In September of 2024 Melanie Beth Curran launched a Kickstarter campaign to create an album of forgotten Irish American songs. Curran seeks to make an album fit for all immigrants. The songs speak to common struggles of all colonized and displaced people today. Amidst a rise in anti-migrant rhetoric in both America and Ireland, Curran’s project provides a bastion of clarity, connecting the broader Irish American immigrant experience to the shared struggles of today’s refugees.
In 2024, Curran unearthed a bevy of Irish American field recordings from The Library of Congress and other archives. These songs packed a punch. They illuminated how Irish Americans coped with loss, longing, and the process of finding home in a new world. Though rife with historic and cultural significance, the songs were gathering digital dust. She sought to change this. In August, she performed the songs at Jalopy Theatre and School of Folk Music in Brooklyn. She wrote and published a zine documenting the lyrics and stories behind the songs.
Here are a selection of the source materials Curran is working with and is inspired by:
Kathleen Mouverneen, Yankee Brown, Don't Judge a Man by The Clothes That He Wears - Beaver Island, Michigan (Library of Congress)
Interviews of Kevin Shannon - Butte, Montana (Library of Congress)
Bonny Irish Boy, Hills of Glenswilly, I am Thinking Ever Thinking - Ireland
Jerry Go and Oil that Car - Canton, New York (Minnesota Folk Song Collection)
Goodbye Mike, Goodbye Pat (Leaving Tipperary); Barney McShane - America, Tin Pan Alley
Songs from The New Song Book for Butte Mining Camp
Songs from present day New York City Irish, such as Chris Byrne's "Love in The Room”
Irish Americans on Beaver Island, Michigan during Alan Lomax’ field recording trip there in 1938.
“I am a devotee of Saint Brigid, who, in her beauty and grace, taught all people how to love and take care of the landless, of the people who have less, of the ones who come behind and need a hand up. She taught us to be great people of hospitality. I bring these songs into the 21st century so that others may find compassion in their hearts. The Irish American consciousness can be one of love and support across lines of race, creed, and politics. I am working for Saint Brigid and I will not stop singing until all people and all lands are free.” - Melanie Beth Curran
Curran’s Kickstarter campaign supports the realization of an album and a subsequent tour. Curran aims to connect through live performances in Irish American enclaves, in Ireland, and in spaces where the displaced are currently housed. Inspiration for this project comes from the late folklorist and musician Mick Moloney. His work bringing life to historic Irish American music is a blueprint for Curran’s efforts.
“Unearthed Songs of Irish America” is available to support on Kickstarter at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glenswilly/unearthed-songs-from-irish-america. The Kickstarter is live from September 5 - 27, with an all-or-nothing fundraising goal of $17,500. Rewards for backers include private concerts, vinyl albums, digital downloads, t-shirts, stickers, hats and more. The anticipated release date for the album is Saint Brigid’s Feast Day, Feb 1, 2025