Ward Irish Music Archives Blog
Read articles about Irish and Irish-American music, recent donations and contributions to the Archives, and follow us as we travel the globe. Established in 1992, the Ward Irish Music Archives houses the largest public collection of Irish music in America. The archive currently consists of more than 40,000 Irish recordings and pieces of music memorabilia. Search or filter subjects at right.
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Charlie Lennon describes the inspiration and process behind his "Island Wedding" concert suite during the 1996 Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School Tea n' Talk series.
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Traditional
- Milwaukee
- Musician Stories
- Summer School
A frequent collaborator of Paddy Killoran in the 1930s and John O'Neill in the 1950s, Paul Ryan was a multi-instrumentalist, known for playing fiddle, viola, clarinet, and accordion.
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Joe Burke and Anne Conroy Burke at the 2004 Milwaukee Irish Fest
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Traditional
- Milwaukee
Recorded on August 16, 2000 at Milwaukee Irish Fest, dancers Tarik Winston and Trinity Irish Dancers with the Eileen Ivers Band.
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Blog Topic- Dance
- Festival
- Irish Traditional
- Milwaukee
The Maxwell Girls were featured in a number of 16mm Soundie films in the 1940s, including "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder" included in the Songs of the irish Collection released by Castle Films. But why is it so hard to find out more about them?
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Nearly identical 78rpm label designs points to a possible connection between a New Jersey based recording and Bill Stapleton's Irish Recording Company.
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Blog Topic- 78rpm
- Fiddle
- Irish Traditional
Recorded on August 20, 2000 at the first Milwaukee Irish Fest, the opening set of reels from the Scattering.
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Traditional
- Milwaukee
An interesting 78rpm disc from the David Giovannoni Collection started WIMA's efforts to learn more about the Ceoltoiri na Gael Ceildhe Band.
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Listen to a playlist of 78rpm recordings from our collections as we work from home during the 2020 stay at home period.
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A test pressing from Bill Stapleton's Irish Recording Company of West Clare's John Kelly
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Blog Topic- 78rpm
- Fiddle
- Irish Traditional
Guest writer Mick Moloney talks about the Flanagan Brothers, among the most brilliant and colorful Irish performers in America in the 20th century.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
- Track of the Month
Blog Topic- 78rpm
- History
- Irish Traditional
A Leitrim-born uilleann piper, Patrick Fitzpatrick recorded this set of jigs back in 1917.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
- Track of the Month
Blog Topic- Edison Diamond Disc
- Irish Traditional
One of Paddy Killoran's band members and collaborators, Jack Healy had one foot in the jazz world and the other in the 1930s New York Irish music scene.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
- Track of the Month
Listen to a sample of the 78 rpm recordings from the Maureen O'Looney Collection, one of Chicago’s most renowned and beloved Irish figures.
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Blog Topic- 78rpm
- Chicago
- Folk & Ballad
- Irish Traditional
- Singers
- Tenors
Born in Nebraska in 1888, Tom Ennis recorded "Maid That Left The County/Drowsy Maggie/Around The World For Sport" in 1917 for the Victor label.
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Blog Topic- 78rpm
- Chicago
- Irish Traditional
A family of talented brothers served as the inspiration for the song "MacNamara's Band" and recorded through the 1920s.
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One of the first guitarists in Irish music, Michael Whitey Andrews is primarily known for his recording work with Michael Coleman and Paddy Killoran in the 1930s.
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Check out newly acquired Irish music recordings, videos, sheet music, and more for the past month at the Ward Irish Music Archives.
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Huston's long career included directing 44 films and acting in 37
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The career of John Ford lasted 51 years and he directed 136 films.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
Gracie Allen was one of the great comediennes of the twentieth century.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
Born John Florence Sullivan, Fred Allen is best known today for his radio shows of the 1930s-40s.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
Besides "Old Dan Tucker" and "Dixie," other famous songs credited to Emmet are "Turkey in the Straw," "The Blue Tail Fly," and "De Boatman's Dance."
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
The original traditional Irish folk band, as far as anyone who came of age in the 1970s or 1980s is concerned, is The Chieftains.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
Berigan's uninhibited jazz style inspired and dominated every group with which he played.
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Featured Columns- Irish American Hall of History
Accordion player William Quinn recorded several 78rpm Discs in the 1930s.
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Accordion player Patrick Lynch recorded several 78rpm and Edison Diamond Discs in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Blog Topic- Edison Diamond Disc
- Irish Traditional
Recorded on August 22 and 23, 1981 at the first Milwaukee Irish Fest, these tracks featuring Irish singer, guitarist, and composer Mícheál Ó Domhnaill are from the Traditional Irish Music Workshops presented at the festival.
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Traditional
- Milwaukee
Myles O'Malley became known as the Tin Whistle King in the 1930s and led his own successful band during the period.
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A 78rpm recording of Thomas MacDonagh's Court-Martial Speech read by actor Paul Farrell.
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Welcome to the new Ward Irish Music Archives website! Learn a bit about WIMA's plans for our online home.
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Author- Barry Stapleton
- Jeff Ksiazek