Description: An archive selection of music and song from the Blasket Islands. Sung and played by some of the people who left the island in 1953; the earliest recording included goes back to 1957.
as played on fiddle by Séan Cheaist Ó Catháin ~ fiddle
is attributed to the muse of Muiris Ó Dálaigh, family man, fisherman and fiddler of The Blasket Islands, reportedly composed in 1873, as an air without words...
"The Great Blasket is an island off the Irish speaking district of the West coast of Kerry. It has been uninhabited since 1953 when the remaining families were moved to the mainland when the island school was closed. This recording is of the island singers and musicians, mostly recorded after they had moved to the mainland. The music and songs (all in Irish) are very much in the tradition of the West Kerry Gaeltacht, and this is a very important collection of material from a group of performers who are so intimately from the same area. A mine of information for anyone interested in the music and song of Munster as well as anyone involved in the study of local or regional style, no other commercially released recording exists (to my knowledge) which has so many performers from one area performing such a wide range of material. There are 17 tracks, 10 of which are instrumental, and 7 songs. Claddagh, always excellent where sleeve notes are concerned, have surpassed themselves on this occasion. There is an explanatory booklet included, which has very extensive notes in both Irish and English, including all the words of the songs (original and translated), and photographs of all the performers. This is so thick that the recording and the notes are packaged in a double case, but there is only one CD."
"Beauty An Oileáin: Music and Song of the Blasket Islands"
Claddagh Records / Ceirnini Claddagh ~ CC56CD
http://www.claddaghrecords.com/
http://www.claddaghrecords.com/www/product.asp?pID=37&cID=19
Description: An archive selection of music and song from the Blasket Islands. Sung and played by some of the people who left the island in 1953; the earliest recording included goes back to 1957.
# Posted on July 23rd 2007 by ceolachan
"Beauty An Oileáin: Music and Song of the Blasket Islands" ~
Tracks & artists:
1 & 14 ~ Seáinín Mhicil Ó Súilleabháin ~ fiddle
2 & 15 ~ Muiris Ó Dálaigh ~ button accordion
3, 8 & 13 ~ Seán Ó Duinnshléibhe ~ melodeon
4 & 16 ~ Seán Ó Cearnaigh ~ amhrán / singer
5 & 12 ~Pádraig Ó Cearnaigh ~ amhrán / singer
6 ~ Eibhlín Ní Chearna ~ amhrán / singer
7 ~ Tomás Ó Dálaigh ~ fiddle
9 ~ Peaití Ó Duinnshléibhe ~ amhrán / singer
10 ~ Séan Cheaist Ó Catháin ~ fiddle
11 ~ Áine Uí Laoithe ~ amhrán / singer
17 ~ Breanndán Ó Beaglaioch ~ button accordion
Produced by ~ song transcriptions, translations, and notes ~ Ríonach Uí Ógáin
Music notes by Maire Ni Chaoimh; Remastering by Harry Bradshaw.
# Posted on July 23rd 2007 by ceolachan
Track 10: "Port na bPucai"
as played on fiddle by Séan Cheaist Ó Catháin ~ fiddle
is attributed to the muse of Muiris Ó Dálaigh, family man, fisherman and fiddler of The Blasket Islands, reportedly composed in 1873, as an air without words...
# Posted on July 23rd 2007 by ceolachan
"Beauty An Oileáin: Music and Song of the Blasket Islands" ~ IRTRAD
IRTRAD: The Irish Traditional Music Newsletter
Issue No. 2 Jan 25, '93
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?INDEX
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=IRTRAD-L
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9302&L=irtrad-l&D=1&P=63
"The Great Blasket is an island off the Irish speaking district of the West coast of Kerry. It has been uninhabited since 1953 when the remaining families were moved to the mainland when the island school was closed. This recording is of the island singers and musicians, mostly recorded after they had moved to the mainland. The music and songs (all in Irish) are very much in the tradition of the West Kerry Gaeltacht, and this is a very important collection of material from a group of performers who are so intimately from the same area. A mine of information for anyone interested in the music and song of Munster as well as anyone involved in the study of local or regional style, no other commercially released recording exists (to my knowledge) which has so many performers from one area performing such a wide range of material. There are 17 tracks, 10 of which are instrumental, and 7 songs. Claddagh, always excellent where sleeve notes are concerned, have surpassed themselves on this occasion. There is an explanatory booklet included, which has very extensive notes in both Irish and English, including all the words of the songs (original and translated), and photographs of all the performers. This is so thick that the recording and the notes are packaged in a double case, but there is only one CD."
# Posted on July 23rd 2007 by ceolachan