Clàr Ùr! Sgàth Fhras (New album!) le Anna-Wendy Stevenson, Muriel Urquhart, Simon Thoumire agus Tom Bancroft.

Filed Under: News

Chaidh mi a dh’Uibhist a Dheas airson a’ chiad turas anns a’ Mhàrt 2025. Bha mi air airgead fhaighinn bho Creative Scotland (mòran taing!) airson ceòl ùr a sgrìobhadh agus bha mi a’ coimhead air beachdan. Bha mi nam shuidhe anns an taigh aig Scott agus Jessica (Bornais) agus cha robh beachdan sam bith agamsa. An uair sin thug Màiri NicAonghais dhomh an leabhar ‘Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist’ le Margaret Fay Shaw (1955). ‘S e leabhar sgionneil a th’ ann! Chosg mi an uairsin làithean leis an leabhar agus ag èisteachd ris na h-òrain air website Tobar an Dualchais. Lorg mi òrain gu leòr agus thog mi dealbhan de na fuinn air am fòn agam agus chlàr mi fuaimean air an computer agam. Abair seachdain a bh’ agam! Fhuair mi puirt gu leòr airson an ceòl ùr agam agus an clàr seo!

Seo clàr ‘improvised’. Thug sinn sùil air na seann òrain seo agus an uair sin dhùin sinn a-rithist ar sùilean! Tha e cudromach gu bheil cuimhne againn gur e seann òrain a th’ annta ach tha iad beò fhathast agus feumaidh an t-saoghal a chluinntinn. airson a’ chiad turas anns a’ Mhàrt 2025. Bha mi air fhaighinn airgead bho Chreative Scotland (mòran taing!) airson ceòl ùr a sgrìobhadh agus bha mi a’ coimhead air beachdan. Bha mi nam shuidhe anns an taigh aig Scott agus Jessica (Bornais) agus cha robh beachdan sam bith agamsa. An uair sin ghabh Màiri NicAonghais dhomh an leabhar ‘Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist’ le Margaret Fay Shaw (1955). ‘S e leabhar sgionneil a th’ ann! Chosg mi an ath làithean leis an leabhar agus èisteachd ris an òrain air website Tobar an Dualchais. Lorg mi òrain gu leòr air an do thog mi dealbhan air an fòn agam agus chlàr mi fuaimean air an computer agam. Abair seachdain a bh’ agam! Fhuair mi puirt gu leòr airson an ceòl ùr agam agus an clàr seo!

1 Gur tu mo nighean donn bhòidheach 7:21 GXA8R 25 00001
2 Màiri NicAonghais, Banrigh Bhornais 5:09 GXA8R 25 00002
3 A’ ghaoil, lig dhachaigh gu m’ mhàthair mì 3:10 GXA8R 25 00003
4 Till an crodh, faigh an crodh 2:39 GXA8R 25 00004
5 Cholla, mo rùin 8:52 GXA8R 25 00006

This is a new album of improvised music based on the songs collected in Margaret Fay Shaw’s 1955 book ‘The Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist.’ The improvisation and harmony work is rooted within the language of Scottish traditional music. Available in both Gaelic and English, this groundbreaking release marks the first free improvised album of Scottish Gaelic music.” Sgàth Fhras is a Gaelic phrase meaning small rain showers – the kind of light shower that doesn’t soak you too much! The initial idea behind the album was small vignettes of impro of Gaelic songs just like a short rain shower.

When I (Simon Thoumire) received funding from Creative Scotland to write new music for a show at Celtic Connections festival (Dol Fodha Na Grèine) I came to South Uist to find inspiration. It wasn’t happening through until Màiri MacInnes brought her copy of Margaret Fay Shaw’s 1955 book ‘Folk Songs and Folklore of South Uist. I knew of the book but had never read it before. I started going through it and at the same I looked the songs up on the Tobar an Dualchais website. I took photos of the songs and recorded the audio from the website so I could reference it. I got so much material that as well as the Celtic Connections piece I had enough left over for this album and more!

This is an improvised album. We listened to the original recordings and then turned the sheet music over to create something new in the moment. The arrangements were not thought about beforehand and happened spontaneously during the recording session. It was fun! I think it is important to remember that these songs maybe old but they are just as important nowadays in a complicated world. They remind us that preserving our traditional culture and languages is just as vital as embracing new ideas and welcoming new voices. These songs aren’t just echoes of the past – they’re living bridges between generations.

I hope you enjoy this album. It’s been a lot of fun to make and to create new versions of these beautiful songs.

Fiddle: Anna-Wendy Stevenson, concertina: Simon Thoumire, vocals: Muriel Urquhart, drums: Tom Bancroft

1. Gur tu mo nighean donn bhòidheach
Anns an òran luaidh seo tha am bàrd ag innse mar a bha e ag èisteachd ris na diùcan a’ moladh tè bhòidheach, agus na h-iarlan a tha ag iarraidh a pòsadh. Bidh e muladach mura faigh e i. Rachadh e an ear agus an iar leatha. Rachadh e tro Chaol Ìle agus tro Chaol Mhuile, agus gu Glaschu far am bi na fasanan. Às a sin, bheireadh e i do dh’Uibhist far am buidhicheadh an t-eòrna.

2. Màiri NicAonghais, Banrigh Bhornais
Tha Màiri NicAonghais air a bhith gu math coimhneil Shìm a h-uile turas a dh’fhuiricheas e ann an Uibhist a Deas. Leugh Sìm leabhar a bha a-staigh aice le Mairead Fay Shaw air an robh ‘Folksong and Folklore of South Uist’ bhon leabhar seo fhuair e greim air fuinn a chòrd ris agus rinn e ath-sgrìobhadh dhen na puirt seo airson ceòl ùr air a bheil: ‘Dol Fodha Na Grèine’. Chaidh am fonn seo a sgrìobhadh le Alana NicAonghais agus Sìm Thoumire.

3. A’ ghaoil, lig dhachaigh gu m’ mhàthair mì
‘S e còmhradh a th’ anns an òran seo eadar nighean agus each-uisge. Tha an nighean ag iarraidh tilleadh gu a màthair, ach chan eil an t-each-uisge deònach a leigeil air falbh. Tha e follaiseach on rann mu dheireadh gun do rinn i an gnothach air teicheadh.

4. Till an crodh, faigh an crodh
‘S e òran bleoghain, aig a bheil ceangal ri pìobaireachd, a th’ anns an òran seo. Tha e ag ràdh:

“Till an crodh, faigh an crodh,
Gheibh thu a’ bhean bheadarrach.
Till an crodh, faigh an crodh,
Gheibh thu a’ bhean bhòidheach.”

5. Cholla, mo rùin
‘S e òran pìobaireachd a tha seo anns a bheil pìobaire ag iarraidh air Colla an caisteal a sheachnadh. Tha e ag innse gun deach e fhèin a ghlacadh.