Irish musician Eimear Arkins travels all over the world but calls two places home: St. Louis, Missouri, and County Clare, Ireland.
“One of the huge factors that has kept me in St. Louis has been the music community here,” she told St. Louis on the Air.
Arkins’ new album “Here & There” celebrates her connections to both places — and how they’ve influenced her musical style. In County Clare, she often sang traditional songs in the “sean nós” style, Irish for “in the old way.” Outside Ireland, she’s found her own musical way.
“Since coming to St. Louis and the U.S., I have traveled a lot and performed with a lot of different people in a lot of different settings,” she said. ”My own musical repertoire has really expanded.”
Many of the musicians Arkins performs with in St. Louis are featured on the album, including Eileen Gannon, Kevin Buckley, Dan Lowery and Jackie O'Riley.
Most of the songs on “Here & There” originate from County Clare, including a tune called “St. Louis Waltz” that was first performed at a session in Doolin, Ireland, in the 1980s.
“I just thought, ‘What are the chances that there's one piece of music out here that's called the 'St. Louis Waltz' — recorded in County, Clare?’” Arkins said. “What sets it apart on the album is that I combine [the arrangement] with two players from the St. Louis String Collective. So it's not just what we will call hardcore traditional music; there's beautiful classical and other genres present.”
The album includes several of Arkins’ original compositions, including “She’s At It Again,” which Arkins wrote in honor of Helen Gannon, a St. Louis Irish Arts leader for decades.
Eimear Arkins joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss “Here & There,” how to practice the Irish tradition of lilting and the significance of singing in the Irish language. Listen to the conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: “Here & There” album release party and live performance
When: 2 p.m. Jan. 28
Where: The Focal Point
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
