Review: Danny Burns Highlights the Native American and Irish Connection with New Single "Many Moons Ago" featuring Sarah Jarosz

Many artists are releasing new music as the pandemic keeps them off the road. One is Irish roots artist Danny Burns, who has recorded a new single and video entitled “Many Moons Ago”, featuring harmony vocals from Americana powerhouse Sarah Jarosz.

The song, told from the perspective of a single father during the Great Famine, highlights a little known footnote in history that is being celebrated as the First Nations and Irish Year of Solidarity. Historically, not many connections have been made between the North American First Nations, but there is more history than is commonly known. United as brethren by their shared persecution by the European Anglo-Protestant imperialist movement.

In 1847, just after the Trail of Tears, when many native tribes had almost nothing, several tribes of Choctaw and Cherokee donated almost $500 to Ireland during the worst of the potato famine, both as a gesture of goodwill and as a protest against their forced relocation. In 2020, Irish people were able to return the favor, via a GoFundMe set up to help the Navajo and Hopi families affected by COVID-19. In the first days of the pandemic, over $500,000 was donated, much of it from Ireland. To date, the total is over $5 million.

Through Burns' evocative lyrics and vocals, weaved seamlessly with the plaintive backgrounds from Jarosz, those difficult days are relived, though Burns balances pain and hopefulness in a way that never dips into despair, not in small part because of the kindness of strangers an ocean away.

You can see the video for “Many Moons Ago” below and learn more about Danny Burns at his website. Sarah Jarosz also has a new album, World on the Ground, which topped our mid-year list of favorite roots music releases.