Track Listing 01. Na Tailliuiri (The Tailors-nuh tawl-oorie) 02. Johnny Seoighe (Johnny Joyce - Johnny show-ig-eh) 03. Cath Chéim an Fhia (The Battle of Cheim an Fhia- Coh kame-un ee-a) 04. An Buachaillín Bán (The fair Irish boy - un boo-ak-aleen bawn) 05. An Rógaire Dubh (the black (haired) rogue - un rogue-are-eh duv) 06. An Clar Bog Déil (the soft deal board - un cl-og bug dale) 07. Saileog Rua (Red Haired Sally - sal-oge roo-a) 08. Tuireamh Mhic Finín Duibh (the elergy of mac finian black - toor-iv vic ineen duv) 09. Amhran na Leabhar (the song of the books - ow-rawn nu lowar) 10. Bean Dubh an Ghleanna (the dark woman of the glen - ban duv a ghlana)     Click on underscored titles to hear sound samples with MP3

We are delighted to announce our release of this brilliant recording.

Lorcan MacMathuna
Rogáire Dubh
COPP007

Contributing musicians:
Lorcan Mac Mathúna: Voice
Caoimhin O Raghallaigh: Fiddle, Hardanger, whistle.
Mick O'Brien: Uilleann Pipes & whistles
Helen Lyons:Harp.
Jane Hughes: Cello.
Conor Lyons: Bodhran.

Lorcan is a great writer on his subject, for further details of Lorcan and his work check out: www.lorcanmacmathuna.com


Personal Details of Lorcán Mac Mathúna
I have been singing sean-nós songs for the past ten years over which time I have regularly competed in and attended festivals throughout the country. I am on the organising committee of sean-nós cois life, an annual festival in Dublin which promotes this type of singing.

I have collected a repertoire of sean-nós songs through listening to the exponents (past and Present) of Gaeltacht areas from around the country. I am not biased toward any particular style or local repertoire of singing or songs. My repertoire comes from Connemara, and the three Gaeltachts of Munster. I like to think that I have my own approach to all of the songs I have collected and my rendition of sean-nós is customised to my interpretation of the empathy between the lyrics and mood of the music.

Like all sean-nós exponents I have built a relationship with the songs I sing my style of presentation reflects the story in the cadence of the music and phraseology. Songs which exhibit the potential for this include: Cath Chéim an Fhia, Tuireamh Mhic Fhinghin Duibh, An Clár Bog Déal, An Scailpín Draighean, Johnny Seoighe, Na Táilliúirí. The list could include many more.

Collaborating musicians

Caoimhín Ó Raghaille
Caoimhín has been described as an eclectic musician. He has a love of and very intuitive appreciation of sean-nós and identifies the patterns of the music with great sensitivity. He has already recorded a solo album and another in conjunction with Mick O'Brien entitled Kitty Lie Over.

Mick O Brien
Mick O'Brien is a name recognised in Irish music circles as one of the finest pipers of his generation. His albums include "Kitty Lie Over", and " May Morning Dew

Jane Hughes: Jane is a professional musician who works with the RTE symphony orchestra. She has been playing professionally for over ten years.

Helen Lyons: Helen is a young harper with a background in classical and traditional music. A fine exponent of the instrument.

Conor Lyons: Conor plays the bodhrán. He has played on tours with Comhaltas and with various bands as far a field as Lorient.

The CD: Introduction

The concept of the CD "Rógaire Dubh" has been in my head for many years but I never had the opportunity to explore its potential. However, an opportunity arose recently for me to work with two very good musicians (Caoimhín O Raghaille -traditional, on fiddle and whistle, and Jane Hughes -classical, on cello) who were flexible enough to try something completely new.
The opportunity arose because of a recital we did in Bantry this St. Patrick's Day which was a sort of cross pollination of sean-nós singing and traditional and classical music.

It was my intention to work with musicians with both classical and traditional styles to present some, or, most of these songs with a backing that is compatible with the songs. Songs such as:
· Cath Chéim an Fhia - a song powerful in both tune and lyrics.
· An Clár Bog Déal.
· Amhrán na Leabhar.
· Tuireamh Mhic Fhinghin Duibh - a dark and unusual 18th century elegy, and
· A selection of fast songs such as Na Táilliúirí and the eponymous An Rógaire Dubh

While sean-nós recordings are nothing new (it was never my intention to replicate what has already been done by others); what sets Rógaire Dubh apart is the connection between the raw sean-nós songs and the instrumental accompaniment. It gives me great satisfaction to say that after a lot of work my vision of how the Sean Nós style would gel with a variety of accompanying styles was realised and the results confirm the worth of the endeavour.

The songs I chose for this project are traditionally unaccompanied but I believe that because we showed proper sensitivity to the musical structures of the basic tunes we combined them beautifully with instrumental scores.

We were very excited about the progress we made because it's an unusual path for what is usually an unaccompanied singing style. After a lot of experimentation and effort we had the germ of something beautiful and I was very keen to capture it as it was a new departure for this style of music.

Background
In my view the sean-nós tradition has room for innovation and I think that the result can be quite beautiful. The basic airs of many sean nós songs are musically quite challenging and perhaps this is one reason that this concept is rarely tried. Another reason is lack of exposure and in a way; a dependence of traditional singing on the traditional music scene for that exposure. The relationship between singers and musicians is sometimes somewhat antagonistic as they are seen as mutually exclusive. I would like the song to be part of a holistic musical experience and I think these songs can be appreciated by a whole new audience if they are seen as a musical innovation rather than part of an insular tradition.

Objectives
Apart from a personal musical journey the objective of this musical innovation was to:

· Explore the music of sean-nós with an innovative approach
· Compile a musical arrangement based on sean-nós airs where the singing of the song is an integral part (but not the exclusive conductor) of the musical fabric.
· Make a recording of sean-nós that is fresh and accessible to a wide musical audience and encourage an interest in the "big songs" in the sean-nós tradition.
· Explore a musical interaction between players that doesn't confine itself to conventional accompaniment.
· Encourage a more serious approach to the presentation and general accompaniment of the slow Gaelic songs. A thing which tends to be neglected by the conventional traditional band (perhaps because the task seems too daunting).

By the fourth bullet point I mean that I see the voice of the singer entwined with the instrumental music. The voice will oft time lead but does not compromise the other. The accompaniment provides more than bass and punctuation; it soars with the pattern of the song.

Personal artistic development
It is my view that the sharing of styles, perspectives, and talents to interpret and express the folklore of society is the essence of tradition. This is one thing that working with others to present sean-nós songs has affirmed for me, an aspect that is reflected in the finished work.

My approach to each song on this CD was different and I worked closely with different people in arranging the appropriate accompaniment for each. Each song is unique in some way and our treatment of each reflected that. We even recorded some of our material in an old church to try and capture the acoustic cadence of space and clarity which I think are appropriate for some of the songs involved.

Design of the CD
A big part of my motivation in making this CD was making the songs palpable to people who don't have a good level of Irish. In one way this is done through the musical interpretation of the songs theme which we, as musicians, endeavoured to reflect in each song. But I also put a lot of thought and effort into explaining the meaning of each song. What the author tried to express, and why we interpret each in such a way as well.

There is a lot that traditional musicians could learn from others as regards presentation techniques. This is something that is continually confirmed to me in talking with the best in the Irish tradition, musicians from other traditions, and people who work in multimedia design. There is a message in the presentation style of the CD in its packet. It was an important issue for me as not only does it give a first impression but I want my influences and the influences of present day exponents of the tradition to be reflective in the whole package. Like 90% of the population of Ireland or England I was raised in an urban environment and traditional music not only exists, but thrives, in this setting; as it must to survive. The urban environment, with its decay and regeneration, is where most people live and its influences are in our interpretation of our music. That is not to say that we are not aware of our roots and the place of the tradition, which was largely one of a rural people, in forming our cultural identity and linking us to the story of our ancestors in a continuous tapestry. But to be true to tradition we must first of all realise that the conditions that formed it no longer exist, it does not have the same context as it once did. The thing about tradition though is that it is a living thing, it must have renewed relevance to each generation that partakes in it; the way it becomes a part of every exponents experience and their experience become part of its expression. I wanted this CD to reflect this reality. I don't think it is a betrayal of tradition to have a modern outlook and treat traditional tunes and songs as part of your own modern identity. We can relate to the stories and humanity -the folk expression- of the past and be completely connected to them while being the product of a different societal structure, but we must have integrity in our view of tradition and respect the continuity of its themes and modes of expression while being aware of our present context. I wanted to escape from the hackneyed images of traditional music of bars and wild rural settings. I wanted the CD design as well as the music to say: "this is the result of the passion of Lorcán Mac Mathúna and it contains a trace of him and all of the influences in his life"

Press Reviews

The Irish Democrat
LACKING EVEN a basic working knowledge of Irish, it was with some trepidation that this reviewer approached Lorcán Mac Mathúna's collection of sean-nós songs.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried as one of the main objectives of the Rógaire Dubh project has been to make traditional Irish-language songs more accessible to those without a good knowledge of Irish. MacMathúna has gone about this in a number of ways.

On all but two songs in this collection from Connemara and the three Gaeltachts of Munster he has deliberately eschewed the traditional approach of unaccompanied singing.

Opting instead to work with a mixture of traditional and classical musicians - Mick O'Brien (pipes and whistle), Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (fiddle, hardanger and whistle), Helen Lyons (harp), Jane Hughes (cello) and Conor Lyons (bodhrán), MacMathúna has succeeded in delivering a contemporary twist to the haunting melodies of his traditional sean-nós repertoire.

An accompanying booklet includes translations and notes on the social, cultural or historical context of the songs. It also features a collection of images, reflecting the decay and regeneration of modern urban life and the artist's own city-dwelling background.

Mac Mathúna intention has not been to ignore or subvert 'tradition'. Rather it is an attempt to create musical interpretations which reflect his own influences while pointing to the undeniable fact that the very conditions that responsible for forming that tradition no longer prevail.

Rooted in the traditions of the past, these songs undeniably breath with the life of the present. As Mac Mathúna explains: "The thing about tradition... is that it is a living thing. It must have renewed relevance to each generation that partakes in it..."

No matter what language you speak, the result is both engaging and beautiful. David Granville

The Living Tradition
"There's a weird sensation caused by Lorcán's double-tracking some passages from the text of the eerie 18th century elegy Tuireamh Mhic Finín Dhuibh, only accentuatin the sheer other-worldly nature of its melody line, which is at once epic and highly disorientating… it sounds truly extraordinary… personally I've found this one of the most captivating discs of sean-nós singing I've encountered in recent years." David Kidman

The Irish Times
"He delves so deeply beneath Saileog Rua that he scarcely remembers to come up for air, his voice creaking and groaning with the weight of one long-immersed in the spirit of the song."
Siobhán Long


Allcelticmusic.com "Have a listen to a master at work."


The Journal of Music in Ireland
"I will be listening to this CD again, and perhaps changing my mind about this song or that, and I am certainly looking forward to hearing Lorcán Mac Mathúna again, singing with all the unwavering commitment of his best work." Barra Ó Séaghdha

The Journal of Music in Ireland
"…But the cold vanished instantly with the opening song, Tuirimh Mhic Fhinín Dhubh. Mac Mathúna's performance of this unusual eighteenth-century song was commanding. A young man with a Dublin accent and a musical heart based deep in Múscraí, Mac Mathúna has, on this evidence, both the voice and the attitude to place him in the first rank of the new wave of traditional singers." Pat Ahern.

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