Clare Sands, the Cork-born fearless feisty fiddler, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has been crafting new macaronic works to be released throughout the year, with her second single in a four part series out now. ‘Abair Liom do Rúin (Tell Me Your Secrets)’ by Clare Sands, featuring Steve Cooney and Tommy Sands, is out now.
The four-part series, titled ‘Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha’ (Landscapes and Soundscapes), spans over four seasons, in the four provinces of Ireland, and features Clare Sands alongside four different collaborators: Susan O’Neill, Steve Cooney with Tommy Sands, Brídín, and Liam O Maonlaí. The project sees Sands embarking on an exploration of the nooks and crannies of Ireland’s sights and sounds, whilst breaking the boundaries of Irish music in an inviting, invigorating way.
Following on from her first release of this four part series with Munster collaborator Susan O’Neill ‘Carry My Song’, a BBC and RTÉ Radio One playlisted roar of the Atlantic, Sands has embarked on a musical expedition to Ulster, to continuing pushing the boundaries of Irish music in an inviting, and invigorating way.
It is often said that Spring roars in like a lion, and out like a lamb.
When Clare Sands found herself in a 500 year old off-grid cottage up the side of a mountain in Donegal, she wondered whether she had set herself up for slaughter with two lions of Irish Folk music, Steve Cooney and Tommy Sands.
Clare laughs: “The lamb and lions were soon dancing to the same tune, elevated by that potent Irish potion (starts with a ‘P’ ends with an ‘oteen…’).”
She continues: “We wrote and recorded the song over three days and nights by candle-light to create a mantra that growls from the belly and sings from the heart, ‘Tell Me Your Secrets’ (Abair Liom do Rúin) is a transcendent, traditional trance-like ode to Spring that pulsates and captivates the young and the old, pulls and pushes the brave and the bold.”
The mesmerising video, created by emerging visual artists and twin sisters Liadain Ni Bhraonáin and Kasia Kaminska was shot in the warm thaw of a typical Irish spring morning, that started with an icy sub zero blizzard of hail and snow.
The energetic performance explores Ireland’s rich soundscapes and landscapes through rise and fall, roots and their sprawl, navigating through uncharted territories where Irish and English languages, Traditional, Folk, and Contemporary musics meet.
‘Abair Liom do Rúin’ by Clare Sands featuring Steve Cooney and Tommy Sands is out now.
Spotify – https://tinyurl.com/43vbhyke
This project is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareSandsCeol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claresandsceol/
