[upbeat folk music] [upbeat folk music continues] [upbeat folk music continues] - [Narrator] Finding the "Ireland in Music: Caithnin."

Welcome to our granular exploration of Irish music, culture and landscape.

In the next half an hour, we'll be traversing Ireland with some of our finest musicians, filmed in some of our most beautiful places.

In Temple Bar, Offaly, Donegal, Meath, and Fingal.

As we celebrate the musical mastery and beauty of our proud island of Ireland.

First, to the Bank of Ireland on College Green in Temple Bar where the Irish Parliament once sat and is now a working bank branch.

It's where we find Ailbhe Reddy playing from her amazing album, "Endless Affair."

- This next song is called "Shoulder Blades."

[soft guitar music] ♪ Sit by the window ♪ ♪ Readin' a book you don't like ♪ ♪ Finish your coffee slowly ♪ ♪ Then go in the kitchen ♪ ♪ Call the police out ♪ ♪ Kids from the street ♪ ♪ You saw them breaking into a car ♪ ♪ You've got deliberation in your eyes ♪ ♪ When you turn down the blinds ♪ ♪ And I love to watch you ♪ ♪ How the light hits your face ♪ ♪ And in the morning on your ♪ ♪ Shoulder blades ♪ ♪ In the bed when you turn away ♪ ♪ I love to watch you ♪ ♪ I love to watch you ♪ ♪ The overgrown grass out ♪ ♪ The house we're livin' in ♪ ♪ Talk of childhood ♪ ♪ In a sense we're strugglin' ♪ ♪ Glass and hot tarmac ♪ ♪ Watch the lines of the sun ♪ ♪ Shrink back behind the wall ♪ ♪ How sweet it is to be so close ♪ ♪ That I can hear you breathin' ♪ ♪ I can't hear anythin' else at all ♪ ♪ And I love to watch you ♪ ♪ How the light hits your face ♪ ♪ And in the morning on your ♪ ♪ Shoulder blades ♪ ♪ In the bed when you turn away ♪ ♪ I love to watch you ♪ ♪ I love to watch you ♪ ♪ I, I ♪ ♪ Where are you now ♪ ♪ Back livin' in your parent's house ♪ ♪ Where are you now ♪ ♪ Back livin' in your parent's house ♪ ♪ Where are you now ♪ ♪ Where are you now ♪ ♪ Where are you now ♪ - [Narrator] Birr Castle dominates the town it's named after in County Offaly, and is famous for many things, including this telescope, which for over 70 years from the 1840s, was the largest in the world.

Today, it hosts Wallis Bird in unique collaboration with Caoi De Barra.

- This next song that I'm gonna play is, it's in support of migrants and in defiance of racism.

It's called "As the River Flows."

There was a picture in 2000 and wait...

It was seven years ago the other day of Alan Kurdi, the picture of the toddler on the beach that many of us will never forget.

And I remember people losing empathy over that little child.

So, this song is to say, "We're all people.

Let's take care of each other.

We never know when we are in a situation where we need help."

So, that's what this song is about.

"As The River Flows."

[light guitar music] ♪ And as a river flows well you ♪ ♪ And I are made of water ♪ ♪ Surging into history, universal mystery ♪ ♪ All in all we cannot chose ♪ ♪ The life that we were given ♪ ♪ So we move across the land to sky to sea ♪ ♪ Looking for more than we were offered ♪ ♪ Are we not allowed ♪ ♪ Are you still where your mother pushed you out ♪ ♪ I doubt that this is true ♪ ♪ If you can move then I will too ♪ ♪ To, to, to the land, to the sea ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To the land, to the mouth of the sea ♪ ♪ To the land, to the sea ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery, overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ [soft rock music] ♪ What are you scared of ♪ ♪ Aren't you brave enough ♪ ♪ To pave a basic decency for human kind ♪ ♪ A baby lost it's family, lost it's life ♪ ♪ Don't turn your face away ♪ ♪ Don't tell me borders are for jobs and civic order ♪ ♪ When I know you see it differently ♪ ♪ You want your palate white ♪ ♪ You want it cleaned ♪ ♪ Walk a mile, walk 2,000 miles ♪ ♪ Walk 3,000 miles, you ♪ ♪ To the land, to the sea ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To the land, to the mouth of the sea ♪ ♪ To the land, to the sea ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To the land, to the land ♪ ♪ To the land, to the sea ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery, overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery, overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery, overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Overcoming mystery ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ [soft rock music] ♪ I am opt to take, but the stream will be safer ♪ ♪ Don't you see ♪ [soft rock music] ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety, to safety ♪ ♪ To safety, to safety, to safety, to safety ♪ [waves crashing] - [Narrator] Malin Head in Donegal was once famous only as the most northerly point on the island of Ireland.

That was before it was used as a location for "Star Wars Part Eight: The Last Jedi."

Rosie Carney makes the place her own as she records here for us.

[waves crashing] [seabirds cawing] [light guitar music] ♪ I dreamed that I was the night ♪ ♪ Dark and cold and creeping all over ♪ ♪ Everything in sight ♪ ♪ And I woke at the break of dawn ♪ ♪ With tears in my eyes ♪ ♪ I guess that's why they call it the morning ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm losing your love ♪ ♪ Oh God please tell me ♪ ♪ I'm someone you're still dreaming of ♪ ♪ 'Cause it all feels so real ♪ ♪ So now I spend each day while it all fades away ♪ ♪ Put my heart on the page ♪ ♪ But you took it away ♪ ♪ Won't you take me away ♪ ♪ And if I were you ♪ ♪ I would say something, say something ♪ ♪ You usually do, but you're quiet ♪ ♪ And it is so loud ♪ ♪ Won't you do something, do something ♪ ♪ Before I walk out ♪ ♪ If I leave I'm never coming back ♪ ♪ I've given you everything I have ♪ ♪ And if there's nothing to be said ♪ ♪ Then take your body from this bed ♪ ♪ And when the mornings coming through ♪ ♪ But the night still talks to you ♪ ♪ Just think of what my love could do ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ It was actually the first song I'd written from the EP.

It's called, "I Dreamed I Was The Night."

And I knew the title of the song before I'd actually written the song.

'Cause I knew that I wanted to call the song and the EP "I Dreamed I Was The Night" 'cause I was inspired by this series of illustrations from this Mexican artist.

And yeah, it's kind of, I feel like it's the most like musically theater-esque kind of song I've ever written.

Like it's very loud compared to the rest of my music.

I feel like I'm kind of, I'm really kind of shouting a lot in that song.

It feels, 'cause I'm letting a lot out.

It's a very emotional song, but I feel a lot more vulnerable singing it this way because you can like kind of clearly hear what I'm singing about and I really get in my feelings when I'm singing it this way.

Yeah, I think I prefer this version to the version on the EP 'cause it's just so stripped back and it's really raw and I kind of, I feel like it captures the emotion that I was trying to portray in the EP, so.

[waves crashing] - [Narrator] When it was built in 1791, the Spire of Lloyd was a few days travel from the sea.

What must the locals have made of this stranded lighthouse near Kells in County Meath?

One of Ireland's hidden gems and Whenyoung's base for "Ireland in Music."

[light music] ♪ The streets are pebble-dashed mirrors ♪ ♪ Know them like the back of my hand ♪ ♪ Back then when they made a great sound ♪ ♪ The noises of joy and then ♪ ♪ The shrieks and sobs of children at war ♪ ♪ The freedom never gave up ♪ ♪ And if you had the face of a street angel ♪ ♪ You could have your first cigarette ♪ ♪ And drink and kiss in peace ♪ ♪ And all of these things ♪ ♪ That I was so hasty to do ♪ ♪ I'd rather have skipped it and not have to ♪ ♪ Tend to the stain, tend to the bite to my mind ♪ ♪ Time after time ♪ ♪ Bandaged back up and prepared for a fight ♪ ♪ I don't wanna spoil it ♪ ♪ And be resentful, but I have had to make a few changes ♪ ♪ Day to day to day ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ [light music] [light music continues] ♪ When I was younger on Saturday night ♪ ♪ We'd go to town ♪ ♪ We'd go to my grandmother's house ♪ ♪ In front of a blazing hot fire ♪ ♪ She'd cut into pieces the Magnum we'd brought ♪ ♪ Giving me some, my sister some ♪ ♪ All that you need is a piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ I know that I've been frozen ♪ ♪ But I've had some time to thaw out ♪ ♪ And not everything's worthy of my woes ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ Better put your best self forward ♪ ♪ Look at all of the days ahead ♪ ♪ And I better start here right now ♪ ♪ Days of grace are coming ♪ ♪ What did I do to deserve this ♪ ♪ Time to prove, time to move away from old narratives ♪ ♪ What did I do to deserve this ♪ ♪ Time to prove, time to move away from old narratives ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ ♪ And there's no question, I've learnt my lesson ♪ ♪ All that you need is a little piece of Heaven ♪ - [Narrator] We're in Fingal at the Ladies Stairs above Barnageera Beach.

Legends had it, these woods are haunted by the ghost of Lady Langford, who passed away in 1853.

Boxing Banjo don't seem bothered by legend.

It would take a lot to stop these lads as they round off this episode with their infectious take on traditional Irish music.

[upbeat folk music] ♪ In Banbridge town, in the County Down ♪ ♪ One morning last July ♪ ♪ Down a boithrin green came a sweet cailin ♪ ♪ And she smiled as she passed me by ♪ ♪ She looked so sweet on her two bare feet ♪ ♪ To the sheen of her nut-brown hair ♪ ♪ Such a coaxing elf, so I shook myself ♪ ♪ For to see that was really there ♪ ♪ From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay ♪ ♪ From Galway to Dublin town ♪ ♪ No maid I've seen like the fair cailin ♪ ♪ That I met in the County Down ♪ ♪ As she onward sped sure I shook my head ♪ ♪ And I looked with a feeling queer ♪ ♪ And I said I, to a passerby ♪ ♪ Who's the girl with the nut-brown hair ♪ ♪ He smiled at me, and he says to me ♪ ♪ She's the jewel of Ireland's crown ♪ ♪ She is Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann ♪ ♪ And the star of the County Down ♪ ♪ From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay ♪ ♪ From Galway to Dublin town ♪ ♪ No maid I've seen like the fair cailin ♪ ♪ That I met in the County Down ♪ [upbeat folk music continues] [upbeat folk music continues] ♪ At the harvest fair she'll be surely there ♪ ♪ So I'll dress in my Sunday clothes ♪ ♪ With my shoes shined bright and my hat cocked high ♪ ♪ Will I get a smile from Rose ♪ ♪ No pipe I smoke, no horse I yoke ♪ ♪ Till my plow turns rusty brown ♪ ♪ And by my side, the lovely bride ♪ ♪ And the star of the County Down ♪ ♪ From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay ♪ ♪ From Galway to Dublin town ♪ ♪ No maid I've seen like the fair cailin ♪ ♪ That I met in the County Down ♪ ♪ From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay ♪ ♪ From Galway to Dublin town ♪ ♪ No maid I've seen like the fair cailin ♪ ♪ That I met in the County Down ♪ [upbeat folk music continues] [shoes tapping] [upbeat folk music continues] [shoes tapping] [upbeat folk music continues] [shoes tapping] [upbeat folk music continues] [shoes tapping] - Hey, come on!

Woo!

[light folk music] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] [light folk music continues] - [Narrator] Until next time, [speaking foreign language].