Frenzy (Polka) - Mount Brandon, Co. Kerry - Tony’s Musical Journeys

Frenzy Polka (c. Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich / Brendan Begley)
Mount Brandon, Co. Kerry, Ireland, February 2019
The Frenzy Polka may not have been composed by Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich with the power of the elements in mind, but its dramatic course sure reminds me of the clashing of the ocean waves and the roaring wind on top of Mount Brandon. Like Breanndán himself, the tune is akin to an anthem to the force of nature. Which is why I chanced playing it while standing on the ridge near Brandon’s top one fine February evening. The hour was getting late and we didn’t have any fancy mics, so there you have it - headphone warning, loud wind noises alert!🙉
🔥 This week, wildfires are on my mind. They sure look distant and unreal until you see one from your bedroom window - then it’s terrifying. We are lucky the fire that ravaged Kemer forests for nearly a week has been stopped by a steep mountainside, a change to humid windless weather and hundreds of brave folks fighting the blaze in tough, sweltering conditions. But as to what might have caused the fire we have no clue - other than the fact it was almost certainly man-made, and very likely started by a cig someone threw from their car’s window. It’s sad how some people don’t have any regard for the lives of their fellow human beings - and even less so for the creatures living in the wild.
The forest is still smoldering, some trees are still burning, we can see them lighting up as little lanterns near the mountaintops. All that because of one careless act in hot windy weather.
Unfortunately, not all of these fires are due to carelessness, some are very much deliberate. Worse still, the barbaric practice of spring burnings of the hillsides and meadows is commonplace in quite a few countries of the world, sadly including Ireland. When we were coming back from Mount Brandon the day that tune was filmed, with Fran waiting for us down below at the Faha Grotto, we nearly ended up walking into an inferno. The entire northeastern face of the Faha Ridge was ablaze, flames rushing up the mountain and consuming both gorse (the supposed target) and all of its residents. While the news of the fire was no surprise to the locals in Cloughane, it was quite a surprise for us how mundane the raging wildfire was to them. In truth, there’s no controlling a fire that large once the weather gets out of hand, which it always does when you least expect it. A man’s arrogance in the face of nature (or plain old physics) truly knows no limits! Let us pray for less wildfires and more sanity this season, and share a reminder that animals and forests in this world are finite.
#TinWhistle #IrishTraditionalMusic #CorcaDhuibhne #IrishMusic #IrishPolka #CoKerry #ToMuJo

[@CiaranKellyCKP]

Parachute required lol.... Great tune.