TURAS

It is a response to the pandemic and the lack of concerts. This is a documentary of still images and music, nearly two hours in all, on which each of the 32 counties of Ireland, as well as the diaspora in England and the United States, are highlighted. All of this is presented in the form of a repertoire of traditional tunes and a few songs, county by county, all illustrated by archive photos or recent images (over 700), musicians and landscapes.

To do this, several musicians were called upon, including Gerry O'Connor on the fiddle, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn on the uilleann pipes, Fintan Vallely on the flute, Seamus O'Kane on the bodhrán and Sibéal Davitt on the sean-nós dancing. The singers include Karan Casey, Máire Ní Choilm, Róisin White and Róisin Chambers.

Turas (Journey, Pilgrimage) is based on a 19th century Irish painting, the earliest image of group music in Ireland. The DVD presents the music of each of the counties in alphabetical order, from Antrim in Northern Ireland to Wexford in the South-East of the republic, proving that far from the political wrangling, there is only one musical Ireland.

Throughout this DVD, we find standards such as Follow me up to Carlow, The Maids of Michelstown, popularised in its time by the Bothy Band, Tabhair dom do Lámh already in the Chieftains' repertoire, The Star of the County Down, The Rocky Road to Dublin, The Bucks of Oranmore, The Mountains of Pomeroy (Dé Dannan).

All of this is just a small sample of tunes from the last half-century of musical revival but also from the previous four or five centuries of Irish tradition. All beautifully illustrated with photographs by Nutan and Gareth McCormack. A real focus on what has made the Irish tradition from several centuries to the present day. Authentic and lively.

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