Inagh and learning tunes by osmosis
04:55 – Why the intergenerational nature of Irish music matters
05:51 – Nobody knows it all
06:13 – Old tunes, repertoire and why quantity is not everything
07:24 – Advice for joining a session when you know nobody
08:25 – The natural high when a session really works
11:15 – People first, music second
12:27 – Music as a constant through grief, loss and life
14:18 – Friendships across the world and a connection with Cape Breton
17:13 – What happens when musicians truly gel
18:21 – Processing grief through music
20:05 – Writing tunes for Joan’s father and sister
24:48 – Why Joan likes playing tunes more than twice
26:21 – What blocks the flow of a good session
29:44 – Welcoming people without asking them to prove their worth
30:33 – Joan’s ideal session size and why sessions should inspire you
31:58 – Festival sessions, hospitality and keeping music human
35:18 – Ten ingredients of a successful session
38:12 – Old pubs, open fires, singers, dancers and good listeners
Resources:
The West Wind with Joan Hanrahan – Clare FM Joan’s long-running traditional Irish music and song programme on Clare FM.
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
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Recorded and produced by Tara Connaghan and edited by Anita Alvarez Santos.
Recorded in person in Miltown Malbay during Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy 2025.
