Mary Murphy is a friend of Bitesize and she has a new CD album called Lucy’s Fling. In this blog post, you’ll have the chance to win a CD with her traditional Irish music. Here’s what you should know about Mary and her music.
Mary’s new CD, Lucy’s Fling, is sure to please. Twelve tracks – loaded with harmonies, guitars, whistles, cello and Uilleann (Irish) pipes. Mary has taken many traditional melodies and written lyrics with a two returning characters. There are also a few traditional songs as well as a song in the Scottish language (for all you out there who are Scottish or have those lovely roots).
On this page you can listen to previews of the songs on the Lucy’s Fling album.
How to join the Irish Music CD Giveaway
All you have to do to join this Irish music CD draw is to tell us what are your top 3 Irish music groups. To do this, please go to this Google Form and add your answers:
Sign-up for the Irish Music CDs Giveaway
The Giveaway has ended.
Please check the end of the blog post to see if you won!
We have 2 copies of Mary’s album so we’ll have 2 winners. The winners will be picked at random from all contestants. After one week, we’ll announce the winners of the 2 Irish Music CDs on our blog post and on the Facebook page.
Good luck!
Mary Murphy interview about her album
Bitesize: All the tunes for me were very relaxing to listen to. Was there a certain way you collected songs to include on Lucy’s Fling?
Mary: Besides writing my own original songs, and interpreting traditional songs, I have always loved writing to traditional melodies that have no lyrics. The song, Lucy’s Fling (title track), got me started on my new CD as it is a melody I have loved for years. I originally heard it on a Kevin Burke/Mícheál Ó Domhnaill CD.
I must say that Micheál has (had) a voice so beautiful that just the thought of it makes my soul bloom. But, I digress. I like to take a title of a trad melody and use that as a jumping off place. I sat and thought, “Lucy’s Fling, now what does that conjure in my minds eye?” I immediately saw a man (Liam) in love, trapesing across soggy earth to a place of comfort, reflecting on what had come to pass between himself and his love interest, Lucy.
From there, it seemed to take on a life of its own. I mostly wrote from the perspective of Liam. Another melody I have always admired is Mark Kelly’s (Altan) melody ‘The Snowy Path’. While Liam and Lucy’s name are not in the lyrics, they are the characters in the storyline. Mark really liked the lyrics so I went ahead with that one.
Here’s a music video from Mary (not included in the album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeBbXPKJ7dM
I was thrilled with the lyrics for the song, ‘Fig for a Kiss’. It is a melody (slip jig) that to me, was begging for lyrics, but I felt rather stuck. The woman who was my graphic artist asked me for lyrics to Lucy’s Fling so that she could marinade on a cover that would be appropriate. She sent me a photo of a bicycle outside a typical old Irish cottage. That triggered something in me and I quickly cycled down the lyric path. So to make a long story short…too late…I picked melodies I loved. I added a few trad songs, a couple of originals and that was that. This entire CD from beginning to end went swimmingly.
Bitesize: There’s some Irish and Scottish Gaelic on the album, could you tell us more? (If I’m wrong, sorry about that!)
Mary: Yes, both Irish and Scottish language. I am doing my best to keep on track with my Irish language and as you know, I am a big fan of Bitesize Irish as a learning tool. Calum Sgaire is a song I remember from years and years ago, sung by, once again, my male vocal hero, Michaél Ó Domhnaill. He sings a magnificent rendition of this song with the Bothy Band. I did wonder though if the pronunciation was as it should be.
I know a fluent Scottish Gaelic speaker and asked for her assistance. She assisted me in the proper pronunciation. It was most interesting to learn how certain letter combinations in Irish language are pronounced so differently than in the Scottish language.
Bitesize: What’s your favourite song on the album, and why?
Mary: Oh dear. What a question. It is akin to having 12 children and you asking me which is my favourite. I am attached to each one as individuals as they all have their own personalities and stories. I will say though that i had great fun writing the lyrics to the trad melody ‘Smash the Windows’. These lyrics have nothing to do with Lucy or Liam. I just fancied the melody and when I sat to write the lyrics, I thought, “How on earth will I write lyrics about smashing windows!(As my focus, as mentioned above, was to use the melody title to create the lyrics). I would have to be a madman to write lyrics with this intent. Ahh haa! I must do exactly that, enter the psyche of a madman in order to figure out why I want to go around smashing windows!”
I am a bit shocked to recall how easy the lyrics came to me. Ha! But, that is what artists do I think, enter the muse and open the mind to where it brings you.
Thank you Eoin and Bitesize Irish for your continued elevation of our language and for your continued interest in my work.
Cuirfidh mé an citeal anois!
Winners of the Giveaway
10.05.2018 – The winners of the Giveaway have been chosen using Random.org. We had 127 valid entries and we picked 2 winners who will be contacted shortly using the e-mail address they provided. In case that they don’t reply within 48h we will pick other winners.
Winner 1 – number 69 – johntu***[email protected] – Did not answer.
Winner 2 – number 108 – court***[email protected]
Winner 3 – number 13 – bull***[email protected]