CD A0232: My Lagan Love

My Lagan Love by Anne-Marie O'Farrell

CD coverThe marriage between the rich and varied heritage of Irish music and the harp has been a long and fruitful one with no sign of a divorce in sight. The tradition is renewed in the hands of one of the leading Irish harpists, Ann Marie O'Farrell, drawing together strands from the four provinces of Ireland and ranging over a myriad of sources and moods.

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Track Listing & Audio Samples

1.   My Lagan Love
2.   Mo Ghile Mear
3.   Peter Street & The Masom's Apron
4.   Carrickfergus
5.   Madam Maxwell
6.   The Lark in the Clear Air
7.   Tabhair Dom Do Lamh
8.   The Mountains of Mourne
9.   Buachaill On Eirne
10. Bonaparte's Retreat
11. The Salley Garden
12. Caitlin Ni Haodha & The Sport Of The Chase
13. The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee
14. The Snowy Breasted Pearl
15. The Castle of Dromore
16. She Moved Through The Fair
17. Eleanor Plunkett & Baptist Johnston

CD Notes

Sleeve Notes

My Lagan Love: The marriage between the rich and varied heritage of Irish music and the harp has been a long and fruitful one with no sign of a divorce in sight. The tradition is renewed in the hands of one of the leading Irish harpists, Ann Marie O'Farrell, drawing together strands from the four provinces of Ireland and ranging over a myriad of sources and moods.

Anne-Marie O'Farrell - harp
Ellen Craniych - flutes
Ronan Browne - Uilleann pipes and whistles
Brian Fleming - Bodhran

1.   My Lagan Love - arr A.M.O'Farrell
This love song from the river Lagan, which flows through Belfast, is one of the most unusual and haunting melodies from the Northern counties. It appears in a collection by Padraig MacAodh O'Neill and Herbert Hughes entitled songs of Uladh dating from the early 1900's

2.   Mo Ghile Mear (uilleann pipes, whistle and harp) - arr A.M.O'Farrell
This is one of the many Jacobite songs which were common in Ireland and Scotland in the 1700's, and its tune is similar to the Scottish song, Will Ye No Come Back Again. Here The Poet, Sean Clarach MacDomhnaill, Anticipates An End to Bonnie Prince Charlie's Exile.

3.   Peter Street & The Mason's Apron (Harp and Bodhran) arr A.M.O'Farrell
Although popular and perhaps better known as fiddle tunes, these reels transfer well to the harp, and similar versions to those performed here can be found in the famous collection of O'Neill's music of Ireland.

4.   Carrickfergus   arr A.M.O'Farrell
Ireland's history of emigration has led to a large number of exile songs, this one being among the most popular of all.

5.   Madam Maxwell arr A.M.O'Farrell
The great harper Carolan's music is well-loved for its fusion of Irish and Baroque styles, and Madam Maxwell is no exception. It's believed to have been written by Carolan (1670-1738) in honour of the wife of one of his patrons, John Farnham from County Cavan.

6.   The Lark in the Clear Air (Flute and Harp) arr. A.M.O'Farrell
This beautiful love song is a setting by Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886) of a trad Irish Air called the Tailor.

7.   Tabhair Dom Do Lamh (Give Me Your Hand) O'Cathain, arr. A.M.O'Farrell
The harper/composer Rory Dall O Cathain wrote this tune for a Lady Eglinton in Scotland who, unaware of his esteemed reputation in Ireland, demanded a tune from him in a peremptory manner. When he refused, she was soon made aware of his lineage and apologized. As a gesture of reconciliation to her he composed Tabhair Dom Do Lamh.

8.   The Mountains of Mourne (Flute and Harp) arr. A.M.O'Farrell
The 18th century Cork Ballad, Carrigdhoun, was altered by the writer and painter Percy French to become this more famous exile song, The Mountains of Mourne.

9.   Buachaill On Eirne (Uilleann pipes, Whistle and Harp) arr. A.M.O'Farrell
Another song about unrequited love, this time from Teelin in Co.Donegal.

10.  Bonaparte's Retreat (Harp and Bodhran) arr. A.M.O'Farrell
Another  piece from the O'Neill collection, this time a lively set dance.

11.  The Salley Gardens arr. A.M.O'Farrell
The title of this famous love song refers to gardens in Ballysadare in Co.Sligo, the county most associated with W.B.Yeats who wrote the text. The melody appears in an 1877 publication ofpart of the great collector Petrie's collection as the Maids of Mourne Shore.

12.  Caitlin Ni Haodha & The Sport of the Chase (harp and Bodhran) Arr. A.M.O'Farrell
I was introduced to these two slip jigs by the playing of Cork harpist Maire Ni Chathasaigh, who is celebrated for her adaptation of fiddle and pipe ornamentation to Irish harp technique.

13.  The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee (Uilleann pipes and harp) Arr. A.M.O'Farrell
Known as the Anthem of Cork, this was originally written as an exile song although it is not certain who wrote it. Some believe that it was adapted from a German folk tune by a Cork musician, J.C. Shanahan, whose family later preserved it so that it could be published.

14.  The Snowy-Breasted Pearl aar. A.M.O'Farrell
This beautiful song of unrequited love describes the yearning of a young man for his beloved: for a dowry he asks only for a kiss, a thousand welcomes and the white tips of her fingers. It was published by the famous collector, George petrie, in 1855.

15.  The Castle of Dromore (Flute and Harp) ar A.M.O'Farrell
This lullaby is a setting by Harold Boulton of the old traditional air, My Wife is Sick, and the Castle itself is on the River Blackwarer in the Ring of Kerry.

16.  She Moved Through The Fair arr A.M.O'Farrell
Boy loves Girl, Girl leaves boy, and makes a dramatic reappearance in the final verse of this love song, made famous by the poet Padraic Colum's text based on the traditional song, our wedding day.

17.  Eleanor Plunkett & Baptist Johnston (Flute and Harp) Carolan, arr A.M. O'Farrell
The first of these two Carolan tunes from the Bunting collection captures the tragic atmosphere of Eleanor Plunkett's fate:30 of her relatives were locked in their castle and killed with boiling water, and she was the last to survive. Baptist Johnston was written in honour of one of Carolan's patrons who was active as Sheriff and M.P. in Monaghan in the mid-1700's.

Ann-Marie O'Farrell
Dublin-born Ann-Marie O'Farrell began her musical education at the DIT college of music where she studied with Nancy Calthorpe and Mercedes Garvey, at the RIAM with Helen Davies, and privately with Sheila Larchet Cuthbert. An honours graduate of UCD, She has received numerous awards, including a DAAD academic scholarship to study at Bonn University. She holds professional diplomas in four instruments along with many national awards for original composition. She has been awarded a first class honours MA in composition from the national University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Her development of the Irish harp as a concert instrument and her commitment to the expansion of its repertoire have led to performances and recordings for TV and radio throughout Europe and the USA, Scandinavia, and Japan. She has also made several recordings, including Heads & Harps, Harping Bach to Carolan, and a traditional Irish album, The Jigs Up. This is her fourth solo recording.

In addition to her interpretation of Irish music, Anne-Marie is especially noted for her transcriptions of keyboard, lute and pedal harp repertoire for the Irish harp, and also for the unique levering techniques which she continues to develop on this instrument. As a result of her innovations in this area , she is consultant to Salvi harp makers on the design of their new Irish harp, the Livia, which is played on this album. As a soloist and accompanist she has toured extensively throughout Europe and the USA, and more recently, performed at the World Harp Congress in Prague, the Edinburgh International Harp festival, Celtic Feast in Chicago. In addition to appearances in Norway and at the Lyon & Healy Harpfest in California.

At home in Ireland, Ann-Marie is a regular performer with national orchestras and with the vocal ensemble Anuna, she is also committed to the promotion of new music, and has premiered and recorded 12 new Irish compositions for flute and harp with flautist Phillipa Davies. She has recently commissioned a new work for solo Irish harp by Irish composer Kevin O'Connell. As harpist, composer and pedagogue, she is regularly invited to give lecture recitals and workshops at international courses and seminars.  

CD Credits

Credits

Anne-Marie O'Farrell - harp
Ellen Craniych - flutes
Ronan Browne - Uilleann pipes and whistles
Brian Fleming - Bodhran

All tracks trad. arr. O'Farrell/Asdee Music, except track 13 (James Shanhan) MCPS
Recorded at: The Works Studio, 8 Upper Grand Canal Street, Dublin 4.
Tel: 6602350
Engineered by: Paul Ashe Browne
Executive Producer: Peter Cassidy
Design : Zachary Harpur Photography: Vincent O'Byrne
CMR Records, 28 Moleworth ST, Dublin 2.
Tel: 6766718
Fax no: 6766482
E-mail: cmrrecords@eircom.net

Album Information

Instruments: Harp
Genre: Traditional Irish
Format: CD
Our Ref: A0232
MCPS: CMCD 1075
Label: Anne-Marie O'Farrell
Year: 1997
Origin: Ireland