Irish singer/songwriter Joe Kearns is blessed with both the gift of song and the gift of gab, and generously shares both with us. In our charming convo from his house near Dublin,  he offers witty insights about the culture and pleasures of his beloved Ireland.

You’ll find out how to choose the best pubs, why Dublin’s Trinity College — home of the medieval illustrated Book of Kells — has a barrel ceiling. We talk of Kilkenny,  a remote monastery in the Skellig Islands,  the Ring of Kerry, and the Irish beauty of castles, lakes, mountains, and even a coral beach.

Joe tells us about the coolest music spot in Dingle, and we talk of  the Celtic language and chat about colorful towns, a picnic atop the Cliffs of Moher, drinking honey Meade at a medieval banquet, and the pleasures of County Galway, the Wild Atlantic Way, and more. 

Coddle and Barmbrack are probably not what you think (they’re foods), and I add a memory about Baileys on corn flakes. 

Joe tells romantic stories set under Irish rainbows and sideways rain, and ends our special convo with a charming story about his granddad and Johnny Cash.

And then, best of all — he takes out his guitar and sings a beloved Irish ballad, even using his whistle!

About Joe Kearns

His musical influences include Luke Kelly & The Dubliners, Finbar Furey, and Bob Dylan. His music, both original and cover songs, has taken him all over the world. 

While traveling, Joseph met his wife Olivia, originally from New York, and the two have been playing music together ever since on both land and sea. Together, they have enjoyed sailing past the Norwegian Fjords, the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Khalifa, the Northern Lights of Alaska, the Canals of Venice, the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the Christmas Markets in Vienna and The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest, to name a few. 

Now back in Ireland, Joseph and Olivia are enjoying their first year as homeowners as they have just purchased the ‘historical landmark turned residential home’ the Old Cabra Schoolhouse in Kingscourt, Cavan, established in 1886.