Sad news to begin with this week with the announcement that Bridget Flynn, of Flynn Irish Dance in Yonkers, has died. Flynn was a pillar of New York’s Irish dance community and her vision, talent, and warmth inspired generations. Although her passing is a major loss, Flynn leaves an enduring legacy of excellence that can be seen through the many people she inspired. Condolences to her family, friends and the innumerable students, of whom she was so proud, who had the privilege of learning from her over the years. She will be sorely missed.
In less somber news, a few bits to convey of song-related interest. First up is the announcement of the “Féilire Amhrán Traidisiúnta na hÉireann” or “The Traditional Irish Song Calendar.” Created by Michael Steen, a singer and researcher based in Dublin, in collaboration with multimedia artist Dan MacDonald (aka SpitzerSpaceTelescope), the calendar is an intriguing product that uses modern technology to put a great modern spin on both a familiar object from the past and the understanding of traditional culture.
The idea came about when Steen, a singer, researcher, and long-time member of Dublin’s A Góilín Traditional Singers in Dublin, began noticing the seasonality of certain songs in the Irish tradition and began collecting the ones – in both English and Irish – that he noticed were tied to particular days, months, and feast days. In the calendar, one song is assigned to each month, with other songs assigned to individual days throughout the year. In January 2026, for example, in addition to “In The Month of January,” which is the song of the month, there are 17 songs spread over the course of the month, with some days having more than one song assigned to them. Overall, the calendar includes over 300 songs.
Andy Irving. [Photo by Béla Kása]
Users are able to see and hear these songs through the QR codes that appear throughout the calendar. (For those who mightn’t know how to use a QR code, they’re little box shaped design yokes that take you to a website when you point at them with your phone’s camera. To use them, you simply open your phone’s camera, point it at the design, and when prompted, press the link button that appears on the screen. If you’ve done this right, your phone will open the link automatically.) The codes link to pages on the “songcalendar” website where the songs are performed by a variety of artists, giving the calendar’s multimedia element an incredibly full, varied feel.
This is a fun idea that appears very well realized. While the design is charming and very much a throw-back to the days of wall calendars, the QR element gives it its really cool modern twist. Production is limited to 500 copies, pre-ordering has already opened, and calendars will ship in November, just in time for a Christmas arrival. I think this will make a superb and splashy holiday gift for the traditional song lover in your life, so if you’re interested you’ll want to consider your order sooner rather than later. To learn more and to purchase, visit here.
Speaking of songs, the legendary singer Andy Irvine is about to embark on a tour of the United States! Irvine is truly one of the greats whose work with Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Paul Brady, Patrick Street, Mozaik, and others, is absolutely classic. He is truly an artist whose work is defining and one that should need no introduction.
This tour is special. I think it’s been a decade or more since Irvine has performed in America and there’s no guarantee he will come back, so it’s high recommended you make an effort to see him now if you can!
Irvine, which begins Tuesday runs through Oct. 26 and will make stops in Albany, N.Y,; Chestnut Hill & Cambridge Mass.; Middletown, Conn; New York City; Cleveland OH; Detroit; Chicago; Milwaukee; Maplewood & Columbia, Mo.; Fairfield, Iowa; San Francisco, Chico, Sacramento, Pasadena, Eureka, & McCloud, all in California; Eugene & Portland, Ore.; and Seattle & Mt .Vernon, Wash. For more specific information about venues and dates, as well as ticket purchasing links, visit https://www.andyirvine.com/.
And finally, on the topic of songs, singers Rory Makem & Máirtín de Cógáin have teamed up for a new podcast called “The Ballad Lounge” that Echo readers – especially those interested in songs and their history – will want to check out.
The podcast’s mission is to do deep dives into music history, with each episode looking “the rich tapestry of a single ballad, exploring its origins, transformations, and cultural significance.” Makem (the youngest son of the great Tommy Makem) and de Cógáin (an outstanding solo singer who has worked with Jimmy Crowley and was a featured actor in “The Wind That Shakes the Barley) are fine, engaging hosts with extensive knowledge and experience that they bring to bear through their witty banter.
The podcast’s first two episodes (which are both a few minutes short of a half hour) are already up and they examine “The Black Velvet Band” and “The Moonshiner.” In them, Makem and de Cógáin explore the details of each with a folksy inquisitiveness that listeners will certainly enjoy. If you love songs in general and especially ballads, this is a must-listen show! “The Ballad Lounge” is available to stream anywhere podcasts can be streamed, including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, etc – check it out! You can follow them through social media at Facebook here.
