Local musicians to feature on RTÉ’s ‘Songs of Ireland’ with Shortt and Hanrahan

WEXFORD will be the latest stop on Pat Shortt and Mike Hanrahan’s musical tour of Ireland as part of RTÉ’s Songs of Ireland.

The four part series sees the comedian, entertainer and actor and the Stockton’s Wing frontman take a musical road-trip around the island of Ireland, combining the richness of Irish music, unique Irish culture, and the camaraderie of shared stories.

In each county, Pat and Mike join with new and established local musicians to put their own twist on prolific Irish songs.

On Saturday’s show, fresh from the release of his debut EP Life In Its Purest Form, Wexford’s own Luke Jackson, aka Jaxson, will sit down with Pat and Mike at Wexford Arts Centre to put their unique stamp on ‘The Old Woman from Wexford’, a song performed by The Clancy Brothers.

“Basically, the director just emailed me, told me a little bit about the concept of the show, who the presenters were and asked me if I’d like to represent Wexford,” Luke says.

“I was delighted. The song chosen was ‘The Old Woman From Wexford’. It’s a very funny song and basically they asked me to have a go at modernising it and making it more contemporary.”

As well as working with Jaxson, the hosts chat with local trad music legend Paddy Berry about the origins of the song and Wexford’s contributions to traditional Irish music and culture, with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2024 in Wexford town just around the corner.

The latest episode of Songs of Ireland will air on RTÉ One this Saturday, May 4, at 8.25 p.m.