Watch: Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly – King of the Kingdom (Tune of the Day)

Last month, Rónán Ó Snodaigh (Kíla) and Myles O’Reilly announced the release of their second album, ‘The Beautiful Road‘, a soulful blend of folk, traditional, and ambient crossover. The album announcement, which is to be released via Claddagh Records on July 28th (pre-order it here), was accompanied by a wonderful video for their first song, ‘Níl Aon Easpa Orm’, which was filmed in the sacred hills of Loughcrew, Co. Meath, a location adorned with ancient Neolithic and megalithic burial tombs and monuments.

The duo have just shared an instrumental track and accompanying video: ‘King of the Kingdom (Rí A’Ríocht)’, in which Rónán emulates the sound of the ocean, to which the song serves as an ode.

Rónán speaks of the recording process, saying, “I’ve been collecting rings, earrings, and keyrings that I’ve found in cities around the world, sewing them into leg shakers and belts for a number of years. While recording this album with Myles during four stormy days in West Cork, we could hear the roar of the Atlantic Ocean every time we stepped outside. This inspired me to wear them all at once, and dance to the track. I used my full body to play the rhythm of a heartbeat, the first beat we hear in the womb, mixed with glorious high-frequency patterns that the wind, the sea and waves can create.”

Myles recalls, “It was mesmerizing to watch and listen to Rónán in the studio, wearing a full suit of bells and dancing to the song. I immediately thought we also need to film this! On returning to Dublin, we moved in to D-Light Studios for the day. A blank and neutral space where Rónán could dance, be super playful, pay homage to and emulate the ocean with his remarkable suit of bells. Just as he had done for the recording. He wore blue clothing to represent the colour of the sea and painted his face white to mirror the white tips of breaking waves. The video was filmed by my close friend and cinematographer Steve O’Connor”.

Like their first video, it has, for me at least, the feel of summoning the ancient…the video has been extended to include Rónán talking about the effect of the dance and how hearing nature’s sounds have a cleansing effect – “…it’s like a medicine”. Whether intentional or not, it drew my thoughts to animism and how such beliefs have shaped ancient cultures that had/have a deep respect for nature, something many are striving to reconnect with. This album could be a beautiful gateway.

King of the Kingdom (Rí A’Ríocht) is our Tune of the Day.