mahashakti
outstanding. most unusual
posted byMahashakti Dasi on February 23, 2006, 12:25:14 pm

re: mahashakti
[QUOTE=Mahashakti Dasi]outstanding. most unusual[/QUOTE] what does it mean?
posted by Mahashakti Dasi on February 23, 2006, 12:27:08 pm

White Shoulder
FIONNGHUALA Gender: Feminine Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology Means "white shoulder" from Irish fionn "white, fair" and guala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnghuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.
posted by Jim Pipkin on February 23, 2006, 03:27:18 pm

See Bothy Band
I believe that this is a traditional tune and that the credit for the arangement goes to the Bothy Band, some 30 years back. Check out their version! Check out anything by the Bothy Band!!
posted by Chuck Germain on February 23, 2006, 09:28:14 pm

Swans, not ducks
...Pecked to death by swans, not ducks. Infinitely more graceful.
posted by Jim Pipkin on February 27, 2006, 06:45:28 pm

touche'...
intended to say "Duhks"... but stand corrected... swans... definately has to be "Swans"!
posted by Chris Clark on February 27, 2006, 08:39:18 pm

Yuhks & Yuhks
Come on guys... Its a real tight arrangement done in a foreign language [for me], & rather quickly at that. The arrangement goes back to The Bothy Band. Anuna adds a little polish and speed. Both versions are very good [I'm partial to The Bothy Band-I like Anuna's speed & precision, but not the polish.].
posted by Chuck Germain on February 27, 2006, 08:47:29 pm

"Fionnghuala" - The Chieftans (Anuna)
I'm with you, Chuck...as fond of the Chieftans as I am, I fell in love with the Bothy Band's version all those years ago - all those fast talking guys; like hard shoes (step dancing) for the tongue! And thanks, Jim, for the history behind this song...had always wondered.
posted by JL Braswell on March 07, 2006, 11:39:00 am

fionnghuala
thanks for all the great info and comments about this song and I have to admit that I prefer the Bothy Band version too, but I thought it might be interesting to air the Chieftains since it came off their tribute to Derek Bell from 2005 with John McGlynn from Anuna singing.
posted by Jeff St.clair on March 08, 2006, 03:28:37 pm

True Confessions...
All kidding (meant in good fun) aside, I enjoyed the song immensely and rated it "5". Guess I'm going to have to check out the Bothy Band version to satisfy my curiosity.
posted by Chris Clark on March 09, 2006, 12:13:31 am

Female singers doing Fionnghuala?
Several years ago, somebody gave me a homemade Celtic music sampler tape that includes a female group singing Fionnghuala. There are no "liner notes" with the sampler, so I don't know the name of the group. Anybody out there know of such a recording? Also did anyone mention that this song is an example of "mouth music" a.k.a. Puirt a Beul. I understand that in Scotland, at least, traditional pipe music was banned by British law for a while and this genre of vocally intensive music sprang up as a sort of substitute. For what that anecdotal information is worth.... -Mark
posted by Mark Sheehan on August 04, 2006, 05:44:13 pm

Irish scat!
Love it when something makes you think "Huh?" You Philistines, Dylan Thomas sounded like a constipated Sunday-school teacher reaching a moment of gastric crisis during prayers.Yeats was pecked to death by swans, for libelling them - they never even touched Leda... Swans wouldn't go near Thomas - it was organ organ all the time with him! God I miss Jim Pipkin.
posted by Huw Pryce on November 02, 2006, 05:44:26 pm