Instrumental Irish

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Enjoy Durrow, the traditional tune from the town Durrow in Limerick.

Already this month, I: released sheet music for one of my FAVORITE Irish songs Durrow, filmed a long form video of ambient Celtic music (now up on YouTube,) heard Alexander Boldechev in person, and played 17 Irish music events on my Celtic harp!

And it’s only the 17th… If you need to relax in this crazy month, take a moment to listen to my video of 50 minutes of instrumental harp!

Patrick gets the name recognition but I want to give a shout out to St. Columba, a man who found God’s peace and who’s beautiful poem is often sung to Durrow as “Oh God Thou Art the Father”

This tune snatched my heart when I was just a child–it featured on a History of Christian Hymns CD that I would use to fall asleep. But it was the haunting harmonies that hooked me and had me playing repeat on my portable cd player.

The tune is called Durrow, a traditional Irish melody originally associated with “Captain Thomson,” a sea song from Limerick. Later, it became paired with the hymn text by St. Columba, “O God, Thou Art the Father.” Like many Celtic melodies, it carries that sorrowful intense longing.

For my St. Patrick’s Day project, I’ve created this arrangement in two versions (basic and advanced) for Celtic lever harp or 26-string lap harp, designed to feel easy, simple and natural under the fingers while preserving the haunting character of the tune.

I had the opportunity to record Durrow and a lot of other favorites at the gorgeous local venue The Carriage Barn in Goshen Indiana–relax to instrumental Celtic music!