Every now and then you learn something about someone that surprises you and makes you smile. This is one of those interviews and one of those moments. This piece marks the launch of our Untold Stories Series and we could not be happier than to start with Patricia Clark and the release of her new Album Restored.

Who are you and what do you do? Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Patricia Clark, based in County Offaly. I have a full-time job in the Equine industry, which I combine with teaching Irish Traditional music and gigging part time. I was a full-time musician until 2018, when I decided to step back a little and took a move into the Equine industry – equestrianism has been my other passion since I was a child.

You’ve an interesting job in the Equine Industry Tricia, tell us a little bit about it?

I’m the Head Office Administrator for Eventing Ireland, which is a very busy, but very enjoyable job! Every day is different, and it can be exceptionally challenging. But I genuinely love my job – I really enjoy the variety, and my colleagues are fantastic people. Our members are fabulous, and to be able to play a role in a sport that I love is brilliant!

But that is not all that you do? So what happened recently that triggered Shane reaching out to you and organising this interview?

I recently released a new album of Irish Traditional Music, Restored. I think my music friends are used to my involvement in the Equine industry, but a lot of my friends in the Equine industry don’t know about my double life as a musician!

Tell us about Restored and how it came about? The design cover is simply beautiful!!

Restored has a triple meaning for me – the first is related to the cover design. In 2019 my house was broken into, and my fiddle was stolen. The fiddle was a 21^st birthday gift to me from my parents, and has toured the world with me. It’s a really unique instrument, it’s a couple of hundred years old but we don’t know who made it, or anything else about it. The fiddle was found a few weeks later, smashed to pieces. A friend of mine, who is an amazing musician and luthier (violin maker) managed to restore it, including making an entirely new piece for a missing part. The photos throughout the CD sleeve are his photos from the restoration. 

In addition to that, Restored signifies a bit of a reconnection with music for me. Covid was a really difficult time – the most important and enjoyable part of music for me is the connection with fellow musicians, and sharing my music with people. Which of course, wasn’t possible during Covid. So I felt that I lost a little bit of my passion for music during Covid. The album was a chance to restore that grá for music! And thirdly, a lot of the tunes on the album are tunes that haven’t been recorded before – many of them are from some of the oldest collections of Irish music, so it was about restoring them to the canon of tunes played in trad today!

Biggest challenges putting Restored together?

I suppose that time was the biggest challenge in making the album – working full time in a very busy job, owning a horse/dog, teaching music five nights a week and trying to make time for my other half doesn’t make for a lot of free time! Scheduling studio time was tough, but luckily the studio engineer was fantastic and worked a few late evenings to help me out. The other musicians who guest on the album were really generous with their time and talents as well. It took 18 months to complete, but it’s out there now!

What are you most proud of now after seeing it all come together?

The reception that the album has had already is really humbling and has made me proud of the whole project. It’s very easy to get caught up in self-criticism, and only hearing the bits that aren’t perfect. But now I’m learning to be proud of all of it, even the imperfections, because it’s full of heart and soul. It’s representative of a live performance, and I’ve yet to meet a musician who could honestly say that they have ever delivered a perfect performance!

When did you first fall in love with music and what is your earliest memory?

I’ve always played music, I remember my very first piano book when I was very young. But I didn’t pick up traditional music, or the fiddle, until I was around 14 years old. It was only when I got into trad that I really fell in love with music – instantly it just ‘fitted’. I found classical music too regimental, and pop didn’t really appeal to me. Then I heard my Dad, who isn’t at all musical, playing a trad album and I started to play along with parts of it. That was it!

What has been your proudest as a musician? And what is your claim to fame 😉

It’s hard to pin down my proudest moment, but every time someone tells me that my music means something to them, it’s special. A very well respected older traditional musician, whom I’ve looked up to for a long time, once told me that my playing was ‘sheer magic’, and it’ll be hard to top that! As to a claim to fame, I’ve done plenty of radio and TV work, but I once got a text message from a friend who worked in a Dublin music shop, to say that Brendan Gleeson had been into the shop and bought my previous album. That was unexpected!

Tell us your top 3 places you visited due to your music career and why those places?

I think my favourite places to tour are Japan and Germany. Japan, because it’s so different to anywhere else I’ve been. The people are so friendly, and the reception you get is amazing. Germany is just a brilliant place to tour as a trad musician, they have an incredible love for Irish trad there. And America is always fun as well, just because it’s such a country of contradictions!

Is there one standout moment or memory that you will never forget?

I’m very lucky in that I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences with music. Probably the one that I wish I could relive is a gig in Germany in around 2015. It was a relatively small venue, and I was gigging with a friend of mine. We decided not to rehearse, just to pick the tunes and let the music happen organically. And it was amazing, the experience was other-worldly. We had played together a few times before, but on this occasion the musical connection was incredible. It was one of the most special experiences. And of course no-one has a recording of it, that I know of!

Does music link in with horses and if so, in your mind how does it?

I could write a book on this! There are SO many links between music and horses. On the simplest level – the terminology that we use in dressage comes from music: tempo, cadence, rhythm, connection. On a psychological level, there are so many parallels between musical performance and Equestrian competition. On a philosophical level, I feel that, particularly trad and equestrianism are linked. In trad, my ethos is that the musician is a facilitator for the tune. I don’t believe in ‘showmanship’ as a musician – I think the best musicians are the ones who make you love the tune, not their playing. Similarly, as a rider, I’m there to do the best for my horse, in competition I want to present him to the best of my ability – he’s not there to make me look good. The best riders are the ones who look like they’re doing nothing, and you’re struck by the amazing horse they’re on. In reality we all know that the riders are riding every single stride, and that most of us couldn’t ride one side of the horse they’re on!

What can equestrians learn from music that they can apply?

Again, this could be a few chapters in a book. But if I had to pick one lesson, it would be to embrace imperfection. In music, I tell my students that they won’t improve without making mistakes, and indeed that mistakes will sometimes be the greatest discoveries they ever make in their music. With horses, I think we spend so much time judging ourselves and our horses, that we forget that mistakes are a crucial part of learning. For us, as riders, and for the horse. Don’t punish yourself (or your horse) for a mistake, just learn from it and appreciate that you then know more than you did before! 

If you could link music and the equine industry together and cost was no issue, what would you do?

Money no object, I would love to compose totally bespoke music for a trad Grand Prix dressage freestyle, and record it with a full band! If any Grand Prix dressage riders have a studio-worthy budget and want a totally unique freestyle, hit me up!

Where can people buy Restored or Order it?

Restored is available to buy on patriciaclark.bandcamp.com – digital download or, for the old school amongst us, CD!

Where can people follow you or your music online Tricia?

You can follow me on Instagram @patriciaclarkmusic (horse and dog content included) or via Bandcamp. I’m still scared of TikTok!