Welcome to Tradfest, the Fingal Sessions coming to you from the Ardgillan Castle and Demesne here on the gorgeous Fingal coast.

For this show we have Women of Note gathering assembled by Aoife Scott, who is joined by Kaia Kater, Áine Mc Geeney and Katherine Priddy.

Aoife, what brought the idea about in the first place?

I just find that for me, having five amazing women on stage, they just blow my mind and they inspire me because they're so talented and incredible.

And yeah, we've been doing it at St.

Patrick's Cathedral, at Tradfest now every year, and it's absolutely the best crack ever.

♪ ♪ ♪ I left home at 23 in search of opportunity.

♪ ♪ The western coast and Frisco Bay in America, ♪ ♪ I did stay.

♪ ♪ There's one place that I call home and far from ♪ ♪ it I did roam.

♪ ♪ I'll be back, you never know, and live ♪ ♪ in dear old Pimlico.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, far across the sea.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, in Dublin's Liberties.

♪ ♪♪ ♪ My granny lived in Marrowbone on summer ♪ ♪ days, that's where we go.

♪ ♪ The Grand Canal we learned to swim, with no fear ♪ ♪ we'd jump straight in.

♪ ♪ Evenings made sweet memories of good times in the Liberties ♪ ♪ Taylor's Hall and Frances Street, songs to sing ♪ ♪ and friends to meet.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, far across the sea.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, in Dublin's Liberties.

♪ ♪♪ ♪ I had a job just down the road, my bike would ♪ ♪ bounce down cobblestones.

♪ ♪ To count the barley and the ho near James's Gate I took stock ♪ ♪ I've been looking for the things I've seen, ♪ ♪ the Golden Gate and sunset beams ♪ ♪ My children, how I've watched them grow, ♪ ♪ a greater pride I'll never know.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, far across the sea.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, in Dublin's Liberties.

♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I still have friends, I sometimes see, if I'm ♪ ♪ home or they come to me.

♪ ♪ Time will pass and things will change, between good ♪ ♪ friends it's never strange.

♪ ♪ When I'm done and I've had enough, I'll trade ♪ ♪ the diamond for the rough.

♪ ♪ Leave the sun and big pop tree and come back to my Liberties ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, far across the sea.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, in Dublin's Liberties.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, far across the sea.

♪ ♪ Home I'll go to Pimlico, in Dublin's Liberties.

♪ ♪♪ ♪ I left home at 23 in search of opportunity.

♪ ♪ The western coast and Frisco Bay in America I did stay.

♪ ♪ There's one place that I call and far from it I do roam.

♪ ♪ I'll be back you'll never know and live in dear old Pimlico.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Live in dear old Pimlico ♪ Oh my God, thank you very much.

Thanks a million.

Nice one Aoife.

So Aoife, Women of Note.

Yes.

We have several Women of Note here.

Kaita Kater, Áine Mc Geeney and Katherine Priddy.

And you've snuck a few fellas in as well.

There is the unofficial Women of Note and yourself.

We snuck you in as well.

Tell me, where did it start?

It started, I guess, I went over to Australia and I did a festival called Port Fairy and we did this kind of women in the round.

And it blew me away because I had never sung on the stage like that with complete strangers.

And all of a sudden we had this bond and this connection that we hadn't even met before and we were already mates by the end of the gig and we hadn't even talked to each other.

And for me, I guess I find that being a solo singer-songwriter, sometimes it can be a bit lonely as a female artist because you're always on the stage not hanging out with the rest of the other solo female artists.

And sometimes the slots are not available to you.

It can be less available if you're one female solo artist for festivals sometimes.

And it can be competitive as well.

And I find that I wanted to hang out with these amazing artists that I am absolutely blown away.

I just think that they're so talented.

And the way that I wanted to do it is by getting them all on the stage together.

And that's what happens every year at Tradfest and Women of Note.

It's amazing, the St.

Patrick's Cathedral and the walls just lift.

It's just the most magical experience and it blows me away.

It's incredible.

It's become an institution now.

It's great.

The opening of the festival, it's pretty cool.

It's great.

Tell me about your part in all of this.

Yeah, well I've known Aoife for a few years now.

Myself and Aoife and Áine actually toured Australia together back in... Was it 2016, Aoife?

Yeah, well, yeah, back in the day, yeah.

And sort of like that, I'm sort of that one female in a group of five as well.

And I just absolutely loved the idea of it.

Was so thrilled when Aoife asked me to be a part of it.

Oh, you're going to give us a tune, I believe, next.

Yes, yes, indeed.

I'm going to play two reels.

The first one is a composition of John McAvoy called "The Cave of the Cats."

I got it from the player MacDara Ó Raghallaigh.

The second one is a tune that I wrote for the daughter of the banjo player in our band, Alan Reid.

So this is a Sagas reel.

One with many notes.

Just hopefully the right ones.

(laughing) (fiddle playing) ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Yee-oh!

- Woo, yeah!

Brilliant, thank you so much for that.

That's amazing.

That's got us going.

Even more than we were already going.

Katherine Priddy, it's great to meet you.

Great to meet you.

Lovely to meet you.

"The Eternal Rocks Beneath" and "The Pendulum Swing" are both records that I absolutely love, so it's great to put a face to the name.

Thank you.

How are you doing?

I'm good, I'm good.

I feel like we've communicated a lot online.

We have.

>> Through the radio airwaves.

It's nice to meet you in person.

Tell me a bit about where music started for you.

I grew up in a house where there was just always music on the radio.

They weren't necessarily like musicians, but my parents loved music.

So they always had the radio on, always had a record on.

And my dad very cleverly just left his guitar within arm's reach, nice and low down.

So I eventually took the hint and started kind of teaching myself how to play the guitar.

And really enjoyed it.

And it took me a little while to be brave enough to do it in front of people.

But now I do.

So yeah, so it's a bit of a kind of just organic, fell into it a little bit after a while.

And when did writing start?

Did that start soon afterwards?

Yeah, I think when I was about 14, 15, I started writing.

But like I said, I used to do it in my bedroom mostly.

And it wasn't until I was doing my music GCSE at school and there was a performance element, my teacher made me do it and said that I was good and I should try and do it a bit more.

So they really nudged me along.

So yeah, I think it started around 14 or 15, probably.

Because I mean, the songs that you write, I mean, have you guys heard her songs?

They're incredible.

Really just beautiful, beautiful songs.

Some of my favourite songs are your songs.

Oh, cheers.

You know what I mean?

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

And is there a connection to Ireland?

I mean, have you listened to Irish music much?

Yeah, so growing up, again, there was quite a lot of folk music, Irish folk music and English folk music in the mix, probably.

So I think that probably has influenced it somewhere, and perhaps some of the inflections, the vocal inflections, probably.

Yes, yes.

And I love coming to Giggio.

Which is the nicest kind of influence, in a way, because it's not overt, but you can kind of hear, there's a something to hear, there's a deep well from where it's coming your inflections on your vocal are just so perfect.

I've always loved that vocal style I think.

So I think that probably did sneak in there when I was younger.

But there was also a lot of Frank Zappa and strange music there as well.

But I think the one thing that ran through it was that I've always loved lyrics.

And I think that was, for me, that's always what I hear first when I hear songs is the lyrics.

So I tend to focus on the lyrics of my songs quite a lot.

Will you give us a song?

Yes, I will sing a song that I wrote for my dear dad.

And this is one I wrote for him for his birthday.

He's been dealt a rough hand quite a lot of the time, but he's such an inspiration to me because he just cracks on and he's so positive.

So I just wanted to write a little song for him.

So it's called 'Father of Two'.

( acoustic guitar playing ) ♪ How fortunate to be ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ a fruit now grown, that once was ♪ ♪ sown from a different tree ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ How you nursed me from the ground ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ How far we've come from that small drumbeat on an ultrasound ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Arms that stay the same ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Even as the seasons change, the first to ever hold me ♪ ♪ and the last to let me down ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Eyes wide open, Father my oldest friend ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Born of love if, not by blood a world without an end ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ That began at my beginning ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Spinning years fall like dust in my memories ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Years fall like dust in my memories ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Time has a trick of slipping through your fingers ♪ ♪ Lingers on in moments hung, suspended on the wall ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And though there were times when tides were low ♪ ♪ It's good to know that eight strong legs trod ♪ ♪ water through it all ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Eyes that stay the same ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Even as our faces change ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ All the years you cared for me and now I'll care for you ♪ (humming) ♪ ♪ ♪ Father, my oldest friend ♪ ♪ Born of love, if not by blood ♪ ♪ A world without an end ♪ ♪♪ That began at my beginning ♪ ♪ Spinning years fall like dust in my memories ♪ ♪ Years fall like dust in my memories ♪ ♪ Years fall like dust in my memories ♪ ♪ Years burn like gold in my, ♪ ♪ In my memories ♪ ♪ Father of two ♪ ♪ This one's for you ♪ ( acoustic guitar playing ends ) >> Wow, that's gorgeous, Catherine.

>> Thank you.

What a beautiful song.

Thanks very much.

What a lucky dad.

[ laughter ] I've got to write one for my mum now.

That's the problem, isn't it?

That's the challenge.

What about the sibling?

There's one for him as well.

Oh, is there?

In "The Pendulum Swing," "Walnut Shell" for my twin brother.

Ah!

So my mum really is missing out now.

So I really have to.

My goodness, the pressure's on.

That's so beautiful.

Thank you so much.

Kaia!

It's lovely to meet you, Kaia Kater.

Nice to meet you too.

Thank you for having me.

This is not your first Tradfest though?

No, this is my second.

Yeah.

It's great, well welcome back.

Thanks, it's good to be back.

You have a banjo there in your hand.

Tell me how long has that been in your hands?

Years now.

I started playing banjo when I was like eleven or twelve My mom ran folk festivals in Canada where we're from and I was that kid running around backstage, probably annoying musicians asking them for lessons.

What a great beginning.

Your mom ran folk festivals.

She did, yeah.

What can you tell me about the music that was surrounding you?

What's informed what you're doing now?

Folk music was a real love, Canadian folk music of course.

I ended up falling in love with Appalachian folk music.

Music from West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky.

which also has a lot of Irish influence.

So I kind of started merging those two things together, like my love of songwriting and my love of old time music and Appalachian music.

>> Well, Kaya, we're gonna get a tune from you in a minute.

But thank you so much for tuning in to Tradfest, the Fingal Sessions here at the Ardgillan Castle and Demense.

Go raibh míle maith agat Until the next time, ( speaking Irish) Kaia, are you going to lead us off with this one?

I will, yes.

I'm going to sing a song that I wrote that's based on a West Virginia ghost story.

Apparently there is a ghost in this castle, so maybe we'll draw her forth.

Excellent.

♪ ♪ ♪ In the deep, dark woods in the middle of the night, ♪ ♪ the rain was pouring heavy, as if the sky were trying to dry ♪ ♪ Its blackened eyes from crying ♪ ♪ Leaves from the trees blew into the house where ♪ ♪ four women, they lay sleeping ♪ ♪ till one shrill scream awoke them all ♪ ♪ They grabbed their coats and rifles ♪ ♪ When they got outside, what did they see?

♪ ♪ But a ten-foot shadow, looming ♪ ♪ They shot four times with shivering spines, and the ♪ ♪ grassy field went quiet ♪ ♪ Once the sun was high, they found their sheep, bloodied ♪ ♪ and broken, except for one, who grazed in the sun ♪ ♪ An omen of the autumn.

♪ ♪ Three weeks passed and little was said, but ♪ ♪ they all were tense and sleepless when another ♪ ♪ shrill scream pulled them all from their beds ♪ ♪ and to the muddy field, running ♪ ♪ "Show yourself," they cried to the gloom ♪ ♪ "Show yourself and face us!

♪ ♪ We have one sheep left and winter's near, so ♪ ♪ leave us alone or kill us."

♪ ♪ A shadow turned 'round and revealed its face ♪ ♪ Morbid and decaying, ♪ ♪ it rose to its feet, and opened its mouth, ♪ ♪ and soon it began to speak ♪ [ cello playing rumbles ] ♪ "What makes you think you deserve any peace, ♪ ♪ or that nature should be gentle?

♪ ♪ Do not impose your human laws or prey upon my mantle."

♪ ♪ The women knelt by the sheepling dead, and they ♪ ♪ cried for all their losses ♪ ♪ And the shadow came, and the shadow went, ♪ ♪ as often as the autumn.

♪ ♪ And the shadow came, and the shadow went, ♪ ♪ as often as the autumn ♪ [Banjo playing ] [ ensemble playing ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ One more time!

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ ensemble playing ends ] Yeah!

Great!

[ applause ] (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) [ outro music ]