(lively upbeat Irish music plays) - [Narrator] On this episode of "Trad Fest: The Fingal Sessions", we're thrilled to be joined by Moya Brennan, with her son Paul, and her daughter Aisling, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Ralph McTell, and Bridin.

(jubilant music ends in flourish) - Woo-hoo!

(chuckles) You're very welcome to "Trad Fest: the Fingal Sessions".

We have so many legendary musical figures on tonight's show, including a man so beloved here in Ireland that he must have honorary citizenship at this stage.

Ralph McTell, you're very welcome to "Trad Fest" - Thank you very much.

- It's great to see you.

- Glad to be here.

- You have a song, now, that is pretty much considered to be, you know, an anthem here in Ireland.

Like, almost as big as the Irish National anthem.

- Oh my goodness, I didn't know that.

- And you were 22 when you wrote this song.

- Yeah, I was younger than that because I was in Paris in 1965, and I wanted to write a song about the people that were sleeping out over the hot air gratings.

You know?

I'd seen all over Paris.

- [Announcer] "Trad Fest: Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(uplifting instrumental Irish music) (uplifting music continues) "Trad Fest: Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

- And then there's already a piece of music called "The Poor People of Paris", so when I started working, I just changed it around to London.

So you would like me to play it with you?

If you follow it, you wanna sing long, that would be nice, actually.

- Okay.

Lovely.

- Especially the chorus.

So this is it.

(guitar playing "Streets of London" softly) ♪ Have you seen the old man ♪ In the closed down market ♪ Kicking up the papers ♪ With his worn out shoes ♪ In his eyes you see no pride ♪ Hand held loosely at his side ♪ ♪ Yesterday's paper ♪ Telling yesterday's news ♪ So how can you tell me you're lonely ♪ ♪ And you say for you that the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ Well let me take you by the hand ♪ ♪ And lead you through the streets of London ♪ ♪ And I'll show you something to make you change your mind ♪ ♪ Have you seen the old girl ♪ Who walks the streets of London ♪ ♪ Dirt in her hair ♪ And her clothes in rags ♪ She's no time for talking ♪ She just keeps right on walking ♪ ♪ Carrying her home ♪ In two carrier bags ♪ So how can you tell me you're lonely ♪ ♪ And say for you that the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ Let me take you by the hand ♪ And lead you through the streets of London ♪ ♪ I'll show you something to make you change your mind ♪ (guitar strumming) ♪ And in the all night cafe ♪ At a quarter past eleven ♪ That same old man ♪ Sitting there on his own ♪ Looking at the world ♪ Over the rim of his tea cup ♪ And each tea lasts an hour ♪ And he wanders home alone ♪ So how can you tell me you're lonely ♪ ♪You say for you that the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ Let me take you by the hand ♪ And lead you through the streets of London ♪ ♪ I'll show you something to make you change your mind ♪ ♪ Have you seen the old man ♪ Outside the seaman's mission ♪ Memory fading with ♪ The medal ribbons that he wears ♪ ♪ And in our winter city ♪ The rain cries a little pity ♪ For one more forgotten hero ♪ And a world that doesn't care ♪ ♪ So how can you tell me you're lonely ♪ ♪ And you say for you the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ Let me take you by the hand ♪ And lead you through the streets of London ♪ ♪ I'll show you something to make you change your mind ♪ - Wow.

- Woo!

- Thank you very much.

(musicians applaud) Thank you.

- What a pleasure to be sitting beside you as you're singing that.

That's a great song.

- Thank you very much.

So great to sing it.

- Bridin, you have a heartbreaking song inspired by your grandfather.

- He lost his wife, my granny, Bridey, when she was just 50, and I've always grown up with this sadness for him, you know, because he'd always have a tear in his eye thinking about her, and, you know, they were just pure dotes and played music together and it was just so lovely, and to lose her at such a young age was just devastating.

I was then born on her birthday.

That's why they call me Bridin.

- Nice.

- She's Bridey Donnahern.

- Yeah.

- But this is all about how, you know, his house, and nothing has changed one single bit.

- [Fiachna] Yes.

- Since she died, you know?

The wallpaper hanging off the wall, that's the wallpaper Bridey you wanted, do you know?

- Yeah.

- And everything is where it was exactly, and when I was putting the album together, this song just would not leave my head, and I was like, "If I just write it, I can put it away and focus on the album."

(laughs) - Okay.

Wow.

- And then I finished it and I was like, "Oh, I love it," so, - It's gotta be on the album.

- Gotta be on the album!

Yes.

- What is it called again?

Sorry, Bridin.

- "Will We Meet Again" - [Fiachna] "Will We Meet Again" - So I'd be quite spiritual as well, so I believe that there is a spiritual world.

So there's that in it, too.

- Cool.

(harp plucking soft music) ♪ Will we meet again in the clouds and the stars ♪ ♪ Or is that just a thought we think 'til we die ♪ ♪ We don't have much time when you think of it too ♪ ♪ But I loved the time that I spent with you ♪ ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ Oh I wish you could stay ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ But I know you're okay ♪ Now I'm in your room and I feel lost in time ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't move a thing you put your hands on ♪ ♪ And I know you would laugh if you saw me too ♪ ♪ Protecting these objects like a statue of you ♪ ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ Oh I wish you could stay ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ But I know you're okay ♪ Now that you're gone I feel so lost inside ♪ ♪ Guess we hadn't accounted for this change in our lives ♪ ♪ Will I ever feel like me without you ♪ ♪ Please help me along like I would help you ♪ ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ Oh I wish you could stay ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ But I know you're okay ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh aah ooh ♪ Oh ♪ Will we meet again in the clouds and the stars ♪ ♪ Or is that just a thought we think 'til we die ♪ ♪ We don't have much time when you think of it too ♪ ♪ But I loved the time that I spent with you ♪ (harp plucking delightfully) (harp plucking continues) (harp plucking continues) (musicians applaud) - Gorgeous.

- It's such an accomplishment.

It's fantastic.

And your voice and everything, really loved that.

That was great.

- Thank you so much.

That's such a huge compliment coming from you.

(all laugh) I'm like, shaking.

- Oh, it was great.

I really enjoyed that.

- Moya and Mairead, - Yeah.

- Absolutely delightful to have the two (speaking in foreign language) Gweedore join our mast.

The two queens of Gweedore here!

What an honor.

What are the chances that, you know, from one tiny pocket of Ireland that, you know, you've created two groups who've enjoyed this incredible worldwide success with, obviously, with Clannad and with Alton.

It's an amazing thing.

- I followed her steps.

(all chuckle) - You know, was there something in the water?

What was it about the place for you?

- I think it's still there.

(all chuckle) - [Fiachna] It's still there?

- [Moya] Yeah.

- It's the issue for her.

- [Moya] There's a lot of musicians going up there.

- Well, you've kind of made sure it's still there, Moya.

You know, you've always had a huge interest in passing on to the next generation.

- Yeah.

I have an open stage up there in my father's pub that I like to sort of just, you know, Mairead does it in the trad, and I kind of do it more in the folk world, or, you know, it's one thing to rehearse and practice all you want.

You have to get on stage to really feel that.

But, you know.

- Especially something like music that, it's not a heavy thing to carry, and you can bring a lot of joy to people.

- Oh, it gets rid of heaviness.

(all chuckle) You know?

Moya, you have a song that is kind of written in memorium as well, haven't you?

- Yeah.

And I suppose, you know, when you go to do albums and everything, you don't go on thinking that you're gonna write a song about somebody that has passed away, but, you know, I was making this album with Aisling and Paul, and Padraig, member of Clannad.

He's an uncle, only three years older than me.

But we grew up basically in the same area, the (speaking in foreign language) in Gweedore.

And, when I was making this album, Paul had a lovely kind of moments and things made out on keys, and it just sort of, I started to think about not what we did together, but just the memories of growing up when we were young.

- [Fiachna] Yeah.

- You know, making our own fishing rods and going up the mountain to fish in the little streams, and, running up, there's a mountain right behind us, and running up the mountains, and just listening to the radio, to the new songs, you know?

Trying to tune into Radio Caroline or Radio Luxembourg, and just all the lovely memories.

His twin brother, Noel, left, just passed away there in October, and it really is the same for me because I did the same thing with the two of them.

They were really a coupla.

They were really twins, and they just did everything together, so it's called "Nuair A Bhi Og", which is "When We Were Young".

(harp playing soft, wistful melody) (harp continues playing) (harp continues playing) (rhythmic guitar strumming) (music continues) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (harp and guitar plucking softly) (music continues) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) - [Fiachna] (speaking in foreign language) (all applauding) Woo!

You put a you put a longing on me to go and visit your neck of the woods again.

The last time I was there was with you, and I haven't gone since.

I have to go back.

- Have you got a visa?

Have you got a visa?

(chuckles) - No, I'm working on it.

- You have to get the visa to go over Gweebarra Bridge.

- Well, can you help me with that?

- Well, talk to me properly now.

- I'll talk to you.

(all laugh) Let me play a tune with me.

- I'd love to play tune with you.

You've asked me to play tune.

So tell me, what are we gonna play together?

(all laugh) - I think you're introducing me?

- But you're introducing the tunes.

- Oh yeah.

Well, (speaking in foreign language) "Beidh Aonach Amarach".

- [Fiachna] "Beidh Aonach Amarac - Right.

- [Fiachna] "Beidh Aonach Amarac Now, this is a different version, because this is a song that I know from my childhood.

- So this is "Beidh Aonach Amarach", which means there's a fair tomorrow in the county clar, and everybody in the country knows this song from school, but I got this version from a neighbor of mine called Brian Danimani, Brian Odoman, and he's a gorgeous singer.

And it has a few different verses, but the story is wild.

It's about this mother trying to kind of tell her daughter, "Well, you're not allowed to go to the fair because you fancy the cobbler."

And she saying, "Well, you know I do."

You know?

But so, the mother says, "I know you're too young, but," (speaking in foreign language) "You're only 10 or 11."

(speaking in foreign language) "So when you're 13, you're old enough."

(laughs) - I know.

Yeah, yeah.

- So where was that going?

- Where was that going?

Indeed.

(laughs) - So let's sing it.

- Okay.

(laughing) - You follow me.

- I will, I will.

(fiddle playing upbeat music) (fiddle continues playing) - (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (fiddle playing upbeat music) (fiddle continues playing) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (fiddle playing rapid upbeat music) (harps and guitars playing along) (music continues) (music continues) (music continues) (music continues) (music continues) Woo!

(laughs) (all applaud) - [Fiachna] (speaking in foreign language) for watching "Trad Fest.

The Fingal Sessions", coming to you from the Great Hall in Malahide with Moya Brennan, and her son Paul and her daughter Aisling, and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, and Ralph McTell, and Bridin.

We'll see you soon.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Announcer] "Trad Fest: The Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(jubilant upbeat instrumental music plays) (jubilant music continues) "Trad Fest: The Fingal Sessions" was funded by Fingal County Council.

(upbeat instrumental music) (soft swooshing) (inclining melody plays)