This air comes from a sean nós song sung to the words of the poem by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, written in the 17th or 18th century. In the song the poet describes the plight and beauty of a yellow bittern he finds has died from thirst when a lake froze over. While the song ends up being a drinking song after all, the poetry in it is very poignant and the melody haunting.
Absolutely sensational - love the generally low-end tones and planxty-esque set up, but most of all the incredible energy of it! Wish more instrumental trad was like this, love the fact that it's recorded live too. Prangman
From Cork, Ireland, Lewis Barfoot writes mystic, majestic songs derived from regional folk, with an ambient music aura. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 11, 2023