As an island nation the sea has always been central in our heritage. For me it has personal significance too as, having always lived by the sea, I feel more at ease when I'm near the coast and notice I'm often anxious or tense when I'm away from it for too long. This video was shot at my favourite spot to swim, just off Dalkey Island by Coliemore Harbour, a very happy spot for me to offer up these two tunes; The Rolling Wave and The Humours of Bantry Bay.
There are two tunes that go by the 'Rolling Wave' name, and both are rather old. Both appear in O'Neill's collections of Irish music, which were published in 1903/1907. Francis O'Neill collected them in Chicago over the course of 30 years or so, so it's likely they would have existed in Ireland well before that, at least mid 19th century is likely.
This 'Rolling Wave', aka 'The Humours of Trim' as recorded by O'Neill, is a really great Uilleann pipes tune, which makes me think it was composed by a piper. It was recorded by the great Co. Clare piper Willy Clancy sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It was also recorded on an album called The Lonesome Fiddler which features 'classic' East Galway tunes, but it was also mislabeled as being composed by Paddy Fahey on the same album, despite Paddy being born 10 years after it was published in O'Neill's, so take that for what it's worth.
The other tune that goes by the same name is 'The Rolling Waves' (emphasis on the plural), aka 'Maguire's Kick' or 'The Lonesome Jig'. It's likely from the Sliabh Luachra region of the Southwest known for its slides and polkas. It shows up a lot in recordings featuring this style and has been recorded by some of the greats from the region like Julia Clifford... but that tunes a story for another day!
I've paired it with a reel often called 'the Flagon' and also known as 'the Humours of Bantry Bay'. They sit well together in terms of mood and take the listener on a journey and they give me a lot of joy to play.
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'Dúchas' is the Irish word for ‘nature’, ‘instinct’ and ‘origin’ and with this show Chris takes you on an exploration of Irish heritage through the lens of it’s ancient and beautiful music. The aim of 'Dúchas' is to develop a programme of traditional yet contemporary music arranged for solo guitar. The traditional element is in sourcing ancient Celtic melodies and finding a home for them on the guitar. The contemporary element is found in the expression of these melodies with digital technology, improvisation and modern convention.
Chris' virtuosic performances have received critical acclaim and have seen him travel the world. Most recently, he was invited to perform at The Irish Embassy in Tanzania, The Irish Cultural Centre London and The Florence Academy of Art Italy.
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"An exciting, fresh endeavour to create something new; a blend of improvisation, folk, world and contemporary."
- The Irish Times
"To say we were mesmerised by the intricacies of Chris’ finger picking would not be enough. He is outstanding!"
- Jim Kirby, Director of Irish Heritage London
"Haunting captivating and completely mesmerising."
- Eileen Carey, Events Director St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
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To see more and to support 'Dúchas' visit:
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With thanks to DLR Arts, DLR County Council, The Arts Council of Ireland and Music Network for their support in the development of this repertoire.