Ryan McCombe’s My Side of the Ocean
Like an auld commercial, when Leah Rankin talks, I listen. She suggested I have a look at balladeer and multi-Instrumentalist Ryan McCombe, with his May 30th release of My Side of the Ocean. Oh My.
The 6-track release had me thinking about the glory days of the dance halls – back we go, to the vacations growing up, where Irish music was king, and the showbands taught us how to waltz with flair. The tunes may be timeless, but McCombe’s versions gather no dust; they are fresh and vibrant, and just as effective in getting us off the chair, and onto the dance floor.
“My Side of the Ocean is a collection of songs and tunes that each tie to a specific person or people in my life,” Ryan said. “For example, the opening track, Getting Dark Again, is a nod to my father who had an album with that song in his car for years and years, and is the reason we had music in our house growing up.”Â
Drawing on his background as a champion Irish step dancer, Ryan infuses his music with lift and danceable tempos while bringing together some of NYC’s most familiar faces in the Irish music scene, to recreate the experience of a late night out at the pub.
“In this living tradition,” Ryan continued, “tune selection and playing style change over the years – but NYC Session: 2025 will always be a picture of what it sounded like to find yourself in a NYC bar with live trad music in 2025.”
My Side of the Ocean Track list: Total Run Time: 22:30
- Getting Dark Again – Clear, beautiful vocals that soar, music that demands you keep beat and be uplifted, and of course, all ballads have a story to tap into. Featuring Tom Fitzgerald & Isa Simon (fiddles), Dan Vaughn (whistles), Kieran McCarthy Fell (flute), Colin Forhan & Nicholas FitzGerald (backing vocals).
[Watch the music video for Getting Dark Again, featuring a St. Patrick’s Day-themed Irish dance video challenge that received submissions from Irish dancers across the US, Canada, Mexico.]Â
My Side of the Ocean Track list: Total Run Time: 22:30
- 1. Getting Dark Again – Clear, beautiful vocals that soar, music that demands you keep beat and be uplifted, and of course, all ballads have a story to tap into. Featuring Tom Fitzgerald & Isa Simon (fiddles), Dan Vaughn (whistles), Kieran McCarthy Fell (flute), Colin Forhan & Nicholas FitzGerald (backing vocals).
[Watch the music video forGetting Dark Again, featuring a St. Patrick’s Day-themed Irish dance video challenge that received submissions from Irish dancers across the US, Canada, Mexico.]
- 2. The Ferryman – Most of our readers know this song; Ryan captures the hope despite the ache of aging.
- Featuring Tom Fitzgerald (fiddle), Kieran McCarthy Fell (flute).
3. Larks & Ladies – A tribute to feis musician Patty Moriarty Morrissey. If possible, the energy picked up, there is no reason not to fall in love.
Featuring Tom Fitzgerald & Isa Simon (fiddles), Dan Vaughn (whistles & flute).
4. I Courted a Wee Girl – A sweet, poignant song that compliments the driving rhythms of the other tunes on My Side of the Ocean. Tell me what you think it means to you?
Featuring Dan Vaughn (whistles)
5. When New York Was Irish – The story, the beat, is joyful, despite perhaps a little sadness by nostalgia that we Irish are ingrained with, for growing old in a new world:
“I look at the photos, now brittle with time;
 Of the people I cherished, when the city was mine;
Oh how I love, all those radiant smiles;
 How I long for the days, when we danced in the aisles.
They were ever so happy, they were ever so sad,
To grow old in a new world, through good times and bad.
All the parties and weddings, the Ceilis and Wakes,
When New York was Irish, full of joy and heartbreaks.
Featuring Isa Simon (fiddle), Kieran McCarthy Fell (flute)
6. NYC Session: 2025 – Many of the tunes on NYC Session: 2025 are nods to specific players in the NYC trad scene: Girsa in I Courted a Wee Girl and Shilelagh Law in When New York Was Irish, McCombe pays tribute to two of the local bands that provided inspiration to his musical upbringing. Dancing to dawn, till the bartender threw us out.
Featuring Isa Simon (fiddle), Kieran McCarthy Fell (flute), Colin Forhan (guitar), Nicholas FitzGerald (accordion).
Leah was right, I do love Ryan’s new release and look forward to catching him on the road. I do wish New York was closer, but McCombe delivers the songs and the stories on My Side of the Ocean, right to our ear, no matter where we travel, or where we call home.
Highly Recommended: a Top Shelf Selection. My Side of the Ocean is live on all platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon., etc.). Check out Ryan’s site and tell him you saw this review in iIrish: https://www.ryanmccombemusic.com/
