Rick Dollar: “Hillbilly Irish” Hits #1 on The Rick Dollar Show — and Why It Matters
By Rick Dollar, The Rick Dollar Show (iHeart Radio Syndication) for Country Music News International Magazine
When I first dropped the needle on Marty Falle’s Hillbilly Irish, I knew something was about to shift. I’ve been spinning roots and bluegrass for years — everything from Ralph Stanley’s mountain moans to Billy Strings’ fire runs — but when that title track came through the monitors, it wasn’t just another song. It was a story. A living, breathing connection between Kentucky red clay and the green hills of Ireland.
And now, just a few weeks later, I’m proud to say Hillbilly Irish has gone all the way to #1 on The Rick Dollar Show, broadcast nationwide across the iHeart Radio Network.
A Sound That Bridges Two Homelands
The duet — Marty Falle with the remarkable Carly Greer — feels like it was carved straight out of the limestone cliffs of Appalachia. The melody rolls like a river from County Clare to Eastern Kentucky, where a “Clare-born farmer” and a “Kildare girl” find love among fiddles, tobacco, and the crooked rivers of the Bluegrass hills.
That lyric — “To Eastern Kentucky from the Irish Sea” — says it all. It’s a migration story wrapped in a waltz, blending Irish balladry with the heartbeat of American bluegrass. Jim Hoke’s pennywhistle flutters like wind through an open barn door, while Jonathan Yudkin’s fiddle dances behind it like a spirit older than both countries.
There’s energy in this song that you don’t just hear — you feel. It’s a spiritual cousin to Whiskey in the Jar, but with a Kentucky twang, a front porch grin, and a fiddle tuned for revival.
The Artist and the Ascent
Marty Falle is no stranger to the top of the charts, but Hillbilly Irish feels different — more like a culmination than a climb. Falle has been crafting a lineage of original bluegrass records — Wanted in Kentucky, Born Again Bluegrass, Bluegrass Holy Land, Appalachia Rust — each one deepening his storytelling roots and tightening his musical circle.
This one, though, carries a different weight. It’s part love song, part heritage anthem. Falle and Greer’s chemistry gives the song wings — and every time it plays, you can practically see the smoke rise from an Appalachian kitchen window while a fiddle wails in the next room.
The numbers tell part of the story:
- #1 on APD Global Top 50 Albums (All Genres)
- #2 on Global Top Albums (All Genres, September 2025)
- 12 songs in the Top 40 on Roots Global Bluegrass
- Two in the Top 10 — “Love Raised The Roof” and “Hobo”
And now, #1 on The Rick Dollar Show (iHeart Radio).
That’s not a fluke — that’s a movement.
The Spirit Behind the Strings
As I told Marty during our live interview at Randy’s Old-Time Pickin’ Parlor in Savannah, Georgia, this record doesn’t sound “produced.” It sounds lived in. Every note feels like it came from calloused hands that worked the land before they ever picked up a guitar.
This is what bluegrass needs right now — authenticity. A reminder that the genre’s power doesn’t lie in perfection, but in heart. Falle brings that heart to every measure. He sings about faith, about home, about struggle and redemption. And he sings it like he means it.
Sandy Shortridge from Radio Bristol said it best:
“Hillbilly Irish makes me want to pat my foot, dance a jig, reflect, and even shed a tear.”
That’s exactly what I felt — and what I think America is feeling, too.
Why “Hillbilly Irish” Belongs in the Canon
Every now and then, a song lands that feels like it’s been here forever. Hillbilly Irish is one of those. It takes the listener on a journey — not just from Ireland to Kentucky, but from yesterday to today. It celebrates the people who built both places with grit, laughter, and prayer.
It’s a love song, yes — but it’s also a history lesson, a hymn, and a celebration of what happens when cultures meet and music takes root.
So when I announced the new #1 on The Rick Dollar Show this week, I did it with pride. Because this isn’t just a hit — it’s a heartbeat.
Final Thought:
If you haven’t heard Marty Falle’s Hillbilly Irish yet, don’t just stream it. Sit down, turn it up, and let the story wash over you. You’ll hear Kentucky in the strings, Ireland in the air, and the soul of bluegrass in every word.
That’s what #1 sounds like.
— Rick Dollar
Host, The Rick Dollar Show (iHeart Radio Syndication)