If you play Irish music in Rochester, you've heard of Ted McGraw. Ted McGraw started the first traditional Irish music session in Rochester in 1974, and he owns a collection of about 10,000 albums of traditional Irish Music. He fell in love with Irish music he heard on the radio back in the 1950s, and purchased some of the first albums of his collection at a record store in Brighton. Now, he’s the official archivist in North America for Comhaltas, an international organization that promotes traditional Irish music and culture. Oftentimes, musicians from Ireland contact him about getting a copy of a specific recording in his vast collection. “Nobody else is doing it,” says Ted McGraw. “Someone’s got to share this stuff and keep this music alive.”
Ted McGraw shares his love for traditional Irish music every Sunday on his radio program Irish Party House on WRUR 88.5. His son John has co-hosted since 2000.
To learn more about Ted McGraw, visit his website at www.tedmcgraw.com, or listen to the podcast here.
- by Alyssa Rodriguez