Gealach na gCuanta - Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde

Tá albam úr cumhachtach a sheoladh ag an t-amhránaí sean-nóis agus taighdeoir Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde, dar teideal Gealach na gCuanta, mar aon le leabhar a scrúdaíonn fréamhacha an tsean-nóis agus an ceangal atá aige le traidisiún ársa, cláirseoireachta na hÉireann.

Ar fáil anois fríd Bandcamp, is bailiúchán é de amhráin a chum sean-chláirseoirí, gnáth amhráin sean-nóis agus amhráin a chum sé féin. Chum Doimnic foinn úra de amhráin a bhfuil an ceol caillte daoibhe chomh maith. Tá a amhrán úr Dhá dTrian Catha an Misneach, lenar bhua sé  comórtas ‘Amhrán nua-chumtha’ an Oireachtais, ar an albam fosta.

I gcuideachta leis an albam, tá leabhar scríofa ag Mac Giolla Bhríde a dhéanann forbairt úr ar thuigbheál s’againn ar cheoleolaíocht agus ar stair an cheoil i nÉirinn. Tá Doimnic ag déanamh taighde ar shean-nós le blianta, chomh maith le bheith a theagsac agus a chaomhnú, agus leis an teolas a bhailigh sé bhí sé ábalta déanamh amach go raibh dlúth-cheangal láidir idir an traidisiún cláirseoireachta agus an sean-nós. Ag tarraingt ar théacsanna stairiúla, bailiúcháin cheoil ar nós lámhscríbhinní Edward Bunting, agus páipéir phearsanta bailitheoirí éagsúla, taispeánann an leabhar an dóigh ar scaradh na traidisiúin seo le himeacht ama.

“Is minic a smaoinímid ar shean-nós agus ar an chláirseoireacht mar dhá thraidisiúin eagsúla, ach ba cheann amháin iad tráth,” a deir Mac Giolla Bhríde. “Chan na sean-chláirseoirí agus rinne siad iad féin a thionlacan ar an chláirseach. Seo traidisiún a d’fhorbair thar céadtha
de bhlianta – amhránaíocht, cláirseoireacht agus filíocht shaibhir. Sa leabhar seo dhéanaim iarracht an traidisiún seo a mhíniú agus leargás a thabhairt ar an dóigh ar fháisc sean-nós amach as an traidisiún seo.”

Rugadh agus tógadh Mac Giolla Bhríde i nGaoth Dobhair, agus is amhránaí, pianódóir, boscadóir, píobaire uilleann, cumadóir agus taighdeoir aitheanta é. Bhuaidh sé Corn Uí Riada in 2009, an gradam is mó le rá in Éirinn do shean-nós, aithnítear go forleathan é mar ghlór
ceannródaíoch in athbheochan agus léirmhíniú amhránaíocht na Gaeilge.

Tugann an leabhar agus an t-albam seo seans de dhaoine ní amháin sult a bhaint as an t-amhránaíocht ach bhéar sé blaiseadh dúinn fosta ar thraidisiún ársa, cheolmhar na hÉireann. Traidisiún a bhí faoi cheilt agus a ndearnadh míléiriú air go minic.

Esteemed sean-nós singer and researcher of Gaelic song, Doimnic Mac
Giolla Bhríde has released a powerful new album, Gealach na gCuanta alongside a major new publication exploring the intertwined roots of ancient Gaelic harp playing and sean-nós singing.

Available now via Bandcamp, Gealach na gCuanta also includes an album of sean-nós and newly composed pieces reflecting some of the most ancient and evocative compositions in existence of Irish song. Doimnic has recreated the airs for some songs where they have been lost, and the album features his own prize-winning song, Dhá dTrian Catha an Misneach.

Mac Giolla Bhríde has authored a companion book that breaks new ground in Irish musicology and history. Borne from his deep association with the tradition of sean-nós singing, and his life’s work in cultivating and preserving it, the work argues that sean-nós singing and Gaelic harp playing were not separate traditions, but two expressions of the
same art form. Drawing on historical texts, music collections such as that of Bunting, and personal papers of various collectors, the book traces how these traditions diverged over time but share a common origin.

“We often think of sean-nós singing and the Gaelic harp as distinct traditions, but they were once one,” says Mac Giolla Bhríde. “The voice and the cláirseach were partners, and the songs conveyed deep, rich, poetry that had developed over centuries. With this project, and
as a singer, I wanted to explore that lost unity.”

Born and raised in the Gaeltacht of Gaoth Dobhair, Mac Giolla Bhríde is a celebrated singer, piano player, accordionist, uilleann piper, composer, and researcher. A former winner of Corn Uí Riada, Ireland’s most prestigious award for sean-nós singing, he is widely recognised as a leading voice in the revival and interpretation of Irish-language song.

The dual release of Gealach na gCuanta and the accompanying book invites audiences to experience sean-nós not only as a form of song, but as part of a broader cultural and musical continuum—one that reaches back to the harpists and poets of Gaelic Ireland.