In Conversation with Kitty Cassidy

Kitty Cassidy, like many members of the Travelling community, is from a family with a rich history of singing and storytelling. Kitty's father, Johnny Cassidy, was a noted storyteller, and Kitty's mum had a store of songs that she sang both at home, as she worked, and in public at social occasions. It's from her family that Kitty learned the majority of her songs.Kitty became known to the broader music traditional music community in Ireland and the UK through field recordings made by Alen MacWeeney in late 1960s. A selection of these recordings were published on the album: Whisht!: Irish Traveller Folktales & Songs - The Cassidys, 1967. These recordings have proved influential with artists such as Lisa O'Neill recording songs learned from Kitty's singing.

Kitty will be in conversation with Alan Woods from the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

Image © Colm Keating