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Live from the Big Top, Fisheries Field, Galway 2023 as part of the Galway Arts Festival for G TOWN Records.

Shampain live from The Big Top, Galway

I decided to explore Irish folk music as my love for Celtic music was reignited through writing my dissertation. I focused specifically on Irish folk music as I wanted to explore sean-nós singing in particular. This is a particular genre that is used to tell stories and is sung with just the singer and a drone. It is very free-form, as singers ornament and embellish the melodies to reflect the story their ‘school’ of ornamentation, and their own personal tastes. While listening to inspiration, I observed a very common contour in the music, a rising and descending ‘mountain’ shape As well as incorporating the contour into my melodies, I decided to build it into the structure of the piece; it has a beginning with low energy and minor inflections, a middle with high energy and a major mode, and then it returns to low energy and a minor key for the ending. For me, this lent itself to a story and fitted perfectly with my exploration of sean-nós singing. The story is a simple, common story of revelry and celebration, beginning low as fans watch their favourite athletes struggle in a competition. When the athletes pull out a difficult win, the fans begin to celebrate joyously. Revelry becomes more raucous as the night carries on, until the fans finally burn through their energy. Here I was inspired by reels, a common dance in 4/4 or sometimes 8/8. The wide use of this style has produced many different variants, with some played as slow as moderato and others reaching presto. I believe this makes reels particularly suited to a section exploring mounting revelry.

Old Mountains

Healther's Kiss

Emerald Dreams

One of my students speaks Irish.  It's a beautiful language.  My Grandfather was from County Wicklow.  I studied fiddle when I was there in 1996.  

[Verse]
An bhfuil tú liom
Faoi mo chroí
Seo mo ghrá
An bhfuil tú liom

[Chorus]
An Traoin
An Traoin
Mo chroí
An Traoin

[Verse 2]
Tá tú álainn
Mo grá geal
Tá tú álainn
Faoi mo chroí

[Chorus]
An Traoin
An Traoin
Mo chroí
An Traoin

[Bridge]
Fan liom
Fan liom
Ná téigh
Fan liom 

[Verse]
 Are you with me
 Beneath my heart
 This is my love
 Are you with me
[Chorus]
 The Traoin
 The Traoin
 My heart
 The Traoin
[Verse 2]
 You are beautiful
 My bright love
 You are beautiful
 Beneath my heart
[Chorus]
 The Traoin
 The Traoin
 My heart
 The Traoin
[Bridge]
 Stay with me
 Stay with me
 Don’t go
 Stay with me

An Traoin

[Verse]
An bhfuil tú liom
Faoi mo chroí
Seo mo ghrá
An bhfuil tú liom

[Chorus]
An Traoin
An Traoin
Mo chroí
An Traoin

[Verse 2]
Tá tú álainn
Mo grá geal
Tá tú álainn
Faoi mo chroí

[Chorus]
An Traoin
An Traoin
Mo chroí
An Traoin

[Bridge]
Fan liom
Fan liom
Ná téigh
Fan liom 

[Verse]
 Are you with me
 Beneath my heart
 This is my love
 Are you with me
[Chorus]
 The Traoin
 The Traoin
 My heart
 The Traoin
[Verse 2]
 You are beautiful
 My bright love
 You are beautiful
 Beneath my heart
[Chorus]
 The Traoin
 The Traoin
 My heart
 The Traoin
[Bridge]
 Stay with me
 Stay with me
 Don’t go
 Stay with me


Tom Aufrance's beautiful tenor voice rings out the Scottish and Irish folk song "The Parting Glass" in this pub scene. Accompanied by Mary Kay Aufrance, this song is a Celtic music standard worldwide. 

About the Song "The Parting Glass" - The song became a popular farewell song in both Scotland and Ireland, especially at the end of gatherings, before being superseded by "Auld Lang Syne". As a traditional ballad, "The Parting Glass" has evolved over time, with different versions and variations appearing in various collections and performances. 


The Parting Glass

The Parting Glass (Enhanced Remix)

Celticado is a traditional Celtic wedding band

Since 1985, Adam Sweet has been offering private one-on-one lessons on violin/fiddle, viola, mandolin and guitar.

If you like a song, please comment on the song track!  Thank you very much.

Enjoy a musical adventure of your choice with us, from Adult Contemporary Swing Jazz and Singer-Songwriter originals to our early days Renaissance, Choral, Celtic and Vintage Folk music.

Bookings: juliette@blbcagency.com
Contact me: djshampain091@gmail.com

Hi! My name is Ari and I'm a British artist and musician, as well as a lover of all things whimsical and fantastical. You can find my work on many parts of the internet, from Instagram to SoundCloud, but it's all collated here for your enjoyment!

I have been learning music since I was four, and it has become a way for me to express myself without words. I greatly enjoy manipulating melodies and harmonies to express what would surely otherwise take me ten or twenty words. My work is influenced by the Romantic movement, the ancient Greeks, and Gaelic musics, which I encountered at a young age, and which all left me most deeply moved. The fantasy of the Romantics, the elegance of the ancient Greeks, the harmony of the Celts; I find it all intoxicating and I endeavour to bring each into everything I do.

New tracks tagged #sean nos