Slow Air

[Avi Ziv]

Here is an Irish Slow Air I've been working on lately. It's been on my mind for some time now, but I couldn't imagine how a slow air would work on this instrument. There is so little to reference. All the more reason to try - no? It's still being tweaked and the mixing isn't final but I thought to float it out here for some more ears.

Irish Slow Air

Thanks for listening,

[EdSherry]

Nicely done!

[emzech]

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[Avi Ziv]

Thanks for the kind words!

Here is the story behind this composition as per Matt Cranitch

Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1785-1848) was a poet, schoolteacher, fiddler and dancing master. He worked as a hedge schoolmaster on the Iveragh peninsula in West Kerry. Hedge schools were schools where Gaelic brehons, musicians and storytellers secretly taught children Irish history, tradition and told tales of the children’s ancestry. At some point he moved from Derrynane to Portmagee and he put all his treasured books and all his belongings on a boat and went by road himself. The boat however did not withstand the gale and sank with the loss of the books. Amhrán Na Leabnar, also known as Cuan Bhéil Inse, or Valencia Harbour, is the lament poem he composed over this loss. Tomas Ó Canainn’s translation of the Irish Gaelic lyric begins:

By Valentia harbour I happened once
Near sweet Goleen Dairbhre
To be the master in Portmagee
Where ships set sail for the ocean deep.
Soon all had the sorrowful story then
Of the sturdy craft, lost at Owen Finn,
Sad was my heart for the ship that failed;
Better this land had it survived the gale.

[Gelsenbury]

Mandolin and synthesiser ... my dreams have just come true.

[Shelagh Moore]

Nothing wrong with that at all and a favourite tune of mine!

[stevenmando]

Really nice , when I was listening to the tune I closed my eyes and with the synthesizer background music playing it takes you to another place , really really nice

[Avi Ziv]

Thank you Richard and Steven!

Cheers,