writing musis

Sean Nos

Daf and Cajon with Irish traditional sean nos Dance...

Inspired by a great photo in The Maine Valley Post by local Photographer John Reidy  who captured the last sunrise of November in the Castleisland skyline, view in it the Maine Valley post Facebook page.

The Last Sunrise Of November   (Sean Nos Pink Floyd)

Note: Digital noise reduction applied to original cylinder recording. 

This archive of Irish dialect sound recordings made in the early 20th century contains Irish folktales, songs and other material recited by native Irish speakers from 17 counties. Crucially, it includes examples of dialects and singing styles that are now extinct in Ireland. 

Sean-nós (Irish for "old style") is a highly ornamented style of unaccompanied traditional Irish singing. Songs were made to accompany the work inside and outside the home, to express the many emotions - love and sadness of daily existence, to record local and other historical events and to often mark the loss of family and friends whether by death or by emigration

Sean-nós words:

Cloisim le spás beag go bhfuil an ráfal so fíor,
Ar an dtaobh thoir do Dhóinneach go bhfuil ceol ann is (spraoi)[1],
Tá buachaillín óg ann go bhfuil eolgaiseach (binn)
Is é ag cailliúint a shláinte i ndiaidh Máire an Chúil Bhuí.
Nuair a ghabhaimse na cóngair trí Dhóinneach anonn
Is dóigh liom gach neomat mo stór do chím chugham,
Do bhfearr liom bheith báite nó tráite sa toinn
Nuair ná faighim in aon áit romham mo Mháire an Chúil Bhuí.

Sean-nós 1900 - Pádraig Ó hArachtáin

Seán Mac Erlaine featuring Dorothy Murphy (vocals)

Alas Awake // Imlamaya

Seothín Seó

An acoustic duo of Lorcán Mac Mathúna (vocals) and Seán Mac Erlaine (bass clarinet).
Lorcán’s musical development brings the Sean Nós style of singing into a new realm.
Seán is an improvising musician drawn to ancient Irish song (among other things).

Seothín Seó

Lorcán Mac Mathúna - vocals
Seán Mac Erlaine - bass clarinet

An Raibh Tú Ag An gCarraig?

Sean-Nos Dance Imbolc Ceili

Mountain Streams ..Moorcocks Crow (Sean-nos) Patricia O'Gorman

Seán Mac Erlaine: alto saxophone + live electronics
recorded December 2012 in RTÉ Studio 8
www.seanmacerlaine.com

That Slender Scene

I make music with clarinets and saxophones and electronics and people. Full information at www.seanmacerlaine.com