In our quest for ambient sounds and spaces around the world, each year at this time we return to the Celtic homelands on the western edge of Europe. Here, amid the great cliffs, sodden bogs, rocky fields and green meadows, a unique folk music emerged — and it's very much alive today.
Imagine living there 400 years ago in the time of itinerant musicians like the blind Irish harper and poet TURLOUGH O'CAROLAN. These travelers criss-crossed the land, casting spells on their listeners with the beauty of their music, the simplest of instruments and the purest of human voices. With the wire-strung harp, the whistle and the drum, they spun out spirited jigs and reels, delicate faerie dances, ethereal chants, and deep, plangent ballads that define the term 'heartfelt.'
On this transmission of Hearts of Space....we celebrate the land and the artists who keep this musical tradition alive and vibrant today, on a program called THE CELTIC BALLAD. Music is by MAIRE BREATNACH, CLANNAD, T WITH THE MAGGIES, AOIFE, DAVID HELFAND, AINE MINOGUE, DAVY SPILLANE, BRUCE MITCHELL, and JEFF JOHNSON.
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