The Gap of Dreams - Altan


Price:
Sale price€17.99

Description

After thirty years of playing on stages all over the world from Dublin to New York, Tokyo to Sydney, premier traditional Irish band, Altan came back to the hills of Donegal to record their new album, ‘The Gap Of Dreams’. The 13 tracks transport the listener to the lifestyle of rural Donegal, to a time before electricity when folks would gather together in the mists of winter to tell stories, sing songs and dance into the wee hours of the night. The music lifted the locals’ spirits and helped elevate them beyond the hardships of the day like famine, conflict and emigration. It is this spirit that informed the development of the band through their many phases of growth from a duo performing in pubs to international touring and recording artists.

The album features many sets of traditional Donegal reels, such as Néilidh Boyle’s provocative composition, “Seán sa Cheo” (John in the Mist), as well as original compositions. Martin Tourish wrote two lively reels in the Donegal style: “Tuar,” which translates to “omen or sign,” and “Oíche Fheidhmuúil,” meaning “a spirited night.”

One of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh’s compositions for this album is a slip jig, which features as the title track, “The Gap of Dreams,” and is followed by two more. Mairéad’s daughter Nia Byrne wrote the first titled “Nia’s Jig,” and plays fiddle on the track. Mark Kelly’s son Sam penned the second, “The Beekeeper,” (logically named because it’s in the key of B!), and plays concertina on the track. Four of the songs are in Irish (Gaelic), which is Mairéad’s first language, and the language of the northwest of Donegal.

Liosta Traiceanna / Track Listing

1. The Gap of Dreams / Nia’s Jig / The Beekeeper. – Jigs.
2. The Month of January. – Song.
3. Seán sa Cheo / Tuar / Oíche Fheidhmiúil (A Spirited Night). – Reels.
4. Bacach Shíl’ Andaí. – Song.
5. The Piper in the Cave / An Ghaoth Aniar Aneas (The South-West Wind). – March/Jig.
6. Níon a’ Bhaoigheallaigh. – Song.
7. The Tullaghan Lasses / The Cameronian / The Pigeon on the Gate. – Reels.
8. An Bealach Seo ‘Tá Romham (This Road Ahead of Me). – Song.
9. Dark Inishowen. – Song.
10. The Templehouse Strathspey & Reel / John Mhosey McGinley’s / The Mermaid of Mullaghmore. – Stathspey/Reels.
11. Cumha an Oileáin. – Song.
12. Port Alex. – Slow Tune.
13. Fare Thee Well, A Stór. – Song.

Other Albums:

  • 25th Anniversay Celebration (With the RTE Concert Orchestra)
  • The Red Crow
  • The First 10 Years (1986-95) - Altan
  • The Best of Altan
  • Local Ground
  • The Widening Gyre, Altan
  • Horse with a Heart
  • Harvest Storm
  • Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen


      Payment & Security

      American Express Apple Pay Google Pay Maestro Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Union Pay Visa

      Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.

      Estimate shipping

      You may also like

      Recently viewed