Author: peadar

This reel came about as a kind of thank you to artist friends Robert Rasmussen and Bernadette Ní Choitir. They called into the house to congratulate me on the occasion of the announcement that I had been named “composer of the year” by Irish television station, Tg4, in 2008. (Martin was named musician of the year). Robert is a great sculptor and gave me a mug of his whilst Bernadette, a painter and installation artist, had painted a special ‘card’ for the occasion.
The tune came to me as I watched them walk out to their car in the rain that evening. Long may they prosper.

I recorded the tune with Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh on the Triúr album.  

Price: €15.00

You will find the score/dots/music notation here

I composed this tune for Geraldine O’Callaghan, a mighty fiddle player from Newmarket. She was doing her final B.mus
examination and had to find an artist/composer and a piece of music and a piece of art connected to it. So hence this tune and a rather poorly executed oil painting of birds in a tree. As always the melody and the tonality of the piece is inspired by Geraldine as much as by the thought of the birds singing in the trees around the house at dawn during that time of year which was around May I believe. This tune was first conceived for the fiddle and her style of playing.

I recorded the tune with Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh on the Triúr album.  

Price: €15.00

You will find the score/dots/music notation here

This should, by right, be spelled Gearóid because it arose out of playing at home with my friend Gearóid Ó Duinín. He plays the guitar and is from Cúil Aodha. There was a ‘Station” in the house and we had a barrel of draft Guinness in situ for the five yearly celebration. Gearóid and I were ‘testing’ the quality and playing a few tunes. Between tunes I noticed that he would strum or pluck the same four notes - a kind of testing the tuning of his instrument if you like. As will happen from time to time, he left the room to go the to the toilet and i started to fiddle with those four notes. They are the first four notes of this tune, which had come to me by the time Gearóid returned to the room. A mutual friend of ours, famous fiddle player, Corkman, Yank and wonderful raconteur. Paddy Cronin insists on calling Gearóid ‘Jearóid’ and in a ‘tipping of the hat’ to him we often repeat his version of Gearóid’s name.

I recorded the tune with Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh on the Triúr album.  

Price: €15.00

You will find the score/dots/music notation here

Réamh-fhocal nó brollach é seo do leabhar amhráin ó Mhúscraighe a fhoilsigh an Dáimh Amhránaíocht Dúchasach de chuid Acadamh Fódhla 2007.

Is d’fhonn scoláireacht agus léinn cultúr na nGael do chur chun cinn a bunaíodh Acadamh Fódhla. Is cultúr sruthach le bonn linear ár gcultúrna seachas an bonn ingearach atá faoi chultúr na hEorpa/An Domhain Nua. Cialaíonn san go mbíonn téarmaí tagartha éagsúla againn go minic seachas mar a mbeadh ag scoláirí sa mhódh Eorpach. Tá scálaí agus modes agus ‘time-signatures’ acu san. Tá Srutis, Rag, agus Alap ag cultur claisiceach na hInde. Níl aon téarmaí mar sin ann don sean nós amhráníochta gaelaedhe gídh go measaim féin gurb í an iarsma dheirigh í de chultúr sár fhorbartha ar nós na cultúir eile luaite thuas. Ach gan dabht tá cuid mhaith de mhíle bliain caite dá scor. Sin í an fhaid díreach a thóg sé ar guth ceoil na hEorpa teacht chun cinn, bláth agus éagadh mar atá anois sa chéad seo críochnaithe.

Macasamhail dá chéle is ea na healaíóna agus na nithe samhailteacha a bhíonn in aon chultúr. Mura bhfuil fágtha again ach foth phíosa seodóireachta is scribhinn agus cúpla carn mór cloch ag cogarnaíol chughainn ar shaoghal eile nách dtuigimíd, táid comhachtach a ndothain ionta féin chun sinn do chur ag smaoineamh ar cad go díreach a bhí mar bhun téamaí sa chultúr sin. Ní Ceiltig sinn toisc go labharíonmíd Gaoluinn. Ní Sasanaigh sinn toisc go labharam béarla. Tá beagán de nósanna na ndaoine sin go léir again. Tá beagán de nósanna na manach again is an córas ceoil románach, tá beagán de nathanna nó téamaí na Normánach len’a gcuid Troubadour is Trouvére, tá rithimí rinnce a bhíodh i bhfaisean ó chéad go céad ar fuaid duthaighí ár gcomharsan ar fuaid na hEorpa agus tá éagsúlacht uilisí a tháinig thar sáile chughainn isteach agus ar ar ghlacamar leo go fonnamhar. Ach tharstu seo go léir tá sruth comónta amháin ag sníomh ionas gurb é an cultur gaelach sin a chorraíon an t-éisteoir agus é ag éisteacht le h-amhránaí dúchasach nó sean nóis. Sin é an abhar is dual don Acadamh a threabhadh. Tá sé de nós againn an fhianaise a bhí again dá úsáid d’fhágaint ar folúin ionas gur féidir le daoinibh eile sinn a cheartú más gá agus ionas nách gciathfidís ath ghabháil do dhéanamh ar an dtalamh chéanna má bhí ár gcuid soathar déanta i gceart againn. Mar sin, bíonn fuíolach slí is spáis inár gcuid
bailiúcháin nótaí ionas gur féidir leis an scoláire bheith de shíor ag cur leo. Tá na cóipeanna is leaganaíocha uilig a bhí dá bpléidh againn le feiscint chomh maith. Is mar áis don scoláire, aga bhfuil an leabhair seo anois ina ghlaic, atá seo déanta againn.

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