A Cello Performance From Internet Sensation Patrick Dexter

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, look, you have very kindly recorded music for us that we are going to finish the program with. But I want to know from you what it is, why you chose this piece of music and then you can introduce it and we will play out.

PATRICK DEXTER, CELLIST: So, I chose this piece of music especially for you today, because it is a piece of music that is very close to my heart. It is a song called “On Ragland Road” which is an Irish traditional folk song. It was written, the poem, the words of the song was written by Patrick Kavanagh. Now, Patrick Kavanagh maybe perhaps you have heard recently because U.S. president, Joe Biden, he is a big, big fan of Patrick Kavanagh and oftenknown to quote his poetry in his speeches. So — but Patrick Kavanagh had written this poem. And then years later, he met in a pub in Dublin, as is often the case. 50 years ago now, he met a singer from the great Irish folk group, The Dubliners, and they wrote this song, “On Ragland Road,” and it tells a story of unrequited love or rather, you know, reaching out for something that perhaps you know you might never attain but reaching out for it anyway. I think beyond love, it speaks to so many things in our life, you know, that idea of reaching out to get something, even if you think it might never happen, but making that effort anyway. And it’s something that is very personal to me, because on Ragland is the name of a road in Dublin where I grew up and, you know, where a lot of my family — or I live in the West Coast of Ireland and as do my parents, but my family is now spread all over the country and I have friends in Dublin City. I know Ireland is small island where we would often see each other regularly. At the moment, of course, because of lockdown, we can’t. So, you know, this story of “On Ragland Road” is very personal.

AMANPOUR: Well, that’s wonderful. We’re going to say good night. Thank you for watching and we bid everybody a very happy weekend from London and we are going to play you out with this wonderful piece of music.

♪♪ ♪♪