When she was a young exchange student from Scotland in the early 1980s, Fiona Ritchie volunteered at WFAE-FM during her time away from her duties as a teaching assistant in the Psychology Department at UNC Charlotte. At the time, the University held the license for the station.
One day, Ritchie came to the station managers with an idea for a new show featuring traditional Celtic and folk music from her native Scotland, Ireland and the rest of the British Isles. Flash forward more than 30 years, and one can still find her National Public Radio weekly show “The Thistle & Shamrock” on nearly 400 stations around the world.
It’s been a remarkably successful run for the broadcast, and it traces its roots back to UNC Charlotte.
Recently, Ritchie was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2014 Birthday Honours “for services to broadcasting and traditional Scottish music.” In September, UNC Press will publish Ritchie’s book, “Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia.”
The book is co-authored by former UNC Charlotte vice chancellor Doug Orr, who shared her passion for Celtic and folk music and who has remained close friends with Ritchie during the years.
Orr later became president of Warren Wilson College near Asheville, and he founded the Swannanoa Gathering music workshops.
Born and raised in Scotland, Ritchie attended the University of Stirling. She accepted an invitation to spend a semester at UNC Charlotte to work as a teaching assistant in the Psychology Department.
According to Ken Sanford’s book on the history of UNC Charlotte, Ritchie became a favorite around the radio station for her exuberance and Scottish lilt. So when she asked to try out her idea for a show focused on Celtic music, she was given a chance. To their surprise, the show was a hit and other stations around the country picked it up. By 1995, it was one of the most popular shows on public radio and was carried by more than 300 stations around the globe.
And Ritchie always gave credit to WFAE for launching the show.