Fairy footsteps
I wrote this tune when we all began hearing mysterious noises after moving into our new house. I knew well that it was a ghost but told my girls that it was fairy footsteps.

The butterfly’s pathway

This is a piece I wrote in honour of my young brother Donncha who passed away in 2018.

The knowledge of wisdom whilst bewitched
Inspired by either the insight one gains into the Otherworld when swept away by the fairies or the understanding one gains of other dimensions after eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.

I composed this reel as a partner to The Karate Kid. As a pair they might be good tunes to play to fight the pandemic!

Ellie Mhicilín’s hop jig

Ellie Mhicilín is the ghost in my house, who knocks around upstairs at a fierce rate.

​​A rather dark piece reflecting an imaginary Cailleach’s view on the future of a world facing huge environmental challenges.​

I composed this reel for my brother Donncha’s son Lee. His name reminded me of a boyhood hero of mine, the martial arts expert Bruce Lee who starred in films in the late 1960’s/ early 70’s.

Born in Cork in 1961, Conal has played flute since he was small. He has recorded two solo albums, The Top of Coom (1990) and Cnoc Buí (2008) and has published a book on traditional flute-playing, ‘An Fheadóg Mhór, Traditional Flute Technique’.. These days Conal teaches (privately, in UCC and at summer schools) and plays with the band The Raw Bar Collective. He also features alongside púca’s and fairies in the theatre show Nóta Stóta for whom he composes all the music. During the summer Conal runs a cultural immersion course called Millíní Music. In his spare time he tries to get in a bit of fishing, hammers away on the harmonica and talks to ravens.

Compositions

1. Fios feasa fé gheasa [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], jig
2. Coiscéim na sí [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], jig
3. Kung Fu Katie [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], reel
4. The Karate Kid [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], reel
5. Dearcadh an fhéig dhuibh [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], air
6. Cosán na guagóige [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], hop jig
7. Preabphort Ellie Mhicilín [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], hop jig
8. Tairngreacht na caillí dubh [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], air

Sets

1. Jig Set : Fios feasa fé gheasa [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], jig ; Coiscéim na sí [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], jig
2. Reel Set : Kung Fu Katie [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], reel ; The Karate Kid [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], reel
3. Hop Jig Set : Cosán na guagóige [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], hop jig ; Preabphort Ellie Mhicilín [comp. Conal Ó Gráda], hop jig

On midsummer’s day, 21 June 2021, Conal Ó Gráda performed live in ITMA to an online audience, accompanied by Caoimhín Ó Fearghail on guitar. This was the first in The Given Note series from ITMA, and featured both musicians playing and talking about their music. All of the tunes for this month’s Saothar were included in the concert.