The Land and music
Updated: Feb 15
I have been taking amateur photographs for many years, on the spot images, mostly of landscapes that surround me here in my native East Clare. My debut album "Beneath the Hedgerow" reflects some of the influences of that connection both on the CD cover, the booklet and in my music. There has always been an inherent connection of my music with that of my surrounding landscape. For me, they are not separate. They are one, each influencing and feeding the other. I can be drawn to a place today and not again for a month. It can influence my mood as I draw the bow across the fiddle, harsh, sweet, mellow, deep, light. It can be raw, exposed, bare, deep and vulnerable. It can ignite a smile, a tear, a pull deep down into your very core. The land can be magical, mystical, exciting, static, rigid. It can breathe space and life into a person. I am not separate from the history of the land, where I come from. It is in me. For those who travel far, the landscape of the music may vary, bringing an abundance of colour and textures, influences and experiences. I have travelled over the same familiar territory for many years. Once seasons feeds into another. It can bring both feelings of security and contempt, elation and despair, all the while reminding me of my space. I am not static. There are always changes, however subtle. A deeper understanding emerges, a deeper connection is available.
Below, I am sharing one of my compositions, The Legacy, that I have put together with some of my own photos to create an audio and visual sensory experience. Let me know how it feels, listening and watching it. Is there a sense of connection ?