Clare Sands, a Cork-born sixth-generation fearless fiddler, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has revealed the first of a four-part series project titled ‘Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha’ (Landscapes and Soundscapes) which is sponsored by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha spans over four seasons, in the four provinces of Ireland, and features Clare Sands alongside four different collaborators: Susan O’Neill, Steve Cooney with Tommy Sands, Brídín, and Liam O Maonlaí. The project sees Sands embarking on an exploration of the crooks and crannies of Ireland’s sights and sounds, whilst breaking the boundaries of Irish music in an inviting, invigorating way.
The first video, ‘Carry My Song’ is performed by Clare and long-time friend and collaborator Susan O’Neill performing on trumpet, congas, vocals and dulcimer, and Sands on violin, cello, vocals, and synth on a Co. Clare cliff-top in winter! The duo make a powerful and fiery delivery that plays with your senses, a dizzying and unyielding energetic performance, unlike anything I’ve seen for a while. It’s also our Song of the Day. I also take my hat off to twin sisters Liadain and Kasia Kaminska who directed and shot the video over two freezing cold days in January. They capture the energy of the piece brilliantly and visually take the song to another level.
The energetic performance explores Ireland’s rich soundscapes and landscapes through dark and light, love and loss, day and night, navigating through uncharted territories where Irish and English languages, Traditional, Folk, and Contemporary music meet.
Carry My Song is available to stream now and can be hear on our Regular Folk playlist here.
Photo Credit: Kasia Kaminska