Archives of music arise from the practice of collecting music, which can be commercial or private, institutional or independent. They mark moments in time where music, media, and memory merge. Exploring how different music archives can inform our contemporary performance practice, this workshop focuses on vernacular music collected in the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland. It considers manuscripts of music and Irish song lyrics transcribed in tandem by George Petrie and Eugene O'Curry in 1857 – the oldest extant source of music from Ireland's islands – as well as early sound recordings of island singers and poets.