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