@wylddandelyon is in charge of "Dandelyon's Card Challenge" https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12151 : I was drawn "The Lord of the Sea" from the Celtic Deck. The card pictures Manawyddan, who is known in Ireland as Manannan Mac Lir.
About 50 miles from where I live is a statue of Mac Lir, designed by Game of Thrones sculptor John Sutton. A few years ago the statue was torn down and damaged, and a wooden cross was left it its place with the words "You shall have no other gods before me".
The lyrics reference this, along with other events from traditional legends of Mac Lir.
The statue has since been replaced and stands on Binevenagh Mountain in County Derry.
For the music, I wanted to do the opposite of what would usually be associated with Celtic imagery, so went really lo-fi and stripped back. And then Barry added a gourd intro that could be straight off an Enya album ;-) D'oh! but it works!
My name is an island
The sea is a meadow
Bought with pearls from the ocean
And I can make you forget
When i was a king
Dying to hear me play
One day sweet the next day bitter
Silver apple branches
In these lands of promise
They tore down my statue
And left me a cross
When i was a king
Dying to hear me play
One day sweet the next day bitter
@leepat Mar 2022
yes, sounds quite indie american and again - great call and response in the chorus.
fascinating story too - love the soundcloud image
@outinpublicdrummer Mar 2022
I had to play this from the beginning, the transition to acoustic strums and vocals was unbelievably smooth. The vocals are great, too! Very expressive. That lead synth is haunting and beautiful
@prsongsmith Mar 2022
Terrific song, Conor -- I love the treatment, and the writing is really compelling and evocative ("My name is an island/The sea is a meadow/Bought with pearls from the ocean" is real poetry). The chorus, with those gorgeous harmonies, is especially strong. I also really like @barryg's intro with the kalimba(?) sounds, and the slow panning oscillation on the guitars.
@conorg Mar 2022
@wylddandelyon they replaced the statue with a new version https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-35679046
@sheilerk Mar 2022
I love songs built on legends, and this does it wonderfully. I loved the sound of it, and the story, especially that first verse. The idea of the sea as a meadow just grabbed me. Really nice!
@wylddandelyon Mar 2022
Oh, I love this. I know that story--and that they found (most of) the statue. Did they ever put it back up?
Thanks for doing my challenge!