*Editor's Note: Welcome to season two of Mike Farragher's "TAYSHT" series, his column and podcast exploring Irish America's culture and food. You can read the previous installment here.
Tara O’Grady is a renaissance woman. A singer-songwriter, recording artist, and author, she is set to embark on her most ambitious year yet.
She is just weeks away from releasing "The Gods of Clown Alley," her second memoir. She is gearing up for a book tour in between dates on her gig calendar, which is rapidly filling up. She has an upcoming travel tour to Ireland that coincides with County Kerry’s May the 4th Be With You festival in May.
We first came across Ms. O’Grady when she turned the Irish community on its ear with 2010’s "Black Irish" album, an ambitious disc that reimagined songs like “Danny Boy” and “I'll Tell Me Ma” as sultry, fizzy jazz cocktails. She has effortlessly blended jazz, blues, and folk music over five albums.
In "The Gods of Clown Alley," O’Grady is a woman seeking to understand the divinity that lies within the human heart. “Why do we have to forget who we are? Why can’t we remember we are all gods and goddesses on a divine mission of love in this journey toward enlightenment?” These are two of the many metaphysical questions O’Grady explores in her book.
Throughout this work, O’Grady recollects her past; explores her close bond with her Irish immigrant mother, Mary, a “private home caregiver” for older people; and begins to realize that “it sometimes takes a soul a lifetime to know itself, and to know, love and forgive other souls on our shared journey.”
In this latest edition of the TAYSHT podcast, Tara O’Grady talks about the new memoir, her upcoming travel tours, and her memories of true farm-to-table culinary experiences visiting the family farm as a child.
For more information on her upcoming book and all things Tara, check out her website TaraOGradyMusic.com
Check out the latest TAYSHT podcast, featuring Tara O'Grady, here and over on Spotify:
Mike Farragher is a playwright, filmmaker, novelist, and podcaster. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @brainonshamrox, or visit his website MikeFarragher.com.
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