S6E9: Charles R. Hale - Untangling the Shadows at McSorley’s Old Ale House
Is this one of our author episodes or should it fall into our Irish Drinks category because your co-hosts have grabbed a table by the pot-bellied stove at New York’s legendary McSorley's Old Ale House for a conversation with author, cultural creator, and impresario Charles R. Hale.
Charles is known for curating lively artistic salons, producing eclectic concerts, and presenting original performance pieces that blend music, imagery, video, and storytelling.
We focus on his deeply personal new book Untangling the Shadows: Searching for the Voices of my New York Irish Ancestors. Part memoir, part family history, and something of a detective story, the book traces his search in New York and Ireland for the clues to “untangling the shadows” of his family’s stories.
Over light and dark ale, we delve into his Irish roots, family history, his unlikely path to a creative life, and the diverse art forms he explores.
Why McSorley’s? Charles wrote parts of his book at the same table we’re sitting at, the place is dripping with Irish American history, and McSorley’s has been the muse of artists ranging from famed chronicler of New York Joseph Mitchell to Ashcan school painter John Sloan. Everyone from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon has passed through McSorley’s swinging doors since it opened in 1854. It remains a welcoming refuge where one good ale inevitably leads to another…if you follow their one golden rule:
Be Good or Begone.
We were—Sláinte!
Charles Hale Links:
Websites:
Social Media:
- Facebook group: NYC: Its Culture, History, Music, Theatre, Film, Art & People - hosted by Charles R. Hale
Book Purchase Link:
McSorley's Old Ale House
00:00 - Introduction
04:24 - Joseph Mitchell on McSorley's Wonderful Saloon
07:16 - Charles Hale on Recasting his Personal Myth
10:50 - A Castleblaney Butcher Shop Past
17:42 - Why Trace One's Roots?
24:00 - A Beloved Grandfather's Harsh Start
27:36 - Digging Deep for Family Stories
30:04 - A Firefighter Grandfather
36:30 - A Second Act in Music and Storytelling
41:10 - An Ebbets Field Story
45:24 - Unteasing a Father's Moods
49:23 - Impressions of McSorley's
51:57 - A Poetic Who Am I
54:03 - Seamus Plug
55:51 - John and Martin Recap
57:30 - Credits
Charles R. Hale
Author - Cultural and Musical historian
From the time I was a young boy growing up in New York, I was fascinated by the connection between music, imagery and history. Pure and simple…that’s my focus.
“Breathing of an ancestor’s space and time,” is a phrase I often use when describing my passion. Accordingly, my objective is to create historical “New York experiences,” not only for New Yorkers, but for all its visitors as well.
What was it like growing up in nineteenth and twentieth century New York? What was it like for our parents and grandparents who grew up and experienced the city through two wars? What was it like for our ancestors, who arrived at the docks of New York, hungry, exhausted and dressed in rags?
I am a cultural and musical historian by education, but I focus on blending, imagery and performance art to create uniquely New York experiences. My historically-themed shows, including “Crossing Boroughs,” which was recently performed at the Museum of the City of New York, “The Musical History of the Lower East Side,” and “New York City: A Shining Mosaic” incorporate story, music, imagery and dance.
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