BRIAN IS A RESEARCHER WITH THE MCKIERNAN LIBRARY IN ST. PAUL.

HE'S MOST INTERESTED IN DISCOVERING A SPECIFIC TYPE OF MUSIC, WORK SONGS SUNG BY IRISH IMMIGRANTS IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY.

ALL RIGHT.

FIRST OF ALL, IT IS SO GREAT TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU HERE.

AND I AM REALLY CURIOUS, HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN THIS PARTICULAR MUSIC, BRIAN?

>> YEAH, SO I GREW UP IN BEMIDJI, IN LUMBERJACK COUNTRY, I GUESS.

WE HAD THE BIG CONCRETE STATUE OF PAUL BUNYAN AND ALL THAT.

AND THEN I GOT INTERESTED IN IRISH MUSIC AS A TEENAGER AND REALLY HONESTLY OBSESSED WITH IRISH MUSIC.

AND THEN KIND OF I FOUND A WAY TO GET TOGETHER -- BECAUSE I'M A PROUD MINNESOTAN.

>> YEAH, WE ALL ARE.

>> BROUGHT IT BACK TOGETHER.

KIND OF WITH MY HOME HISTORY, I GUESS, THROUGH DISCOVERING THAT THERE WERE SONGS SUNG UP NORTH ND THAT THERE'S A LONG HISTORY OF IRISH IN MINNESOTA.

>> WHEN AND WHERE WOULD THESE SONGS HAVE BEEN SUNG INITIALLY?

>> SONGS SUNG IN LUMBER CAMPS.

AND THEN UP AROUND BEMIDJI EVEN.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS PEOPLE SANING SONGS ON THE FARM'S IN THE FARM HOUSE TO PASS TIME.

YOU CAN IMAGINE, SHOCKING AS IT MAY SEEM, PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE PHONES IN HEIR POCKETS.

THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SCROLLING IN THE 1800S AND THEY HAD TO MAKE THEIR OWN ENTERTAINMENT.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN REALLY HAVE A WAY TO HEAR A SONG ON A RADIO OR A RECORD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO IF YOU WANTED TO HEAR IT, YOU HAD TO SING IT YOURSELF.

>> Jearlyn: AND OF COURSE, DANNY, THAT WAS THEN.

YOU STILL LOVE THE MUSIC.

TELL ME WHY.

>> WELL, FOR ME IT'S IN MY BLOOD I GUESS.

MY FAMILY, FOR MULTIPLE JEN RACES BACK IN IRELAND PLAYED THIS MUSIC.

IT'S SOMETHING IN YOU.

YOU EMBODY THIS KIND OF TRADITION FROM YOUR PLACE, ESPECIALLY LIVING HERE.

YOU KNOW, YOU CAN REPRESENT YOURSELF THROUGH IT AND SHARE IT WITH PEOPLE, SHARE WHO YOU ARE THROUGH IT.

I FIND IT REALLY POWERFUL AND COMPELLING.

I CAN'T NOT DO THAT.

>> Jearlyn: EXACTLY, YOU CAN'T NOT DO IT BECAUSE IT'S IN YOUR SOUL.

THAT'S BOTTOM LINE.

AND IRISH MUSIC LIVES IN THE SOUL OF MANY OF US.

LOOK, I HAVE A SON THAT LISTENED TO NOTHING BUT IRISH MUSIC FOR LIKE HIS IRST 13 YEARS OF HIS LIFE.

SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S GOING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MUSIC, RIGHT?

SO THEN WHERE DO WE GO TODAY?

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE IRISH IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE?

, ESPECIALLY YOU, BRIAN.

>> YEAH, I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH AND IT ALL CAME THROUGH LOVE OF THE MUSIC, REALLY, AND AGAIN, LOOKING FOR THIS CONNECTION BETWEEN WHERE I GREW UP AND THE MUSIC.

BUT I'VE LEARNED THAT MINNESOTA HAS A LONG HISTORY OF IRISH.

I'VE LEARNED THAT ST. PAUL IS VERY PROUD OF THE IRERNESS THAT WE HAVE HERE.

IRISHNESS THAT WE HAVE.

AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE -- BY BRINGING THESE SONGS INTO THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, I THINK WE KIND OF MAKE THEM OUR OWN AND THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT.

>> SO WHAT SONG ARE YOU ABOUT TO SING?

>> IT'S CALLED "LOVELY MINNESOTA-Y."

>> ♪ COME ALL YOU JOLLY IMMIGRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN INCLINED TO ROAM ♪ ♪ INTO THE WESTERN COUNTRY TO FIND YOURSELF A HOME ♪ ♪ JUST TAKE A PIONEER'S ♪ ♪ IT'S LOVELY MINNESOTA-Y ♪ ♪ THAT LILY ON THE WEST ♪ ♪ TO SEE THIS PLEASANT COUNTRY ♪ ♪ WOULD FILL YOU WITH SURPRISE ♪ ♪ TODAY THE SPREADING PRAIRIE ♪ ♪ AND FIELDS OF GRAIN LIKEWISE ♪ ♪ YOU CALL INTO A CABIN ♪ ♪ WHERE YOU'RE ALWAYS A WELCOME GUEST ♪ ♪ IN LOVELY MINNESOTA-Y ♪ ♪ THAT LILY IN THE WEST ♪ ♪ TO SEE THE JOLLY FARMER ♪ ♪ TOILING AT HIS PLOW ♪ ♪ LIKE THE PRETTY MILK MAIDS MILKING AT THEIR COWS ♪ ♪ ALSO THE LOYAL HOME MAKERS ♪ ♪ THE DARLINGS OF MINNESOTA-Y ♪ ♪ THE LILY OF THE WEST ♪ ♪.

♪♪ ♪ WELL, OUR FIELDS THEY YIELD SPONTANEOUSLY, POTATOES, CORN AND GRAIN ♪ ♪ THE CLIMB'S ALSO HEALTHY ♪ ♪ BIRTHING SHOWERS OF RAIN ♪ ♪ THERE ARE PLENTY OF FISH IN EVERY STREAM AND GAME IN THE FOREST ♪ ♪ AND LOVELY MINNESOTA-Y, THE LILY OF THE WEST ♪ ♪ WE HAVE A THRIVING COMMERCE OUT ON OUR INLAND SEAS ♪ ♪ WHERE LOFTY SHIPS AND STEAM BOATS ♪ ♪ DO SAIL CONTINUOUSLY ♪ ♪ WE'VE GOT MERITS HERE BOTH STOUT AND BRAVE AND CAPTAINS OF THE BEST ♪ ♪ ON THE SHORES OF MINNESOTA-Y, THAT LILY OF THE WEST ♪ ♪ AND PLEASANT SOUNDS AND IMAGES DO DECORATE THE SOIL ♪ ♪ THE ARC ARCHITECTS AND MECHANICS ♪ ♪ SO DO TELL ♪ ♪ WE'VE GOT CHURCHES HERE OF EVERY SC TELEVISION ♪ ♪ THE LOVELY MINNESOTA-Y, THAT LILY OF THE WEST ♪ ♪.

WELL, MICHIGAN IS NOT THE PLACE, NOR ILLINOIS THE SAME ♪ ♪ THEIR SOIL AND CLIMATE CAN'T COMPARE, RAISING OF THE GRAIN ♪ ♪ IT'S A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY ♪ ♪ AND TEMPERATURES OF THE PAST ♪ ♪ THEY CALL IT MINNESOTA-Y ♪ ♪, THE LILY OF THE WEST ♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪