ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the ways in which Joe Heaney, as a culture broker in a university setting, remembered, repackaged, and dramatically altered some of the rendering of historical events surrounding the Irish Famine of 1945-50. He did this repackaging largely through the composition of a new song, but also through lengthy verbal introductions, to suit what he regarded as the changing aesthetic standards of both the Irish and Americans from the late nineteenth century to the present. One of the key elements of being a visiting artist is having access to relevant musical and cultural information. A native speaker of Irish-Gaelic, Joe Heaney had access to songs and stories in their original language, and his fierce pride in this enormous repertoire was evident. The Famine, referred to by some Irish speakers as An Gorta Mor, occurred between 1845 and 1850, and smaller famines occurred several other times before and after as well.
