I have heard a number of suggestions as to where the tune came from. One story suggests that the title comes from a fiddler who was up on the mountain on Blascaod Mór, and heard the song on the wind. He heard it several times, from several directions, and decided that different tribes of fairies were playing funeral music to pay homage to the deceased King of the Fairies, so he memorized the tune. The second story I heard was that fishermen from Blascaod Mór were in a naomhóg and they heard music swell up out of the water, seeming to come from everywhere all at once. This story suggested that the sound was whale song, which was amplified by the stretched drumskin like covering and the concave shape of the naomhóg. I like both stories equally well, and I think it's a testament to storytelling, that both stories have a cultural authenticity, despite being entirely different.
I'm reading the Tiffany Aching cycle of Terry Pratchett's Discworld to my daughter. Although the series is set in the fictional universe of Discworld, Pratchett omits a lot of the Discworld place references in lieu of descriptions of the Chalk and the sheep-dotted green hills of the Aching family farm. Pratchett died in Wiltshire (Broad Chalke) -- and his treatment of the mythology of the area is evocative of this music, and these images. Although it's about as far south in England as one can get from The Basket Islands, one has to imagine the fair folk weren't bound by trivialities like the ocean. Particular before deforestation. We played this song faintly in the background while reading the opening of "The Wintersmith." Thank you!
När jag får syn på båten,curraugh, strömmar minnena över mig från resan till Aran-öarna och när jag färdades i en curraugh från fraktbåten och in till land. Vi var på atlanten med lite dyning annars lugnt
BPucai means ghosts or spirits as Gaeilge not ‘fairies’ .... fairy would be ‘Sidhe’ and the title is also wrong ‘song of the gostd would be Amhrain na bPucai not ‘port’
The person who heard the music, while he wa out on a silent evening in coracle, a stretched canvas boat, in a deep mist, thought it was the fairies making the music. In fact, there was a pod of whales below him and their singing was amplified by the boat, which acted like a speaker and transfered the sound into the air around the boat. The tune has never been called Song of the Ghosts, someone obviously mistranslated the title.
Couple of things..."in fact?" That story is just one of many origin stories of this tune. Also...coracle? They were typically river boats. Curraghs were and still are used in Kerry. Lastly...pucaí is plural for puca (pooka) which is often translated as ghost. There is and always has been a fluidity between supernatural categories in our folklore.
lovely, just lovely...
I have heard a number of suggestions as to where the tune came from. One story suggests that the title comes from a fiddler who was up on the mountain on Blascaod Mór, and heard the song on the wind. He heard it several times, from several directions, and decided that different tribes of fairies were playing funeral music to pay homage to the deceased King of the Fairies, so he memorized the tune.
The second story I heard was that fishermen from Blascaod Mór were in a naomhóg and they heard music swell up out of the water, seeming to come from everywhere all at once. This story suggested that the sound was whale song, which was amplified by the stretched drumskin like covering and the concave shape of the naomhóg.
I like both stories equally well, and I think it's a testament to storytelling, that both stories have a cultural authenticity, despite being entirely different.
Meditative as these irish tunes always are. No need to rush when making music, it's a gift.
Irish music reveals th Irish soul.
Drunk?
I'm a sucker for the low D,Shane.Truly beautiful and haunting Air,sensitively played.Thanks!
Irish ship Titanic
I'm reading the Tiffany Aching cycle of Terry Pratchett's Discworld to my daughter. Although the series is set in the fictional universe of Discworld, Pratchett omits a lot of the Discworld place references in lieu of descriptions of the Chalk and the sheep-dotted green hills of the Aching family farm. Pratchett died in Wiltshire (Broad Chalke) -- and his treatment of the mythology of the area is evocative of this music, and these images. Although it's about as far south in England as one can get from The Basket Islands, one has to imagine the fair folk weren't bound by trivialities like the ocean. Particular before deforestation. We played this song faintly in the background while reading the opening of "The Wintersmith." Thank you!
Irish whiskey
The ‘Blasket Islands’ ( Na Blascaodaí) are in Ireland NOT England.
hauntingly beautiful ❤
Fascinating, and mesmerizing tune.
Absolutely beautiful !! Thank you 🎶
My mother grew up in Kerryhead overlooking the Blaskets. The music felt familiar like a lost memory.
Beautiful interpretation Shane...and video:)
Haunting
Surreal ❤
När jag får syn på båten,curraugh, strömmar minnena över mig från resan till Aran-öarna och när jag färdades i en curraugh från fraktbåten och in till land. Vi var på atlanten med lite dyning annars lugnt
Hej! Förvånad att se en svensk här. Jag är från Irland fast bosatt i Sverige sen 1996.
This is Port na Bpucai (“Music of the Fairies”).
BPucai means ghosts or spirits as Gaeilge not ‘fairies’ .... fairy would be ‘Sidhe’ and the title is also wrong ‘song of the gostd would be Amhrain na bPucai not ‘port’
And port means jig
ghosts
Home ❤
Beautiful. May I ask, what make of low D are you using here?
Hi Jim, yes it's a Goldie low D whistle.
The person who heard the music, while he wa out on a silent evening in coracle, a stretched canvas boat, in a deep mist, thought it was the fairies making the music. In fact, there was a pod of whales below him and their singing was amplified by the boat, which acted like a speaker and transfered the sound into the air around the boat. The tune has never been called Song of the Ghosts, someone obviously mistranslated the title.
Couple of things..."in fact?" That story is just one of many origin stories of this tune. Also...coracle? They were typically river boats. Curraghs were and still are used in Kerry. Lastly...pucaí is plural for puca (pooka) which is often translated as ghost. There is and always has been a fluidity between supernatural categories in our folklore.
Oh wow, this is a song I feel like I must play. Does anyone have the tabs? I've been searching without success.
THIS STORY IS REAL, FIGHT ME! 🎉
Shane, I was wondering if I could have permission to use thirty seconds of this for an audiobook with a piece about Port na bPúcaí?
Hi Anne67001,Can you please get in touch using the email in the About tab on my channel page? Thanks!