Author: peadar

Bhí dán diaga in onóir do Naomh Pádraigh in easnamh orainn le fada agus d'iarras ar mo chara Dónal  Liatháin an gcuirfeadh sé peann le páipéar. Rud a dhein go fileata is go paiteanta.  Seo toradh a shaothair agus chuireas féin ceol leis ansan.

We did not have a suitable hymn to sing for Saint Patrick and i asked my good friend Donal  Liatháin if he could helps.  THis he did poetically and creatively with this poem.  I set it top music then and this is the result.

Download the pdf here.

I originally arranged this for Tony MacMahon and the Kronos String Quartet.

For Traditional accordian and Quartet.

Download the pdf here.

Don Cronin, Luc Racine, Bob Rasmussen, Úna Ní Shé.

Sníonn eolas tharainn is cnuasaíon eagna le teacht aoise. Measaim féin gur geall le máilín glóthaí, uile-eolas aon pobal - luig ar thaobh amháin agus boilsceóigh giota eile amach chughat. Eolaíocht is ainm don bhfaircéan is mó sna laetheanta seo agus is iad toibreacha sean eagna, i réimse eile an d’aonaí, atá thíos leis go sealadach. Ach tá rudái áirithe ann atá ionann de shíor. Bás, beatha, domhan-tharrac, sruth, agus mar sin de. B’fhéidir go n’átharaíonn ár ndearca ar na nithe seo. Is ar faor na faille seo mar, a n’atharaíonn dearca, is ea oibríonn an ealaíontóir. Ní mór dóibh tuiscint iomlán do bheith acu ar crot, fuirm, is comh-ionnanas, chun múnlú do dhéanamh ar an mbith faoin’ a smacht. Mar sin ní mór don ealaíontóir bheith ina cheardaí oillte len’a chuid amhabhair.

Is baolach gurb anamh caighdeán an taispeántais seo do bheith coitianta inniu. Toisc iad do bheith ina máistrí ar a gceard, tá saoirse iomlán ag na ealaíontóirí seo tabhairt faoi chríocha na samhalaíochta is na cruthaíochta. Tá a gcuid saothar iomlán. Is eiseamlár is dea shampla iad d’aon ealaíontóir óg atá ag brath ar bheith ina saoithe lena n’ealaíon, le imeacht srutha an ama atá romhainn.

As life flows past us we learn into the wisdom of old age. It seems to me that the knowledge capacity in a community is like a bag of jelly – pinch one area and another bulges out. We have a big bulge called science today, that is balanced by the pinched areas of older interests and temporally discarded knowledge.

But some things are constant. We live, we die, gravity, flow, and so on. Our perception of these things may change. It is on that interface, where perceptions are shaped, that artists work. To be able to “see” and “shape” they must understand the nature of elements - the importance of balance, of shape and form. This is why artists must also
be craftsmen with their materials.

The standard of our artists in this exhibition is, alas, rare today as these artists have a control and understanding of their craft, that allows their creativity to roam free and truly creatively. Their work is complete. They are the example for young artists of the future who truly wish to be genuine masters of their field.

The start of this tune came to one night in the middle of our usual Thursday night session with Connie Connell, Eibhlín de Paor, Don Ó Laoighre (Fear an Tí) and Seán Ó Cróinín (Grandson of Bess Cronin)  I had just the first three notes and the 'gimp' so i went out to the jacks to stick it in my mind for later.  I remembered this morning and put it together.

 Download the pdf here