By Gabrielle Penner
I knew I was in uncharted territory when I was told to meet Molly McAnany on campus underneath Storke Tower, in a hidden concrete courtyard, geometrically lined with string lights. The red “On-Air” sign was bright above the patio door leading to the UC Santa Barbara radio station and McAnany greeted me with a warm smile. Walking into a cramped studio adorned with a soundboard, microphones, a guitar and a myriad of lights, switches, and buttons, I felt completely out of my element.
But McAnany was right at home.
UC Santa Barbara English and Political Science major Molly McAnany visiting the Cliff of Moher and Galloway during her semester abroad in 2019.
“For those of you just tuning in, thanks for listening. This is ‘Shamrocked’ with Molly on 91.9 KCSB FM,” she said with ease as she queued a Pogues song and faded it in.
McAnany is a fourth-year student majoring in both English and Political Science and pursuing a Minor in Professional Writing. She also sings, writes songs, and plays the piano, guitar, and even the harmonica. McAnany is fearless in sharing her vast knowledge of both traditional and modern perspectives on Irish music, as well as political issues, authors, and other realms. She has pursued with uninterrupted passion a connection to her roots — living, breathing, and emulating Irish culture.
Her love for Irish and Celtic music began long before moving to Santa Barbara in 2017. McAnany’s grandmother was born and raised in County Galway, Ireland, but both her mother and father are Irish American. She visited Ireland when she was younger but her discovery of Irish music occurred at home.
Growing up in Santa Clarita, her dad, a musician, played lots of his favorite music, including Irish punk rock, along with classic Irish music. These influences trickled down. The many car rides with her dad listening to Irish music were the beginning of McAnany’s desire to not be so “mainstream,” the beginnings of her alternative tastes. It meant more to her than the pop music everyone else was listening to. It was a movement, a political statement.
She began to educate herself on additional music from her culture and she put in the time to discover her preferences. Campus radio station KCSB gave McAnany the platform to cultivate this niche and enlighten others through the broadcast medium. During a typical weekly show, she plays music in the style of sean-nós. “It’s almost like acapella, but the way they sing is in rhythmed verses with a refrain,” she explained. “In the beginning of Irish and Gaelic culture, the way they passed down history was through stories and singing.”
Current KCSB 91.9 radio show host Molly McAnany in the UC Santa Barbara studio where she airs her program ‘Shamrocked.’
McAnany’s passion goes beyond the studio at UCSB. For her honors English thesis she is examining generational ties to Irish culture in modernist literature and literary and feminist movements.
“In writing and in music, what I learned is that there is a passing on of not only hopeful traits, but also depressive states,” she said. McAnany has discovered a sadness in rural Irish culture that comes from being looked down upon by neighboring countries. “It is something they blame their parents for,” she said. Moving through that sadness and finding hope for the future comes through sharing their communal hymns and the music, music which she chooses for her listeners.
Entranced by the entirety of the Irish experience, McAnany often reads a poem by an Irish author at the top of her show, analyzing its meaning and personal connection to her for her audience. “I guess that is what has inspired my thesis. I’ve read so many Irish books and authors - Yates, James Joyce, Eavan Boland - through the English department and specifically in English 104B: British Literature from 1900s to Present,” she said.
The student broadcaster embodies her ancestry and has applied for an Irish passport after visiting her homeland once again during a semester abroad in London during fall of 2019. As she awaits approval for dual citizenship, she brings Ireland to us. Just as the Irish used songs and storytelling to share their history, McAnany uses music and literature to educate others about Ireland and showcase its rich traditions today and strengthen its roots to nurture future generations.
Gabrielle Penner is a fourth-year student at UCSB pursuing a double-major in Dance and Communication. She wrote this article for her Writing Program class Journalism for Web and Social Media.