[music] Welcome to "Tradfest the Fingal Sessions."

We are here in the Ardgillan Castle and Demesne.

I am delighted to be joined by the Grammy-nominated Eric Bibb, and Ulrika Bibb, the Grammy-winning Eileen Ivers, and the future Grammy winner, Muireann Bradley.

You're all very welcome.

It's lovely to have you.

♪ You might slip, you might slide ♪ ♪ Stumble and fall by the roadside ♪ ♪ Don't you ever let nobody ♪ ♪ Drag your spirit down ♪ ♪ Well, I'm walking up to heaven ♪ ♪ Don't let nobody turn you out ♪ ♪ Walk with the rich, walk with the poor ♪ ♪ Learn from everyone, that's what love is for ♪ ♪ Don't you ever let nobody ♪ ♪ Drag your spirit down ♪ ♪ Well, I'm walking up to heaven ♪ You don't let nobody turn you ‘round♪ ♪ Some say yes ♪ ♪ Some say no ♪ ♪ Some way to see ♪ ♪ But which way don't where it's gone ♪ ♪ Don't ever let nobody ♪ ♪ Drag your spirit down ♪ ♪ Well, I'm walking up to heaven ♪ ♪ Don█t let nobody turn you around ♪ ♪ Yeah, we're walking up to heaven ♪ ♪ Don't let nobody turn you around ♪ ♪ One more thing ♪ I might say things, I'll strange to you, I might reach the gospel, I believe it's true I can't let nobody drag my spirit down.

Well, I'm walking to heaven Don't let nobody turn you round [ music ends ] What a great way to start the show Eric Bibb, thank you so much.

It's finally it's great to meet you after all these years.

I get the feeling we've been sort of following one another around over the years.

Talk to me a little bit about how you came to do it.

You know, do it where you've done all your life.

Very early on I was surrounded by at least what became folk music royalty.

Bob Dylan I met in my own living room at age 11 and I went right up to him when I stuck out my hand and I said "Hi I'm Eric I play guitar too."

He's looking around at all of these posh folk music people and he was saying you know, "Keep it simple forget all that fancy stuff,", yeah.

>> What an amazing thing.

Talking to him from from the get-go.

Yeah exactly.

Muireann, I'm gonna come to you it's great to meet you as well.

Would you like to do a song?

>> Um, yeah sure.

Which what are you gonna do?

I'm gonna do "When the Levee Breaks" by Memphis Minnie.

[music] [music] If it keeps on raining, the levees going to break, if it keeps on raining, the levees going to break, and the water's gonna come and I would have no place to stay.

Well all last night, I sat on the levee and moan Well all last night, I sat on the levee and moan They come back my baby and my happy old.

If it keeps on raining, a levee's going to break.

♪ ♪ If it keeps on raining, a levee's going to break.

♪ Then all these people have no places to stay.

(Music) Now look here Papa, what am I to do?

Look here Papa, what am I to do?

Ain't got nobody that tell my troubles to me.

Oh, cryin' won't help ya, prayin ' won't do no good.

Oh, cryin' won't help ya, prayin' won't do no good.

When the levee breaks, honey, you got to move.

I worked on a levee, mama, both night and day.

I worked on a levee, mama, both night and day.

I worked so hard to keep the water away.

I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me.

I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me.

I'm going on back now to my used to be.

[ Music ] I worked on a levee, mama, both night and day.

I worked on a levee, mama, both night and day.

I worked so hard to keep the water away.

I wanted a man, he wouldn't do for me.

I'm going on back now to my used to be.

It's a mean old levee, gone me to weep and moan.

It's a mean old levee, gone me to weep and moan.

Gone to leave my baby and my happy old.

I don't know if you believe in reincarnation.

You might be Memphis Minnie come back.

[ cheers ] I'm telling you, girl, you got it going on.

You're moving into the source.

That's your Bob Dylan moment right there.

You know, the thing about you're playing and singing, you have the groove.

You know, this music actually used to be dance music, right?

You know?

And a lot of players can figure out the tab and they can do this stuff.

But the groove seems to be a little bit distant and you have that drive, that whole beautiful swing groove thing, you know, that's so essential, you know, because you've got it all.

It's so wonderful.

It's so nice to hear that from you.

Amazing.

When did this start for you?

Well, I started playing when I was nine.

My dad got me my first guitar.

Right.

And then I kind of stopped for a wee while and I was very into sport.

And then when lockdown came... ...I got went into guitar again and I kind of just never stopped.

Talked to me a bit about that time during lockdown then.

What was going on?

I guess the world shut down.

So did you find yourself just immersed in this music that you're clearly totally plugged into it?

Well, I didn't really have anything else to do, and I was just, I was bored for a while and then I just decided to take up the guitar again and I kind of went to my dad.

He's my teacher and I was like, I want to learn these few chunes, I had these chunes and these luster chunes I wanted to learn and they're mostly ones that I can agree with, listen to like my favourite ones and that's kind of how I just go back and do them.

So your father John is my teacher and he's obviously hugely into into... Yeah, he's very into it.

Yeah, I agree with listened to all like all music.

Well what an absolute blessing that you're singing, wonderful singing, wonderful expression.

It's also a blessing that you know you haven't rebelled against your father.

We know so many kids tend to do that and they go, "Oh, my dad is into..." you know, and this is, I mean, not only have you taken it, but you've taken it to a level which is, is way up there, way up there.

Eric..., What would you advise somebody like Muireann at this stage of her?

For each of you.

There's only one thing I could say to you, because you're part of a great tradition.

And all of us who feel connected to that older music, that music that existed before records were made, it's a huge blessing to feel that connection to those people and those people who made it.

And I would just say, you've already really mastered so much of what its roots are.

I would love to hear where you go with writing your own songs.

Yeah.

I haven't really started writing any songs myself yet.

I would love to do the one.

It'll probably happen eventually.

I think you're having the willingness to let it out and having that radar open to us.

And it can take all the time at once as well because you've got it.

Amazing.

Well thank you so much for that.

Thank you.

Eileen Ivers.

What do you do?

I was thinking this a couple little tunes maybe jig and two reels but the first tune is a tune called "Humors of Valley Lockling" just a great old jig I love to play.

Okay and then I thought it'd be kind of nice speaking of the tradition the living tradition Martin Mulvihill my teacher wrote this first reel the Pride of Moyvane because he was from sort of the Kerry Limerick border there so he wrote that reel and then I wrote the reel that will follow it called "Chasing Butterflies."

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Wow.

>> Thanks, Eileen.

>> Thank you for it.

>> It's great to play with you.

>> I'm great to play with you as well.

>> It's really, really lovely.

The musical marriages that you've created with the fiddler, with flamenco and coming into Trad.

There's so much dynamic what you do, it's really, it's superb.

It's a pleasure to be around.

>> Very sweet, thank you.

I find that it's wonderful to try to sort of educate audiences in that, here we have this amazing hundreds year old music from Ireland.

But then you take African roots music and that has fueled the Americana roots, right?

And the traditions that we're kind of all speaking to today, nicely.

We're much more similar than dissimilar, you know?

It's connected.

Isn't there a great lesson to be had in all of that?

This is it.

I mean, you could tell the whole world history through the musc and realize how connected we really are, which makes it seem that more absurd that we are still tribally squabbling, you know?

Yes.

Yeah.

Muireann could I ask you to give us another one?

Yeah.

I'm going to do Candyman by Reverend Gary Davis.

Oh, beautiful.

[MUSIC - REVEREND GARY DAVIS.

, "CANDYMAN"] Candyman, salty dog.

Candyman, salty dog.

Candyman, salty dog.

I'd do anything in the God-almighty world just to keep my candyman home.

Little red light, little green light.

Little red light, little green light.

Little red light, little green light.

Stop the rain and go in the green zone.

That's where we stand between Candyman, Santa Claus, Candyman, fattening hog.

Candyman, been here and gone.

I'd do anything in the God-almighty world just to keep my Candyman home.

Run and get the pitch, get my baby some beer.

Run and get the pitch, get my baby some beer.

Run and get the pitch, get my baby some beer.

Run and get the pitch, get my baby some beer.

Candyman.

So, I'd do anything in the God-almighty world just keep my candy man home.

♪ Hey!

♪ Gingerbread Man, Santa Claus, Gingerbread Man, Chocolate frog, Candyman, Been here long, That gingerbread man's got raisin eyes He can't even dance, 'cause he's a dead man.

Big leg Ida, Big leg Ida, Big leg Ida, Big leg Ida, Big leg Ida, Big leg Ida, You sure do love that Big leg girl, God knows I could talk.

♪ Candyman, salty dog Candyman, salty dog Candyman, been here and gone If you won't be my Candyman, you won't be my salty dog Peppermint stick, big brass band Peppermint stick, big brass band Peppermint stick, big brass band I wish I was in New Orleans just sitting on endless days Go raibh míle maith agath, you have been watching "Tradfest, the Fingal Sessions" here from the Ardgillan Castle in Demesne My thanks to Eileen Ivers for being with us, to Ulrika Bibb for being with us, and to Muireann Bradley for being with us, and to Eric Bibb.

Eric, you're gonna take us home.

- I'm gonna take you home.

- What are you gonna do for us?

- Here's a song called "Send Us Brighter Days," and the third verse is in French, in case you don't catch it.

(laughing) (acoustic guitar music) Send us, brighter days Send us, blue skies Send us healing ways to live Send us, if you please, more time [ fiddle playing ] We have been foolish so long Treating each other so bad Wasting all the gifts you give Making this whole world so sad [Music] [singing in French] [singing in French] [ fiddle playing ] Send us brighter days Send us blue skies Send us healing ways To live Help us in our hearts, forgive.

♪ ♪ Beautiful, that was beautiful.

[ applause ] What a song.

Yes.

It is the song we need at the moment.

Yes!

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