Fadhail - by Pàdruig Morrison (2023) 
World premiere by Findley Spence (cello) at the St Magnus International Festival, June 2023. Work commissioned by the St Magnus International Festival.

Fadhail is inspired by fords (tidal sea channels). There are fords not far from my house which my father and grandfather navigated weekly each summer to fish for lobsters in the Atlantic, as well as to go from the island of Grimsay to neighbouring North Uist and Benbecula. It's a challenging bit of sea to sail as the channel, which is carved out by the water currents from the sand, moves every year; sometimes to the north of a rock, sometimes to the south. With increasing extreme weather events, they will change even more from one year to the next. Additionally, the ford cannot be sailed with charts or modern navigational equipment due to its depth - it requires knowledge which has been learned by fishermen over generations, and this, like much indigenous knowledge, will soon fade from memory as the tradition bearers pass away. Furthermore, traditions, cultures, and languages in coastal communities (the world over) are forecast to lose the most according to current climate projections. The sustainable creel fishing, founded on intergenerational indigenous knowledge and an industry which continues a living Gaelic tradition, would be one such loss.

Fadhail

Traditional and classical accordionist, pianist and composer

Padruig Morrison

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