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• Ceol na nGael

The most popular Irish radio program in New York celebrated its 30th anniversary in February, 2004. Ceol na nGael ("Music of the Irish") began as the brainchild of two Fordham students, Gerry Murphy and Mary Maguire, back in 1974. Over the years it has continued to be hosted by students, who have kept the tradition alive.

Nearly 75,000 listeners tune in to 90.7 FM every Sunday between 12 noon and 4 pm to hear all kinds of Irish music, often accompanied by dedications, and to stay connected through the community bulletin boards. Two of the program's highlights are the weekly news from Ireland, reported by Declan O'Byrne in Dublin, at 2pm and the sports from Ireland, with Brendan Tier, immediately following.

Gerry Murphy had first proposed an Irish music program on WFUV in 1973, but it wasn't until the winter of 1974, when the station needed to fill time during a fundraiser, that he got his chance. The show was an instant hit with listeners. "We were going to give them a slice of the music they loved," says Gerry, who has since served as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County.

Fordham students Kevin Quinn and Ashling Colton are the newest team to host Ceol na nGael, while veterans Maggie Dolan and Liz Noonan are still with the program as producers.

"My parents always had Ceol na nGael on in our house growing up," says Ashling. "We had it on during the ride home from church and then again in the house. I couldn't believe my luck when I started interning here last October. When I started on the air in June, it was completely surreal."

For Kevin Quinn, who credits his grandfather with instilling Irish culture into his household, Fordham's famous radio station was the big draw. "When I started to look into Fordham and discovered the radio station, I really loved the great shows, including this one. My late grandfather's family emigrated to the U.S. from County Cork. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Fordham and did a lot to instill an appreciation of Irish culture in me, so taking on host duties at Ceol feels like a natural progression. I like a wide variety of music, from Pantera to Elliott Smith, and WFUV has that same variety of music and programming."

The duo gets to program their own music, a practice virtually unheard of within the tight programming restrictions on commercial radio. Colton in particular has immersed herself into the local New York music scene, renting an apartment near the swinging green neighborhoods of Yonkers. Despite reports that the scene along McClean Avenue is on the decline, Colton is clearly energized by the club scene there.

"There are a lot of local bands from Woodlawn or the Bronx that I really like," she enthuses. "Rory Dolan's (Yonkers) has bands like Shillelagh Law all the time, and of course you have bands like Black 47 at Connolly's and the Prodigals playing all around Manhattan. I love the fact that you can walk down the street and see playing. I just moved to Woodlawn and I'm here every weekend. The ratio between Irish and Irish Americans is still huge, with the Irish still outnumbering the Americans."

The duo continually solicits feedback from friends and listeners on selecting the right music, and they are clearly delighted to receive the feedback. "Our listeners range from young who like the modern music," says Quinn. "We hear from fans and friends what people want to hear. That feedback produces this eclectic mix that includes tenors, traditional instrumentals, and modern groups."

Many of the Ceol na nGael hosts over the years continue to work in the media, long after they've graduated. They include Marie Hickey, Anne Bowen, Gerry Lavin, Mary Snow, Jim Driscoll, and Eileen Byrne. The program was hosted in the mid-80's by Patti Anne Brown, an anchor at Fox News Channel, and by Kathleen Biggins, a CBS Radio producer who is also the host of A Thousand Welcomes, WFUV's popular Saturday morning program of traditional Irish music.

Kathleen is proud that she and Patti Anne introduced listeners to many new artists who are still popular today. She remembers a musical tour of the 32 counties (by news and 'Celtic Closeup' presenter Paul Farry) as a listener favorite, and fondly recalls live remote broadcasts from the United Irish Counties Feis at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers. "I learned there that the bagpipes are really loud," Kathleen laughs. "And when you get a group of five or more together, you should never cue them to play while a politician is speaking!"

Michelle Gillan, a Ceol na nGael host in the early '90s, went on to work with WFUV in fundraising. "Growing up, my favorite band was - hands down - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. I listened a lot, always with my dad, on Friday nights in our living room and in my grandmother's kitchen on Sundays during Ceol na nGael. For my 16th birthday, my father got tickets for the two of us to see The Clancys in concert. I was never so excited by a birthday gift in all my life. And I never expected anything to top that experience - until the day I started playing their records on the air as a host of Ceol na nGael. You can only imagine what a thrill that was for me... and how I felt when I got to interview the band before one of their concerts. If only they'd allowed my dad backstage, too!"

Meaghan O'Rourke was a co-host of Ceol na nGael for three years before graduating in 2001. She's now the program's producer, working with the hosts on the music, booking interviews with figures in the Irish community, and developing new features. She has a couple of favorite memories. One is an interview she did with Phil Coulter and James Galway around St. Patrick's Day of her sophomore year. "I had only been doing the show for a few months and I was petrified to interview two of the most famous Irish musicians out there," Meaghan recalls. "The taping went wonderfully, though. The guys were very chatty and did their best to put me at ease."

Another highlight for Meaghan happened in September 2003, when she and 2002-2004 co-host Deirdre McGuinness interviewed Paul Brady. "I had been researching forever, and could barely sleep the night before, I was so excited," Meaghan says. "Paul was a pleasure to talk to, but while I was a little star-struck at the beginning, it felt like we were old friends by the end. It still amazes me how many great artists I've been able to meet and interview because of the show."

Irish musicians understand just how special Ceol na nGael is. According to singer Cathie Ryan, "Ceol na nGael reconnects us to our roots and reinforces our values as a community. There are millions of us in the tri-state area, but Ceol na nGael, with its music, news reports, and community bulletin boards, makes us a small village."

For more information, email Ceol na nGael.

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