Ten of the UK and Ireland’s finest traditional poets and musical artists including vocalists using five languages, medieval instruments: crwth and northern triplepipes as well as fiddle, harp, accordion and electronics will join together in a music residency to re-invigorate and create new music inspired by past peoples and languages of Britain.
Amongst those taking part is the award-winning Scots/ Gaelic singer Josie Duncan, and the much-lauded Irish song archaeologist Lorcan Mac Mathuna (image above), who has written a number of features for Folk Radio UK including this one on Sean nós. Also taking part are former Welsh poet laureate and singer Gwyneth Glyn (main image) whose last album ‘Tro’ was a Featured Album of the Month. In his review of Tro, Thomas Blake concluded:
Tro is less an album and more a journey: to the quiet, longed-for corners of Wales, but also across the world, taking in West Africa and the Asian subcontinent. And it is an inward journey, an exploration of love and its many meanings and guises. As a whole, it is a poetic and deeply moving experience.
Joining them are celebrated Irish Sean-Nós singer Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde, Belfast fiddler Conor Caldwell, ancient instrument virtuoso Barnaby Brown, poet, singer and performance artist MacGillivray, widely published poet Rody Gorman and medieval Welsh duo Bragod will join together in a house in Galloway in South West Scotland for one week to explore their respective histories and languages through poetry and music.
Inspired by the mysterious Galloway Gaelic song Oran Bagraidh, artists will compose in the space between imagination and history. Taking the theme of multiple identities, within ancient Galloway and indeed themselves, they will explore commonalities and differences between languages, regional histories and musical sensibilities, dipping into traditional, experimental and electronic.
Waves of peoples have passed through the islands of Britain and Ireland throughout time. Many of these Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, Norse, Scots and English speakers traversed and settled in South West Scotland – a major geographic, linguistic and cultural crossroads throughout history and still a significant land and sea border area today.
Oran Bagraidh ‘Song of Defiance’ is the only surviving example of Galloway Gaelic, widely spoken across the region from the 5th to 18th century, always alongside other British languages also spoken in the area.
The recorded work will be released in February 2019, produced by Ben Seal. It will be followed by a tour in the UK and Ireland.
The Oran Bagraidh residency is produced by Katch Holmes for Knockengorroch as part of the organisation’s Off Site programme.
The project is funded by Creative Scotland, Arts Council Ireland and PRSF Foundation and supported by Barscobe Heritage Trust.
http://www.knockengorroch.org.uk/off-site/