Pillow queens and pilgrimages
Ciao cuties!
I swear I’ll write one of these one day without apologising for how long it’s been, but.. we thrive on guilt, don’t we? It’s a scroller so maybe grab a coffee before settling in.
Ar dtús, míle buíochas libh ar fad a tháinig chuig an dráma Máirtín + Jenny from the Block in Smock Alley Theatre, bhí time againn ar an ardán agus bhí sé go hálainn bhur n-aghaidheanna a fheiceáil sa slua!
This installment has been composed in drips and drabs from hostels in Galicia, my nonno’s village in the rain, and my childhood bedroom (the latter of which is very humbling compared to the rest).
It’s been a bit of a hibernation period ach inniu Lá Bealtaine and hopefully May will bring us some laethanta gréine agus tráthnóntaí geala. Apparently it’s considered lucky to wash your face with drúchtíní Lá Bealtaine - this morning’s dew drops - so get out there quick☀️
I have been writing and chipping away at some things that are so far no use to any of ye, and I’ve been fairly useless at getting back to people, but thank you so much for checking in on the newsletter and the podcast - especially Cormac, Andy and Martha who never let me forget it - which will, I promise, arrive soon (first three are booked!).
Anyway, here’s the month’s rundown…
Ceol an Chamino…
Go raibh míle maith agaibh for all of your album recommendations for the Camino trip - I asked and you really delivered! We travelled Porto to Santiago - 169km! The days were divine, the weather was atrocious, I’ve just about got the feeling back in my feet. I’d really recommend doing it if you’ve ever considered it! Someone told me you should bring a set of questions or intentions to work through while you walk and that was really good advice. You can find a lot of clarity in eight hours of trying to distract yourself from blisters. I feel lighter.
There was a real expectation vs reality divide though in that here’s what I thought I’d be listening to along the way:
Here are a few standout recommendations from the lists you shared:
Joshua Burnside - Into the Depths of Hell (calmer than it sounds)
Carol King - Tapestry (a classic)
Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (wilder than the vibe I was going for but fun)
And then in reality what I listened to was.. McFly’s back catalogue, Dido’s Life For Rent, mo chara álainn Sorcha’s rendition of You’re Still the One, and my friends bickering. Most days we walked along the coast or through forests, and I think headphones would have taken me out of the experience a bit. I am enjoying your recommendations now though and will share the full list on Insta 💚
In this week’s ‘working hard or hardly working’ I was asked to judge Cath na mBannaí ag Lá Mór na Gaeilge - very wholesome!! Some of the memories I recall most fondly were made playing tiny gigs in Sweeney’s on Dame Street or wherever would have us. Side fringes were heavy and hopes were high. D’ardódh sé do chroí ceoltóirí óga ag tabhairt faoin eispéireas céanna. Comhghairdeas ó chroí leis Na Tonnta who were absolute naturals ar an ardán and have just released their first single anseo:
Seinnliosta na Míosa
Speicial mentions:
St. Vincent - All Born Screaming (album)
Can’t put this down. The guitars are unbelievable. Love that she produced it herself. Although it addresses grief throughout, the album ends with title phrase “all born screaming”, bringing things full circle, embracing beauty in chaos. Instead of the personas featured on previous albums this feels more like Annie’s voice - she’s funny and tragic and I would probably die for her. 2/2.
Pillow Queens - Name Your Sorrow (album)
Despite the name this is uplifting! Lyrically really refreshing. I actually feel younger in my 30s than I did most of my 20s but sometimes feel distant from lyrics written for someone who’s 22 and trying to cure broken heart with a jaeger bomb (not saying I wouldn’t still try this), so I felt really at home in this album that expresses a perspective closer to mine raw and honestly.
Ben J. Connolly - Phaethon, Becalmed (album)
This was released a few weeks ago and I return to it any time I need inspiration or calm. It’s a musical reimagining of the Greek myth of Phaethon, a boy lacking identity and struggling to find his place in the world. Will probably make you cry.
aisling - Chaos Made Holy (EP)
Bhí an t-ádh liom aisling a bheith sa stiúideo liom ar Rí-Rá an mhí seo caite, agus chuir sí faoi gheasa mé lena glór binn agus liricí áille. Féintaifead baile atá san EP seo agus tá torthaí a cuid oibre speisialta, a real treat.
Orland Weeks x Rhian Teasdale - Dig (single)
A dream team, and I might have manifested this single because I think of Orlando Weeks’ “old enough to know better, dressed for the weather” every time I get caught in the rain without an appropriate jacket (every day this week).
Seinnliosta iomlán mhí Aibreáin anseo, featuring new releases, some David Kitt, Maggie Rogers, Niamh Regan, cúpla seanamhrán fánach agus neart eile:
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about The Tortured Poets Department and look… I’ve yet to finish it, but my overall opinion is that it’s too long, the production is bit too nonchalant and, considering she’s a billionaire under no pressure to churn out content, maybe she could have sat with this album a little longer.
In contrast to Taylor’s model (flooding streaming services and overwhelming fans with needless purchases), Morgana has yet to release a single. I saw her live in Whelan’s last week and.. I’m obsessed. I think the “if you know you know” mystique around her really works, especially in an age of digital overwhelm. It was exciting to go into a show blind, and it’s cool and intriguing to have something that you can only experience by being in the room. Instant gratification has such a grip on us these days but usually when you get the thing - whatever it might be - you stop thinking about it. If you can’t have it… it haunts you. And I’ve found myself thinking a lot more about Morgana than Taylor Swift this week so… I’m not saying she should never release the music but I wouldn’t be in any rush if I were her.
Tháinig deireadh le ré ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta an tseachtain seo caite agus Áine Ní Bhreisleáin ag seasamh siar óna ról leo. Braithfidh muid uainn a fuinneamh agus gáirí geala, agus an chraic a roinn sí leis an bpobal chuile sheachtain ar Bhladhaire. Thug sí deis agus ardán domsa freisin as a bhfuil mé fíorbhuíoch. Láithreoir speisialta í agus bhínn i gcónaí ag tnúth le deis labhartha léi ar an aer, seo an mhír deireanach a thaifead muid le chéile:
Táimid théis sraith nua a thosú ar Splanc ar Newstalk - albaim ar chóir éisteacht leo ar a laghad uair amháin sa saol - agus thosaigh muid le Nevermind le Nirvana. Má tá moltaí agaibh don chéad mhír eile seol chugam iad!
Ar ábhar na bpodchraoltaí, Táim an-tógtha le 30 SOS le Caoimhe Ní Chathail, bhain mé an-sult go háirithe as caint Éadaoin Nic Mhuiris maidir lena cuid oibre agus earnáil a mbíonn sách rúndiamhar de ghnáth, agus as an méid a bhí le rá ag Doireann Ní Ghlacáin - taitníonn a dearcadh saoil go mór liom✨
Laoch eile raidió ar chóir a lua ná Cian Ó Ciobháin agus 25 bliain ar an bhfód á gceiliúradh ag An Taobh Tuathail - agus a phobal na Gaillimhe beidh An Dioscó Dána ar siúl Dé hAoine bheag seo 👀
And on that note, a few gigs to wrap up…
The Gladstone Band: your new favourite band, playing ballads and boat songs in Skerries May 12th 🤎
We’re Not Together: an absoulte honour to give this new single a first play on Q102 a few weeks ago - WNT launch Miles Away on the 18th of May in Workman’s Cellar, tickets available here.
Níor scríobh mé mórán faoin bPailistín an mhí seo, ní mé céard eile atá le rá, ach coinnigh súil amach d’ócáid Rí-Rá sa gClub ar son Gaza go luath, and if you’re looking for a Eurovision alternative, Mothers Against Genocide are hosting Boycott Boogie - Sat, May 11, 2024 at 8:00 PM
As always go raibh maith agaibh as seo a léamh agus a roinnt, and for humouring me. Mí Bealtaine faoi mhaise daoibh, nára fada uainn laethanta breátha buí an tsamhraidh!
Grá mór agus sonas ort,
Em x