MIN:SEC “THE IN THE IRISH MUSIC SCENE” PODCAST

INTERVIEW WITH DONIE RYAN

PRODUCER: LEHMAN COLLEGE MEDIA RELATIONS

OFFICE

DURATION: 10 MINUTES 4 SECONDS

00:00 [MUSIC]

NEEM DEWJI:

This is Neem Dewji, a student at Lehman

College.

The banjo traveled from Africa to America in

the late eighteenth century with enslaved

Africans. In 1855, Irish Americans brought

the banjo back to their native land, where

its popularity quickly rose.

Banjo player Donie Ryan is originally from

Tipperary, Ireland. He picked up his first

banjo at the age of 10 and learned how to

play the instrument by ear. Ryan moved to

the United States after playing banjo in

Germany and has played in the New York

session scene for over eight years.

The CUNY Institute for Irish American 2

Studies invited Ryan to Lehman to perform

and talk about the banjo in traditional

Irish-American music.

00:55 [MUSIC PERMANFORMANCE BY DONIE RYAN]

DONIE RYAN:

Just like everyone in Ireland, kind of, it's

just passed down from family. It was passed

down to me from my father. And probably my

uncle who-- who played banjo. I probably

took it at around ten. I actually started

on the .

Because, you know, they were cheaper,

smaller, easier for a kid to play. My uncle

was the only one I knew in-- within 100

miles of me anyway. And it kind of-- the

banjo definitely got more popular over the

last-- 15, 20 years.

It was really starting to get popular in

kind of the '70s. So-- but there's no one I

could take lessons off of for the banjo.

So, I just took lessons with other

instruments. Just to learn the tunes. And

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast 3

did that for a couple of years. And then

just picked up tunes off my father, really.

Just in pubs, and that year, and that kind

of stuff. I guess when I started playing it

after my father brought me the first

instrument, he was kind of like, "Well,

you'd better learn it now, son." After he

spent some money on it. (LAUGHTER)

02:02 It was a great way for me to make ex-- to

make money as a kid, kind of. We used to do

gigs, maybe two or three gigs a week. Just

in local pubs kind of a thing. Sessions.

Without equipment or anything. Just, you

know, three or four people playing. And

they still do that at home.

And then when I come to the States to visit

my sister, she was playing in a band out

here. So, I ended up getting into it that

way. Kind of gigging with them for a bit.

And then, I just started going to gigs. I

came out in '98. So I was around-- I was 23

at the time. I lived in Germany for awhile

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast 4

and played music out there. And a little

bit toured around Europe, a little bit.

The Irish scene is huge in Europe. It's

actually bigger probably in Europe right

now. Back then, it wasn't, but it's-- it's

huge. You have a lot of-- bands coming from

Germany and France playing in Ireland. A

lot of people that do it, as a living, you

know. I'd say 95 percent of them. Most of

the tunes that-- would, say, Germans and

French would learn would have-- if-- if

they're Irish tunes, they're gonna have an

Irish influence from some part of Ireland.

And for me, locally, I suppose, living

around North Tip, Paddy O'Brien was a big

influence on the music. We used to play,

box player. Pretty famous, box player.

03:07 [MUSIC PERMANFORMANCE BY DONIE RYAN]

04:02 Regional style is-- is not as strong as it

used to be. 'Cause, you know, with CDs and

internet, and everything, people can freely

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast 5

access any region of music.

So, in one respect, I suppose it's-- it's

kind of-- hasn't been good for music in one

way. But, in another way, it means that

musicians now-a-days are open to play, you

know, any type of music with different

styles. But, you have a lot of Irish-

American players out here that can play all

different styles. The only way to really

learn a regional music is to actually live

there, and-- and play there for-- for a good

number of years, you know.

And-- but that's har-- even harder to do

now-a-days. Because a lot of the older

players are dying off. So, a lot of the

regional stars will go with a lot of them.

But, I'm sure, you know, if you want to

learn an East Galway style, you really have

to find players in East Galway. And kind of

either play with them, or live there, kind

of a thing. You can notice a New York style

as well. Like, some of the older

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast 6

players in the city here. When they

immigrated out here, passed it down to a

whole generation of Irish-Americans.

05:08 You know, a lot of the players in the city

were taught correctly. The banjo is heavily

influenced not so much by regional styles

but by actual banjo players, I find anyway,

so. My younger brother plays banjo, and he

plays completely different then me. And

we're from the same area. But his influence

is very O'Connor kind of-- who's a very

modern, contemporary player.

So, like all the young banjo players play

like that now. American are actually

the best. American-- and then in Europe, I

suppose German banjos. I think the first

banjo that came into Ireland was with the

Traveling Minstrels in the 1800's-- 1845.

And that actually came from two Irish-

American guys that lived in America that

traveled with this band. You know, in

Ireland, it's-- it's a little bit different.

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast 7

It's a bit easier in Ireland if you do play

music. But, I mean, I couldn't see any--

musicians don't really follow a trend kind

of a thing.

05:59 [MUSIC PERMANFORMANCE BY DONIE RYAN]

09:46 NEEM DEWJI:

Visit us at www.lehman.edu. This is a

production of the Lehman College Media

Relations Office.

[MUSIC]

10:04 * * *END OF AUDIO* * *

* * *END OF TRANSCRIPT* * *

“The Banjo in the Irish Music Scene” Podcast