Celtic Women

MUSICROUGHGUIDES
THE ROUGH GUIDE to
Celtic Women
‘Most of your reactions are echoes from the
past, you do not really live in the present.’
Gaelic proverb
It is difficult not to think of the past when
listening to even the most modern of Celtic
music. After all, how many art forms stretch
back nearly three millennia and even
survived the Roman conquest? The oldest
surviving Celtic inscriptions date to the
sixth century BC, and during that era Celtic
tribes stretched as far east as Anatolia and
south to the Iberian Peninsula. When the
Romans swept through most of Europe and
the Mediterranean, the Celts persevered
in areas where the Romans were unable
(or perhaps unwilling) to conquer, notably
Ireland, northern sections of what is now
Great Britain and parts of Brittany (France).
Today, the Celtic music world includes
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany (France),
Asturias and Galicia (Spain), and parts of
Atlantic Canada and the United States (a
result of large waves of Scottish, Irish and
French immigration to the Americas). In
recent decades, Celtic women have been
leading a revival in folk music. Today, artists
like Sharon Shannon, Karen Matheson (of
Capercaillie), Cara Dillon and others have
achieved what was only a generation ago
almost unthinkable, reaching mainstream
audiences with Celtic folk music.
Like many traditional music forms, the global
folk revival began in the 1960s and 1970s,
but in this case there were huge obstacles
to overcome. In the middle of the eighteenth
century, the British government had
prohibited all aspects of Highland culture
(including the Gaelic language). While it
survived in rural families, it was essentially
banned in schools and public places, and this
took a significant cultural toll. Celtic music
could certainly be heard in places like the
pubs of Ireland, or the Fest-Noz celebrations
of Brittany. However, musicians in places like
Wales and the Isle of Man, had to research
and reconstruct traditional works. There are
six remaining Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic,
Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and
Manx (which is no longer a primary language
in the Isle of Man). In Galicia and Asturias,
however, Celtic languages haven’t been
spoken for centuries. However, various
traditional musical forms are based on
bagpipes and other Celtic roots.
The Celtic harps, whistles and bagpipes are
certainly timeless, but so are the songs that
have captivated audiences worldwide. Tales
of lost love, lost sailors, dark lullabies and
countless stories of the sea are predominant.
However, in addition to these classic tales,
artists are developing a new canon of songs,
often dealing with the most contemporary of
subjects, as exemplified by Karine Polwart,
whose repertoire deals with substance
abuse and even genocide.
Of course, Celtic women have a truly
unique place in the world: from the fierce
war goddess to fertility goddess. In ancient
society, Celtic women were warriors, and
active politically. Myora Caldicot aptly
summed it up in Women in Celtic Myth: ‘One
of the things I find so refreshing in the Celtic
myths is that the women are honoured as
much for their minds as for their bodies.
The dumb blonde would not stand much of a
chance in ancient Celtic society.’
«On ne vit pas vraiment dans le présent, la
plupart de nos réactions sont des échos du
passé.» Proverbe gaélique
Difficile de ne pas penser au passé en
écoutant de la musique celtique, même la
plus moderne… En effet, combien de formes
d’art peuvent s’enorgueillir de remonter à
près de trois millénaires et d’avoir survécu
à la conquête romaine? Les inscriptions
celtiques les plus anciennes qui nous soient
parvenues remontent au 6è siècle avant
JC; à cette époque, l’influence des tribus
celtes s’étendaient jusqu’à l’Anatolie et le
sud de la péninsule ibérique. Lorsque les
Romains ont balayé la plupart de l’Europe
et de la Méditerranée, les Celtes se sont
maintenus dans les régions que les Romains
étaient incapables de conquérir (ou peutêtre ne voulaient pas conquérir), notamment
l’Irlande, certaines régions au nord de ce qui
est maintenant la Grande-Bretagne et une
partie de la Bretagne française.
Aujourd’hui, le monde de la musique celtique
comprend l’Irlande, l’Ecosse, le Pays de
Galles, la Bretagne française, les Asturies,
la Galice espagnole et des zones du Canada
et des États-Unis (en raison des grandes
vagues d’immigration écossaise, irlandaise
et française aux Amériques). Ces dernières
décennies, les femmes celtes ont initié un
renouveau de cette musique. Aujourd’hui,
des artistes comme Sharon Shannon, Karen
Matheson (de Capercaillie) ou Cara Dillon
ont réussi ce qui était presqu’impensable
voici seulement une génération: atteindre le
grand public avec la musique folk celtique.
Comme pour de nombreuses formes
de musique traditionnelle, le renouveau
mondial de la musique celtique a commencé
dans les années 1960 et 1970. Pour celle-ci
néanmoins, d’énormes obstacles devaient
être surmontés. En effet, au milieu du 18e
siècle, le gouvernement britannique avait
interdit tous les aspects de la culture des
Highlands (y compris la langue gaélique).
Alors que cette culture a survécu dans les
familles rurales, elle a été principalement
interdite dans les écoles et les lieux
publics. Les conséquences culturelles de
ces mesures ont été importantes. Alors
qu’on pouvait toujours entendre la musique
celtique dans les pubs d’Irlande ou les fêtes
de fest-noz en Bretagne, les musiciens
du pays de Galles ou de l’île de Man ont
dû rechercher et reconstruire les oeuvres
traditionnelles. Il subsiste six langues
celtiques: le gaélique irlandais, le gaélique
écossais, le gallois, le cornique, le breton
et le mannois (qui n’est plus une langue
primaire dans l’île de Man). En Galice et dans
les Asturies, les langues celtiques n’ont plus
été parlées depuis des siècles. Diverses
formes musicales traditionnelles restent
pourtant basées sur des cornemuses et
d’autres racines celtiques.
Les harpes celtiques, les whistles (flûtes)
et les cornemuses sont certainement des
instruments intemporels, tout comme les
chansons qui ont enchanté le public du
monde entier. Y prédominent des histoires
d’amour perdu, de marins égarés, de
berceuses sombres et des récits sur la
mer. Outre ces contes classiques, les
artistes mettent au point un nouveau
canon de chansons, traitant souvent de
sujets contemporains, comme en témoigne
Karine Polwart dont le répertoire traite de la
toxicomanie et même de génocide.
Cette musique réserve naturellement à la
femme celte - féroce déesse de la guerre
ou fertile déesse mère - une place unique.
Dans la société antique, les femmes celtes
guerroyaient et étaient actives en politique.
Comme l’affirme avec humour Myora
Caldicot dans Femmes dans le mythe celtique:
«Il est rafraîchissant de voir que, dans les
mythes celtiques, les femmes sont honorées
tant pour leur esprit que pour leur corps.
Une sotte blonde aurait eu peu de chance
dans l’ancienne société celtique».
PAULINE SCANLON - Her music is
immersed in Irish tradition, with a dose of
contemporary edginess from alternative
music. Pauline Scanlon began singing as a
teenager. She toured extensively with Sharon
Shannon last decade, and was featured on
Shannon’s 2003 recording Libertango. In
2004, Scanlon released her first solo CD,
and in 2009, with Eilis Kennedy, formed the
group Lumiere.
CARA DILLON - A child prodigy, Cara Dillon
began playing fiddle and Irish whistle at a
very early age, and by 14 she won the All
Ireland Singing Trophy at the prestigious
Fleadh Cheoil Irish music competition. As
a teenager, she formed the band Oige (an
Irish word that means ‘youth’). Over the
past decade, she has won a host of awards
for her critically acclaimed solo recordings.
Cara Dillon reached new (and even younger)
audiences in 2010, performing the opening
song in the Disney animated film Tinker Bell
and the Great Fairy Rescue.
JULIE FOWLIS - Julie Fowlis may soon need
a larger mantle. In recent years, it seems
(deservingly so) that she has won virtually
every major award in her field: BBC Folk
Singer of the Year, Gaelic Singer of the Year
and Album of the Year (at the Scots Trad
Music Awards), and perhaps the one she’s
most proud of, Scotland’s Gaelic Ambassador
(Tosgaire na Gaidhlig), bestowed in 2008; she
was the first person to receive the honour.
Julie Fowlis grew up in North Uist, an island
Eamon Doorley, Julie Fowlis, Ross Martin &
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
in the Outer Hebrides. It is a Gaelic-speaking
community, and she has been singing, piping
and dancing to the region’s folk music since
she was a child.
SHARON
SHANNON
Accordionist
extraordinaire Sharon Shannon grew up in
Ruan, County Clare, Ireland. Her debut 1991
self-titled album is still the bestselling Irish
folk album of all time. She has performed at
the White House (for Bill Clinton), toured with
Bono, Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Alison
Krauss and a host of other music legends.
In 2009, she became the youngest musician
ever to receive the Lifetime Achievement
honour at the Meteor Awards.
KARINE POLWART - Karine Polwart grew
up in the small Scottish village of Banknock.
Her professional career began with singing
in the groups Malinky and the Battlefield
Band, and in 2003 she released her first solo
album. The songs, which dealt with a host of
contemporary subjects – including genocide,
alcoholism and the war in Yugoslavia – struck
a chord with audiences, and won a host of
awards, including BBC Radio 2 awards for
Album of the Year, Best Newcomer, and Best
Original Song.
SUSANA SEIVANE - Galicia (in northwest
Spain) is one of the seven Celtic nations,
and maintains some of the oldest Celtic
traditions, dating back more than 2000
years. It’s cool, misty coastline and lush
green terrain is reminiscent of the British
Isles. Indeed, it was King Milesius of Galicia
and his people who settled in Ireland
approximately 3500 years ago. The Seivanes
are the Galician royal family of bagpipers
and bagpipe artisans. For more than seventy
years, the Seivane family has been producing
bagpipes at the Obradoiro de Gaitas Seivane
(you can take an online tour of their workshop
at www.seivane.es). Susana Seivane began
playing the instrument at the age of 3,
trained by her father, Alvaro Seivane, and
her grandfather, Xose Manuel Seivane. She
has been enthralling audiences around the
world since 1999, when her debut recording
revealed her talents both as a true master
of the bagpipe and an innovative composer.
Over the past decade, she has adapted the
poetry of Celso Emilio Ferreiro to song and
collaborated with the famous Bagad Kemper
bagpipers of Brittany.
CAPERCAILLIE - One of the most successful
Celtic bands in Scotland, Capercaillie has
sold over a million albums, recorded the first
Gaelic Top 40 single in the UK and composed
music (and appeared) in the hit film Rob Roy.
Their sound incorporates traditional Gaelic
songs with a host of contemporary world
rhythms. Led by vocalist Karen Matheson,
she breathes remarkable new life into
ancient songs or, as Sean ‘007’ Connery
describes it, has ‘a throat that is surely
touched by God’.
EAMON DOORLEY, JULIE FOWLIS, ROSS
MARTIN & MUIREANN NIC AMHLAOIBH This track is from the remarkable project
Dual. Fowlis, one of the pre-eminent voices
in Scottish music today, teamed up with
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (from the awardwinning Irish group Danu) to explore the
common links between their two homelands.
They were the first musical act to appear on
the launch night of BBC ALBA, Scotland’s
dedicated Gaelic-language channel.
KARAN CASEY - Celtic legend Karan Casey
has one of the most provocative (and most
imitated) voices in Celtic music. After years
with the group Solas, she has released five
critically acclaimed solo albums. ‘Johnny I
Hardly Knew Ye’ is one of the most famous
anti-war songs ever written, and dates
back to at least 1820. In the United States,
another variant of the song, ‘When Johnny
Comes Marching Home’, became an anthem
during the Civil War. The lyrics, which
describe a poor, blind and crippled soldier
returning from war, have struck a chord
with generation after generation, and have
once again rung true with new audiences
as a result of the recent wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
GRÁDA - With four albums under their
belt, and 150 concerts a year (in more than
two dozen countries), Gráda is one of the
hardest-working and most successful Irish
folk bands. Their sound blends elements of
bluegrass, Americana and jazz with Irish folk
music. ‘John Riley’ (written by Tim O’Brien,
and featuring Nicola Joyce on vocals) tells
the story of an Irishman who fled famine
and, after arriving in the New World, joined
the mostly Protestant US Army. After facing
discrimination, he deserted and fought with
the Mexicans in the Mexican-American War.
(The story was also chronicled in the 1999
film One Man’s Hero, with Tom Berenger in
the role of John Riley.)
CÉCILE CORBEL - The Celts settled in what
is modern Brittany more than 2500 years
ago. Following the fall of the Roman Empire,
many Celts from the British Isles returned
to Armorica (what is now Brittany), and
their descendants have kept the culture
vibrant over the past 2000 years. The Breton
language (Breizh), indeed, is rooted in the
Celtic British tongue brought to Armorica
in the early Middle Ages. Cécile Corbel
grew up in Brittany and learned to play
the harp as a teenager. Among her many
accomplishments is the award-winning
score to the hit Japanese animated film The
Secret World of Arrietty (which also won the
award for Best Soundtrack in Japan in 2010).
ALTAN - Altan was formed in County Donegal,
Ireland, by vocalist Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh
and her late husband, Frankie Kennedy.
One of the most successful Irish folk bands
ever, they became the first to sign with a
major label (Virgin), and have performed and
recorded with Dolly Parton, Enya, Bonnie
Raitt and Alison Krauss. The group is named
Cara Dilon
after a lake in Gweedore (in County Donegal).
The group recently celebrated their twentyfifth anniversary with a gala concert at the
Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.
MAGGIE MACINNES – Maggie MacInnes
is one of Scotland’s foremost singers and
clàrsach players. She was born in Glasgow
and comes from a long line of Gaelic singers
from Barra, a small island in Scotland’s Outer
Hebrides. She learned most of her songs
from her mother, the revered traditional
singer Flora MacNeil. The haunting track ‘A’
Maighdeann Bharrach’ is a slow and gentle
song, complemented by Maggie’s tender
singing voice.
T WITH THE MAGGIES - The Irish all-star
supergroup T With The Maggies began
performing together in 2007, when Tríona
and Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill, Mairéad
Ní Mhaonaigh and Moya Brennan gave a
concert in Dublin to celebrate the life and
music of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill. These four
women (all native Gaelic speakers) hail from
the same corner of County Donegal, Ireland,
and bring together a treasure of Celtic
music experience. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
is the lead singer with Altan, Moya Brennan
has fronted Clannad since the mid-1970s,
and Tríona and Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill
performed with Skara Brae, and together
their harmonies are simply breathtaking.
TERESA DOYLE – Teresa Doyle, who hails
from Prince Edward Island (PEI), is one
of the leading voices in Canadian Celtic
music. ‘O’Halloran Road’ tells the story of St
Patrick’s Day in rural PEI farming country.
This Atlantic province of Canada was settled
by the Irish, Scottish and French and, as a
result, Celtic music is prevalent – even today.
Unlike their urban twenty-first-century
descendants, who may be found drinking
bright-green artificially coloured beer in
Irish-themed pubs, the nineteenth-century
farming family (with ten children, no less) in
Western Prince Edward Island described in
this song spent 17 March with the arduous
task of moving to a larger farm in the western
part of the province – a job made a little more
bearable with the help of their neighbours.
Dan Rosenberg has crisscrossed the globe
in search of regional folk music. To date, he
has travelled to more than forty countries
(including most of the seven Celtic nations,
though for some unexplained reason he hasn’t
set foot on the Isle of Man). He has lugged
back an eclectic collection of recordings and
musical instruments to his home in Toronto,
Canada, where he works as a journalist and
compilation producer: www.danrosenberg.net
01 PAULINE SCANLON In Shame Love, In Shame
from the album HUSH (CD-4435)
(Hennessy, Scanlon, Sean McCarthy) pub Donogh
Hennessy Music, SGO Music Publishing Ltd (IMPRO/PRS)/
Pauline Scanlon Music, SGO Music Publishing Ltd (IMPRO/
PRS). Licensed from Compass Records.
02 CARA DILLON The Hill Of Thieves
from the album HILL OF THIEVES (CHARCD002)
(Dillon, Lakeman) pub Charcoal Records. Licensed from
Charcoal Records.
03 JULIE FOWLIS M’ Fhearann Saidhbhir (My
Land Is Rich)/Nellie Garvey’s Favourite/’G Ioman
Nan Gamhan ‘S Mi Muladach/Jerry’s Pipe Jig
from the album UAM (SPIT38)
(trad, arr Julie Fowlis) pub Spit & Polish. Licensed from
Spit & Polish.
04 SHARON SHANNON FEAT. CAROL KEOGH
Summer Sands
from the album COLLABORATIONS (INDICD1)
(Keogh, Shannon) pub Cop. Con/Daisy Music/Wardlaw
Banks). Licensed from IML Irish Music Licensing Ltd.
Julie Fowlis
Karan Casey
05 KARINE POLWART What Are You Waiting For?
09 KARAN CASEY Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
from the album FAULTLINES (Neoncd005)
from the album SHIPS IN THE FOREST (CVCD001)
(Polwart) pub Bay Songs Ltd. Licensed from DMF Music
(trad, arr Casey, Vallely, Shaw) pub IMRO. Licensed from
Ltd/Neon.
Crow Valley Records/Compass Records.
06 SUSANA SEIVANE Foliada De Caión
10 GRÁDA John Riley
from the album OS SOÑOS QUE VOLVEN (38502001)
from the album NATURAL ANGLE (CD-4528)
(trad, arr Susana Seivane) pub BOA/Fol Música. Licensed
(Clark, O’Brien) pub EMI April Music/Forerunner Music
Inc, admin Universal Music Corporation/Howdy Skies
Music, Bluewater Music Corporation (ASCAP). Licensed
from Compass Records.
from Fol Musica.
07 CAPERCAILLIE Turas An Ànraidh (The Stormy
Voyage)
from the album ROSES AND TEARS (VERTCD084)
(trad, arr Capercaillie) pub Vertical Music. Licensed from
Vertical.
08 EAMON DOORLEY, JULIE FOWLIS, ROSS
MARTIN & MUIREANN NIC AMHLAOIBH
Da Bhfaigheann Mo Rogha De Thriur Acu/
Dhannsamaid Le Ailean/Cairistion’ Nigh’n
Eoghainn
11 CÉCILE CORBEL Brian Boru
from the album SONGBOOK VOL. 3 (RSCD303)
(Stivell, Cécile) Licensed from Keltia.
12 ALTAN Amhran Pheadair Bhreathnaigh
from the album LOCAL GROUND (VERTCD069)
(trad, arr Mhaonaigh, Byrne, Curran, Sproule, Kelly) pub
IMRO. Licensed from Vertical.
13 MAGGIE MACINNES A’ Mhaighdeann Bharrach
(The Barra Maiden)
from the album SPIOAD BEATHA (THE SPIRIT OF
LIFE) (MARCD01)
(trad, arr Maggie MacInnes) pub Maggie MacInnes
(MCPS)/Riverboat UK Music (MCPS). Courtesy of World
Music Network.
14 T WITH THE MAGGIES Cuach Mo Londubh Buí
from the album T WITH THE MAGGIES (TWMCD001)
(trad, arr Dhomhnaill, Dhomhnaill, Mhaonaigh, Brennan)
pub Dhomhnaill, Dhomhnaill, Mhaonaigh, Brennan IMRO.
Licensed from Gola.
15 TERESA DOYLE O’Halloran Road
from the album PRINCE EDWARD ISLE, ADIEU
(TD001)
(trad, arr Doyle) pub Bedlam Records. Licensed from
Bedlam.
from the album DUAL (MACH001)
(trad, arr Doorley, Fowlis, Martin, Amhlaoibh) pub MCPS/
PRS/IMRO. Licensed from Machair Records.
Cécile Corbel
Capercaillie
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T With The Maggies
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