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The Thistle & Shamrock: Cymru

Courtesy of the artist

Fiona Ritchie takes us on a journey through the distinctive landscapes of traditional Welsh music with Cymru, Crasdant, Plethyn, Siân James and more.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Fiona Ritchie strolls along the main street of a small village in rural Scotland and steps through the plain doorway of an 18th century stone building. Passers-by would find it difficult to imagine what this simple gesture initiates: a weekly connection with devoted public radio listeners throughout the United States. In over two decades of broadcasts, Ritchie's radio program The Thistle & Shamrock has become one of NPR's most widely heard and best-loved music programs. She has entered the lives of millions of Americans by way of an inconspicuous studio door, thousands of miles away in Scotland.