Due West
Celebrating the cultural links between Ireland and America, profiling Irish Artists traversing the Western US
It's often said that Ireland is a nation of storytellers.
We tell our stories through a multiplicity of ways: through poetry, literature, film, visual arts, music. More specifically, the art-form through which we tell our stories with perhaps the most potency, is through song.
A nation of migrants, of explorers, we bring our songs and our stories to other shores.
Irish heritage
Our storytellers are no strangers to sunnier, palm-tree-lined shores: Ireland’s relationship with California continues to go from strength to strength. This is underpinned by the over 2 million Californians who claim Irish heritage.
Due West is a unique celebration of this very journeying to Californian shores, capturing the songs and the stories of contemporary Irish artists traversing the Western US.
Irish culture strategy
An essential element of the Irish government's culture strategy is focused on the promotion of Irish arts worldwide. It also highlights the importance of global cultural connections.
Historically, Irish traditional music has influenced American folk music. Symbiotically, American music continues to influence contemporary Irish music.
Due West is a celebration of the unique relationship between Ireland and the United States. It illuminates the role of culture in our transatlantic exchange and the intertwinement of our music cultures.
Throughout the music mini-documentary series, Irish artists speak to the ways their craft has been influenced by American artists, as we behold them interacting with the cultural fabric of the very place of influence.