In 2021 the Cork-born, Belfast-based sixth-generation fiddler, bilingual singer and multi-instrumentalist Clare Sands trickle fed us a gorgeous series of collaborations with Susan O’Neill, Tommy Sands & Steve Cooney, Brídín and Liam Ó’Maonlaí which culminated in her staggeringly wide-ranging and fresh sounding Ep Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha (Lanscapes & Soundscapes). She followed this with her equally spellbinding self-titled album in September last year.
The good news is that she’s back in the collaborative seat with a new project. ‘Gormacha’ [GUR-MA-KA] is a four-part music and film project that treads a musical path between the four most extreme geographical points in Ireland. Tracing the line between rugged land and stormy seas, Gormacha interweaves Irish folklore, language and personal responses to our natural world.
The first release ‘Teasgal’ [CHAS-GAL](a singing wind in a storm) features Mayo-based Alt-Folk songwriter Patrick O’Laoghaire AKA I Have A Tribe. Written completely in the Irish language, Teasgal is a mystical incantation that breathes new life into ancient words and worlds. It is a song of love and longing, and a call to protect the natural world and seas that we are fast destroying. With gentle piano, Cohen-esque vocals & fervent fiddle playing all building from the stillness of a deep, dark sea to the cinematic crashing of the west cork waves.
The mesmerizing accompanying video, directed and shot by visual artists and twin sisters Liadain and Kasia Kaminska, captures the calm and tumult of Teasgal. Wanting to find a location where the land and sea meet, the duo explain: ‘The way we filmed this video reminded us of the race against time we currently face as a planet. The wind and waves picked up as we shot, with water coming over the pier, we literally raced against the rising tide!”
‘Teasgal’ is the first in a series of four songs that are deeply personal and universal, sensual and spiritual, ancient and new. Navigating music, film and photography, ‘Gormacha’ journeys into the darkness, but seeks to find solace and celebration ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea.’
Clare Sands seems to have such a thirst and passion for these collaborations. She brings something new to each one, that gives you a strong and genuine sense of the bond between her and the artist she collaborates with.
Teasgal is also our Song of the Day.
Teasgal is available on Streaming Services and Bandcamp.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Clare Sands
GERMANY + SWITZERLAND
10th April: BRAUNSCHWEIG • Roter Saal | Tickets:
11th April: LEVERKUSEN • Notenschlüssel | Tickets:
13th April: VILLINGEN • Folk Club VillingenV | Tickets:
16th April: FLAWIL • Kulturpunkt! | Tickets: http://www.kulturpunkt-flawil.ch
18th April: BERN • Martas | Tickets: https://www.cafemarta.ch
21st April: OBERRIEDEN • Frohe Aussicht | Tickets:
22nd April: NEUCHÂTEL • Festival Tournez le Meule | Tickets: https://tournez-la-meule.ch
28th April: SAARBRÜCKEN • Breite 63 | Tickets:
29th April: BAD TӦLZ • Kulturhaus in Bad Tölz | Tickets:
UK Tour – Special Guest to Hothouse Flowers
3rd May: BEXHILL ON SEA • The De La Warr Pavilion | Tickets:
4th May: FROME • Cheese and Grain | Tickets:
5th May: COVENTRY • Warwick Arts Centre | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3z45dxD
7th May: MILTON KEYNES • The Stables MK | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3FPLLse
9th May: BRISTOL • St George’s Bristol | Tickets: https://bit.ly/42DncIT
10th May: BIRMINGHAM • The Glee Club Birmingham | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3ZsSek9
11th May: WORTHING • The Factory Live | Tickets: https://bit.ly/40iGRwb
13th May: MANCHESTER • RNCM – Royal Northern College of Music | Tickets: https://bit.ly/42NZY30
14th May: LONDON • O2 Shepherds Bush Empire | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3z40Xyj
16th May: STROUD • The Subscription Rooms | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3LNhCgY
18th May: SCARBOROUGH • Scarborough Spa | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3FOlXN4
19th May: NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE • Boiler Shop| Tickets: https://bit.ly/42AZZak
20th May: GLASGOW • Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox | Tickets: ** Sold Out **
21st May: ABERDEEN • The Lemon Tree | Tickets:
23rd May: GLASGOW • Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox ** Additional Date ** | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3lBVAmL
24th May: YORK • Pocklington Arts Centre| Tickets: ** SOLD OUT **
25th May: CARLISLE • old fire station | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3ncxOOJ
26th May: LEEDS • The Wardrobe Leeds | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3nkzLIN
Websites: https://claresands.com/ | https://www.ihaveatribe.ie/