Can any one reccomend recordings for this air?
Cheers
Pwt
Piping Versions
Séamus Ennis’ version is on the album The Return From Fingal
Liam O’Flynn’s version is on his eponymous album
Fiddle
Johnny Doherty on the album The Celebrated Recordings
Flute
Peg McGrath on the album Wooden Flute Obsession Vol 3
That’s just for starters. I’m sure there’s more.
djm
More Flutes:
Paul McGrattan’s is the gold standard to me; far and away the loveliest I’ve heard. It’s on the “Wooden Flute Obsession” CD, Vol. 1. I’m not sure if it’s on any other recordings.
Matt Molly does a nice version on his new “Pathway to the Well” with John Carty.
And of course, Seamus Tansey’s is pretty darned swell – on his “Easter Snow” recording.
For some reason I keep thinking Frankie Gavin took a crack at it on his flute too, but I could be mixing it up with his lovely “Sliabh na Mon” on “Fierce Traditional.”
One more for flute:
Traditional Irish Music from County Clare, by Eamonn Cotter
An interesting piece of information from Peter Browne’s slieve notes to “The Return from Fingal” regarding this tune:
… an air which had special significance for Seamus (Ennis). He learnt it from John Doherty, the famous Donegal fiddle player, and played it at the funeral of his good friend and fellow uilleann piper Willie Clancy … > The title is an anglicisation of > Eiscir Nua > (the new gravel pit) and it is a love song…
The slieve notes give us a verse from the song:
‘Fair maid’, I cried, ‘Your love I crave
For Cupid is a cruel foe.
I’ll wrap you in my morning cloak
and I’ll take you back to Easter Snow (Eiscir Nua).’
‘Go home, consult your parents
and indeed, kind sir, I’ll do the same
and if both our parents give consent,
Neither you nor I will bear the blame.’
I imagine that Eiscir is the same as Esker.
The story I had heard was that the local English landlord’s wife had heard the locals pronounce the Irish name of the village, Eiscir Nua, and the closest she could make of it was Easter Snow. The locals were so charmed by this misinterpretation that the new name stuck. It certainly sounds more romantic than New Gravel Pit in any language.
djm
Thanks for the replies, sources, and information on the air.
Pwt
it did actually snow here in London on Easter Sunday.
after some spring feelings here there was some heavy snowfall at Easter so here we are now, loads of snow for easter…