Hard copy of 'The Road Across the Hills' with stunning artwork by Somhairle MacDonald
Includes unlimited streaming of The Road Across the Hills
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about
Glenmornan/The Gombeen Man
The first track sets the scene in the heart of Donegal in all its glory. MacGill was born in Glenties but in his books, his home town is referred to as 'Glenmornan'.
It was common place at the time for people to be held in debt slavery to the 'gombeen man ', or local moneylender, while simultaneously being bullied from the pulpit by a local priest who ruled the parish with a fist of steel.
lyrics
Across life's varied ways we drift
Unto the tomb that lies in wait,
One ruling o'er the mighty state,
One sweating on the double shift.
I’ve whirled adown the sinful slope
That leads to chasms of despair,
And dwelt in haunts of hunger where
The spectre sorrow jeers at hope.
My ways are cast with many men
Who fight with destiny and fail,
The down and outers of the jail,
The tavern and the gambling den –
The men who bet and drink and curse,
Who tread the labyrinthine maze
Of sin, who move on rugged ways,
Who might be better – ay, and worse!
My dead-end comrades true as steel,
The men who bravely bear the goad,
The wild uncultured of the road –
Like them I speak just as I feel.
credits
from The Road Across the Hills,
released February 22, 2019
Music composed by Gráinne Brady with 'A Navvy's Philosophy' by Patrick MacGill
Gráinne Brady – fiddle
Andrew Waite – piano accordion
Innes White – guitar
So pleased to see your second album on its way. I’ve just about worn a hole in your first CD because I love it so much. Cannae wait due the whole thing to appear on 4th May. The taster track is AWESOME!! 🙏 floradouglas
Listening to this album's rich, beautiful melodies and spirited performances feels like seeing a fantastical other-world emerge from the Earth itself. The emotions running through "A Mermaid at Fearn" are so complex and genuine it could convince anyone that mermaids are really out there. Gyakuten
Just the most fun. Every set is one I want to sit down and learn, and they play with so much ENERGY and STYLE. Crunchy, tangible sound. I'll never get tired of listening to Kinnaris Quintet play. andpersand