It was a sight to behold – young, old, brave, bold. 100 women on four beaches in the four corners of Ireland, celebrating sisterhood in all its colours. Men fled as women marched, danced, sang, howled and embraced the Dublin, Connemara, Belfast and Cork sands and tides.
Led by fearless fiddler, bilingual singer & multi-instrumentalist Clare Sands, ‘Awe na Mná (Praise the Women)’ is the powerful, energetic, and fierce new single from Sands and is a celebration of women through the ages. Paying homage to the likes of Gráinne Mhaol, Countess Markievicz, Queen Maeve, Maggie Barry and modern day Irish women the Debenhams Workers, Awe Na Mná (Praise the Women) is a battle cry, a fervent call, a rebel yell, and a passionate proclamation to sing and dance in awe of mná.
Official video ‘Awe na Mná’ (Praise the Women)
Speaking of the song, Clare says “The gatherings of women all over the country were joyful, empowering and fierce – and I could think of no better time to release Awe na Mná (Praise the Women) than International Women’s Day. I wrote the song on Inisheer and while I was there, I was struck by how resilient, fearless, and strong the women were. This song reflects on the past, embraces the present & strives towards a brighter future for women in Ireland and all over the world.”
Following on from the release of her critically acclaimed EP ‘Tírdhreacha Agus Fuaimdhreacha’ (Landscapes & Soundscapes) where Sands collaborated with four different artists across the four seasons in the four provinces of Ireland, Awe na Mná (Praise the Women) marks the start of a new journey for Sands and a highly-anticipated new body of work, which explores tradition, the sea and the power of women, through the dark and light, love and loss, rise and fall.
Never before was woman power more obvious than throughout the creation and launch of the trance-like tribal video, created by twin sisters Liadain Ní Bhraonáin & Kasia Kaminska alongside an all-female crew, filmed in four locations throughout the summer of 2021.
Public calls were made to gather women from all walks of life, to join in celebration of our resilience, strength and fearlessness – at a time when we need it most….
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