Passport Season: Ireland (Season 6 Finale Part 1)
Honestly, when it came to forming this season, it only made sense that the finale would be about my home, Ireland. After all these years, I’m still at a loss for words about how much this place means to me and all it’s brought into my life. Both my personal and professional life are drastically intertwined with Ireland, my career in photography actually began to take shape when I photographed Two Door Cinema Club during their first two album cycles. From there, I got to know loads of people in Ireland (and even before that, because of the message board of my favourite band, Ash). The reasons behind this love affair with Ireland are numerous, but it all ties back to the people.
For over a decade, I’ve been made to feel like an equal, like a friend by people I knew for less than an hour even. The way Irish people go out of their way to make people feel welcome brings warmth to my heart and having my feet back on the island always centers me in the here and now. Artistically, it’s my humble opinion that Ireland has produced some of the best artists on earth. Ireland is home to artists who put it all on the line, in terms of vision, in terms of emotional output….it’s just unbelievable what the artists there are capable of. What unifies all these artists is how every act embodies how Ireland is a small but mighty country. The talks you’re about to hear are reflective of all of those traits, and yeah, welcome to my home.
Joining me for this episode is my friend Sorcha Richardson (a gifted singer-songwriter from Dublin), my friend Munya aka God Knows (a rapper, writer, mentor, and co-founder of Narolane, an independent record label based in Limerick), Ryan Vail (a singer-songwriter based in Derry, who also DJ’s and directs videos for Visual Spectrum), and Problem Patterns (a punk band of queer + non-binary misfits from Belfast who kick so much ass).
A reminder that next week will see the release of the companion broadcast to this episode. That companion piece will feature a mammoth collection of Irish music that I can’t wait to share with you and remember; you’ll only be able to hear that episode over on Spotify.
Episode Timestamps:
Sorcha Richardson Chat (4:36), God Knows Chat (37:08), Ryan Vail Chat (1:18:25) and Problem Patterns Chat (1:52:27).
