Hate to contradict Mairead, but I'm a rural/suburban Irish-American whose family has roots in Donegal, and what I hear in the music is not escapism, it's strength, power and drive. The drive to survive that I hear in all of Irish music, but on steroids!
Wow, this is old. At time index 4:42 he starts playing "the bagpipes" on the fiddle. It's not. It's an older tradition. When the bow got to Ireland ~1000 a.d., the plucked lyres (cruit, crowd, crotte, etc.) had flat bridges, so when bowed, there was always a drone string or two or three being played along with the melody string. Some say the name then changed to tiompan and the word cruit then shifted to the harp. So he's not imitating a bagpipe; he's playing from a tradition where bagpipe and fiddle both played with drones. This is a really old tradition that's survived. Amazing.
Much like the Norwegian hardanger fiddle has four to five drone strings, as do so many traditional instruments the world over. Many of the stringed instruments in Scandinavia, India and the middle East, Asia; have a minimum of five strings droning.
It's helpful to try and understand the meaning rather than strictly the word choice: he describes what he means by "more rhythmic" just after that. He means it has a "swing" to it. Highlands definitely have more swing than strathspeys played in the Scottish style. He doesn't mean that strathspeys are not rhythmic. So, he may not have chosen the phrase you would have ("more rhythmic"), but he is correct considering what he means by it.
What tuning is he using for the bagpipe sounds ? DDAD ? Sounds like us scotch Irish Appalachians here across the pond playing our drone filled cross tunings like AEAE and etc
That is James. The highland sounds like a very localised tune, possibly a mashup if you will. It sounds somewhat based on 'The Highlandman' in the first part; 'The Teelin' is very reminiscent in the second part. Many tunes are just hybrids! Look at The Pinch of Snuff! Or King of the Pipers...multiple versions and settings. The pinch of Snuff has at least three settings, plus it spawned 'The Glen Road to Carrick' and 'Mill na Maidi'.
***** Dal Riata was what is now Argyll & Bute, on the west coast and islands. Glasgow, was a small village in the Britons' Kingdom of Strathclyde, which had Dumbarton on the Clyde as its' capital! The name 'Glasgow' derives from Old Welsh/Brythonic, not Gaelic. She was referring to the 1000s upon 1000s from Donegal who made Glasgow their home during the 19th Century, as did 1000s of Highlanders for the same reasons. And many's the tune that was shared between them, LOL!!
***** Except, that the Emigration went the other way in those times, LOL! The 'Gall' of Dhun na nGall, were the "Gallowglass"; mercenary warriors who came FROM Alba to fight for Irish Chiefs, and who brought both their language and their 'War Pipes' with them. There's just no history of GHB (Great Highland Bagpipe) music in Ireland, or the 'Ceol Mor', that is effectively the classical music of the pipes. Though the MacCrimmons of Skye were hired to play for and perhaps teach some Irish chiefs the GHB. (There are also no known examples of such pipes to be found in Ireland!)
***** There's not a scrap of archaelogical evidence for any colonization of Western Scotland FROM Ireland.......NONE! And the CAPITAL of Dal Riata, where the Kings were enthroned was in Kilmartin Glen in Argyll, at a sacred place called Dunadd, NOT anywhere in Ireland, tellingly!
***** P.S. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Uillean Pipes are actually a modern invention, descended from the bellows blown "Parlour Pipes", which the Northumbrian Pipes are the modern incarnation of! It was the English/Normans that brought them to Ireland in the first place.
I don't think the fact that highlands are derived from strathspeys is at issue. My point was a response to TheBomberwells's opinion about rhythmicness. As for Donegal fiddle's having "more in common" with Scots fiddle than Irish fiddle--that is definitely a subjective point. And, in fact, I feel the opposite. Donegal fiddle sounds more Irish to me than Scottish (speaking mostly of reels and jigs), and the style fits in better with the average style-smeared Irish session than does Scots fiddle.
Interestingly, Scottish players seem to feel the reverse: that Donegal fiddling sounds a lot more Irish than Scottish. But anyway, whether or not some organization declared Donegal playing to be un-Irish, I stand by my sentiment. Long, long subjective arguments can be made either way, but it's clearly a matter of opinion and there is no fact of the matter. Organizations don't have any special authority to determine subjective points, just as no one has any special authority on what's beautiful.
I've played fiddle since 2000... Having first been exposed to Donegal music in 2002. Around the same time I became obsessed with cape Breton and Scottish music too. After much practice, many hours of playing, it's clear to me a Scottish strathspey/reel/jig has a very bouncy and syncopated feel. Listen to any cape Breton fiddler. The strathspey 'Bog an Lochain' played in Nova Scotia versus Donegal? Much slower, steadier and "flatter" sound in Ireland. Scottish strathspeys are almost played (to me) to a 2/4 beat than a 4/4. A Donegal strathspey or highland is a bit more like a reel, in 4/4, smoother beat & less use of scotch snap rhythms (though still present). The repertoire is often shared but the style of Donegal still retains the "drive" and smooth rhythms of Irish music. Scottish tunes are often played slower, deliberately, with longer notes present. A bouncy back beat is often present in Scottish styles.
Great show and some outstanding performances, thank you for making them available!
mairead ni mhaonaigh I LOVE YOU
Hate to contradict Mairead, but I'm a rural/suburban Irish-American whose family has roots in Donegal, and what I hear in the music is not escapism, it's strength, power and drive. The drive to survive that I hear in all of Irish music, but on steroids!
"I think it comes from the cradle!" Love it.
Wow, this is old. At time index 4:42 he starts playing "the bagpipes" on the fiddle. It's not. It's an older tradition. When the bow got to Ireland ~1000 a.d., the plucked lyres (cruit, crowd, crotte, etc.) had flat bridges, so when bowed, there was always a drone string or two or three being played along with the melody string. Some say the name then changed to tiompan and the word cruit then shifted to the harp. So he's not imitating a bagpipe; he's playing from a tradition where bagpipe and fiddle both played with drones. This is a really old tradition that's survived. Amazing.
Much like the Norwegian hardanger fiddle has four to five drone strings, as do so many traditional instruments the world over. Many of the stringed instruments in Scandinavia, India and the middle East, Asia; have a minimum of five strings droning.
Bravo
It's helpful to try and understand the meaning rather than strictly the word choice: he describes what he means by "more rhythmic" just after that. He means it has a "swing" to it. Highlands definitely have more swing than strathspeys played in the Scottish style. He doesn't mean that strathspeys are not rhythmic. So, he may not have chosen the phrase you would have ("more rhythmic"), but he is correct considering what he means by it.
What tuning is he using for the bagpipe sounds ? DDAD ? Sounds like us scotch Irish Appalachians here across the pond playing our drone filled cross tunings like AEAE and etc
Máiréaidín a Ghráidh ❤️🌺❤️
What's the highland played starting around 5:52, does anyone know? I think that's James Byrne, at least it sounds like him.
That is James. The highland sounds like a very localised tune, possibly a mashup if you will. It sounds somewhat based on 'The Highlandman' in the first part; 'The Teelin' is very reminiscent in the second part. Many tunes are just hybrids! Look at The Pinch of Snuff! Or King of the Pipers...multiple versions and settings. The pinch of Snuff has at least three settings, plus it spawned 'The Glen Road to Carrick' and 'Mill na Maidi'.
2:50 tune your fiddle sir!
"So Glasgow was the real capital of Donegal!" LOL!!!!
So true.....so true!
*****
Dal Riata was what is now Argyll & Bute, on the west coast and islands. Glasgow, was a small village in the Britons' Kingdom of Strathclyde, which had Dumbarton on the Clyde as its' capital!
The name 'Glasgow' derives from Old Welsh/Brythonic, not Gaelic.
She was referring to the 1000s upon 1000s from Donegal who made Glasgow their home during the 19th Century, as did 1000s of Highlanders for the same reasons. And many's the tune that was shared between them, LOL!!
*****
Except, that the Emigration went the other way in those times, LOL!
The 'Gall' of Dhun na nGall, were the "Gallowglass"; mercenary warriors who came FROM Alba to fight for Irish Chiefs, and who brought both their language and their 'War Pipes' with them.
There's just no history of GHB (Great Highland Bagpipe) music in Ireland, or the 'Ceol Mor', that is effectively the classical music of the pipes. Though the MacCrimmons of Skye were hired to play for and perhaps teach some Irish chiefs the GHB.
(There are also no known examples of such pipes to be found in Ireland!)
*****
May be of interest to you:
youririshheritage.com/the-warrior-galloglass-surnames-of-ireland/
*****
There's not a scrap of archaelogical evidence for any colonization of Western Scotland FROM Ireland.......NONE!
And the CAPITAL of Dal Riata, where the Kings were enthroned was in Kilmartin Glen in Argyll, at a sacred place called Dunadd, NOT anywhere in Ireland, tellingly!
*****
P.S. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Uillean Pipes are actually a modern invention, descended from the bellows blown "Parlour Pipes", which the Northumbrian Pipes are the modern incarnation of!
It was the English/Normans that brought them to Ireland in the first place.
I don't think the fact that highlands are derived from strathspeys is at issue. My point was a response to TheBomberwells's opinion about rhythmicness.
As for Donegal fiddle's having "more in common" with Scots fiddle than Irish fiddle--that is definitely a subjective point. And, in fact, I feel the opposite. Donegal fiddle sounds more Irish to me than Scottish (speaking mostly of reels and jigs), and the style fits in better with the average style-smeared Irish session than does Scots fiddle.
Interestingly, Scottish players seem to feel the reverse: that Donegal fiddling sounds a lot more Irish than Scottish. But anyway, whether or not some organization declared Donegal playing to be un-Irish, I stand by my sentiment. Long, long subjective arguments can be made either way, but it's clearly a matter of opinion and there is no fact of the matter. Organizations don't have any special authority to determine subjective points, just as no one has any special authority on what's beautiful.
I've played fiddle since 2000... Having first been exposed to Donegal music in 2002. Around the same time I became obsessed with cape Breton and Scottish music too. After much practice, many hours of playing, it's clear to me a Scottish strathspey/reel/jig has a very bouncy and syncopated feel. Listen to any cape Breton fiddler. The strathspey 'Bog an Lochain' played in Nova Scotia versus Donegal? Much slower, steadier and "flatter" sound in Ireland. Scottish strathspeys are almost played (to me) to a 2/4 beat than a 4/4. A Donegal strathspey or highland is a bit more like a reel, in 4/4, smoother beat & less use of scotch snap rhythms (though still present). The repertoire is often shared but the style of Donegal still retains the "drive" and smooth rhythms of Irish music. Scottish tunes are often played slower, deliberately, with longer notes present. A bouncy back beat is often present in Scottish styles.