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The Seven Steps to Mercy

Iarla Ó Lionáird

In a language of antiquity - Gaeilge, or Irish - this solitary voice calls to its ancestral spirits. From out of this thin frame comes a voice that climbs a mountainof Gaelic experience - a voice that soars with power and tenderness.

In the Irish singing tradition, the singer takes the nearest person's hand, whether friend or stranger, lifting and turning it as the song rises and falls, calling its message over time to its last long note. In this recording, Canadian producer Iarla Ó Lionáird's hand in a weaving, modal spell of drones which carry the songs to a secret space where flames light up the walls of imagination.

This is new and unique work. It demonstrates understanding and respect for the tradition out of which it came - majestic, defiant, heart-breakingly beautiful.

  • imageAdd To Basketmore info£9.82The Seven Steps to Mercy - CD
    playSeacht (Seven)Iarla Ó Lionáird6m 17s
    playAililiu Na Gamhna (Calling Home The Calves)Iarla Ó Lionáird4m 29s
    playCaoineadh Na dTrí Mhuire (Lament At Clavary)Iarla Ó Lionáird7m 40s
    playAbha (River)Iarla Ó Lionáird6m 28s
    playAoibhinn Cronan (The Humming Of The Bees)Iarla Ó Lionáird5m 7s
    playLoch LeinIarla Ó Lionáird2m 28s
    playCuir A Choladh An Seanduine (The Old Man Rocking The Cradle)Iarla Ó Lionáird3m 20s
    playAn Buachaill Caol Dubh (The Dark Slender Boy)Iarla Ó Lionáird5m 40s
    playBean Dubh An Ghleanna (The Dark Woman Of The Glen)Iarla Ó Lionáird7m 48s
    playAisling Gheal (Bright Vision)Iarla Ó Lionáird4m 42s