Mother

Careful

Ireland and Cinema Podcast

Setanta - Go Team!

This composition is a symphonic jig inspired by the legendary Irish pirate queen, Gráinne Mhaol (Grace O’Malley). I first heard her story years ago from an independent experimental film, The Cry Of Granuaille (Foreman, 2022)  and it has stayed with me ever since. Though I did not grow up playing traditional Irish music I have become fascinated by it in the past year – playing Lankum songs in a tribute gig, and learning the fiddle. With this project, my goal was to use my film score composition style to create a piece influence by Traditional Irish jigs. 
	Gráinne Mhaol, also known as Granuaille (anglicised)  was said to have been “born around 1530, the only daughter of Owen Dubhdara O'Malley, chieftain of a territory in Co. Mayo.”  After the death of her husband, “she returned to Clare Island to command her family’s fleet, launching pirate raids along the west coast and as far afield as Scotland.”  This earned her the title, “Pirate Queen” . This composition is supposed to evoke a sense of her daring raids, and represent the character sonically in the form of a traditional Irish jig-inspired piece played by symphony orchestra and trad band. 


The Pirate Queen - Audio Mock Up

Billie Baumeister

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