The West Coast

sometimes hard to connect and keep up both. Now Sheila and I have less studying to do we should have more time. Will we move to Donegal one day? Never The Friel Sisters say never. Stranger things have happened but at the moment it is lovely to have the best of both worlds.” By Fiona Heywood Being very at home at the sessions, in whatever country, The Friel Sisters are excellent musicians. Sheila is an uilleann piper of note, Anna a first rate flute player and Clare a great he west coast And so it is with The Friel Sisters. The girls’ dad is from Kerrykeel, Having a foot in two worlds can fiddle player, although the girls Born and raised in Scotland but near Milford in County Donegal. be great, but it can be difficult at are quite at ease with swapping of Scotland and with their roots firmly in Donegal, All his family was from that area. times too. The pull of Donegal instruments and having a go at the Irish county these three sisters, Anna, Sheila He was born in Donegal but later is strong, but for the moment the others (OK, maybe not the T and Clare, play music and songs moved over to Glasgow. Their at least, The Friel Sisters seem pipes which Sheila says are like of Donegal have long gleaned from their family’s rich mother was born in Glasgow, happy to have Glasgow as a contrary octopus!). Together, and established links traditional repertoire. Living, but her family was originally from their base. “Glasgow is great,” they create a sound that could studying and working in Glasgow, Derrynamansher, near Crolly in Sheila says. “There are so many only be made by siblings, with an that are still very they have firm connections there, Co Donegal. Though still residing excellent musicians around. I incredibly natural easiness – it is evident and strong and yet, the music that oozes out in Glasgow, the Friels spend wish we could play more in as if the sets just fall together. And of them is predominantly from the much time in Donegal and they Glasgow; we don’t play there they appear to know just about in both places. In other side of the Irish Sea. They have renovated the family home enough. We will, but we have all the tunes going. Wherever famine times, many frequently travel between the two in Derrynamansher, a house been busy recently.” they are, whether in the busy – so much so that they are on first belonging to the girls’ great sessions of Ennis Trad Fest or the passionate about preserving “We do a couple of Scottish saw what Mairéad had written people left Donegal name terms with the ferry staff on granny – Cissie Mhor. This was a And indeed they have. Anna and Willie Clancy Summer School, or them. Clare tells us more. “At songs,” says Anna, “but our down and were killing themselves laughing as it looked so strange and emigrated to their routes! house that has been well used to Sheila have just finished degrees huddled in the corner of a session the moment our songs are mostly material is mostly Irish. We would music over the years. “Everyone in dentistry and have started in a local Donegal pub, the girls family songs, it is all Granny’s be interested in finding more on paper. The one we learned south west Scotland Having played together since used to go to play tunes in this working, while Clare is in the are completely at home and it songs and some that came from of the really old Scottish music from Granny was done all by ear – that is on the new CD so we will and many Scots childhood, they are gaining house,” Clare explains. “It has second year of a pharmacology would not be unusual for them to her brothers and sisters. They though.” more and more recognition as a great atmosphere. Dad is a and biochemistry degree, so be last out of the bar, such is their have been passed down to us - see how that goes.” settled in Donegal performers. Equally at home in builder so he renovated it all with she has plenty more hard work passion for playing. Mum taught us a lot of them. She “We are learning a few in Irish “It is nerve-wracking letting others during the plantations the session or on the stage, the help from some cousins. He ahead of her. On top of this is sings, but she would never let as well,” Sheila adds. “We don’t girls are now moving their musical tried to keep some of the same the constant travel to and from As well as being instrumentalists, anyone know - she is probably a speak it – it is one of our biggest hear it but Connie Mhary Mhicí of the early 17th careers forward with the release of design - there is a great view of Ireland, usually just for weekends, The Friel Sisters also sing, mostly better singer than any of us, but regrets – but because we spend Ó Gallchóir, a local singer from she will not do it. The songs are so much time in the Gaeltacht we Ranafast, came up the night century. People have their first album, the eponymous Mount Errigal from the bathroom all of which makes playing in the together in unison. Many of their The Friel Sisters. This release has window. We spend as much time vibrant Glasgow session scene songs are what they describe precious because they are family can understand a fair bit, though before we recorded it and went moved between the been a long time coming, and as possible in Derrynamansher - difficult. Anna explains: “It is as “family songs” and they are songs, they mean something to we are not really able to speak it through it to make sure it was perhaps wisely so. Rather than when we were building the house us.” Among them are songs like with confidence. But this is the all OK. So if Granny taught us it two ever since. So rush to produce a product (as it was every weekend but we have a slightly different version of Free next thing we are trying. We have and thinks it is fine and if Connie it is not uncommon many do), they have taken their been over a lot recently too – I And Easy learned from an old a few songs that we have learned thinks it is fine and Mairéad time, finely honing their skills and think in the past two months we auntie, Tír Chonaill and The Blue phonetically - Granny taught us thinks it is fine, then that is three to find thick Scottish developing their unique sound. have been in Glasgow for two Hills Of Antrim. some and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh heavyweights behind us who think accents in northern They have learned their craft and weekends.” taught us one as well. She sat it is OK.” fine-tuned it during the past years down and wrote it out phonetically Donegal and it is and now this release sees them and then showed us what it all Mairéad has been part of The Friel similarly common to come of age. meant. Some native speakers Sisters’ story for some time and they would count her among their find Glasgow people biggest influences. Living not whose roots are too far from their Donegal home, Mairéad has watched the Friels firmly in Ireland’s develop as musicians over the years. She says: “To have listened most northern county. to the growth and development The Living Tradition - Page 28 The Living Tradition - Page 29 View of Mount Errigal from the studio - courtesy of The Friel Sisters just gone to bed and rested our benefits. In this case, Clare, voices, but that’s too sensible. Anna and Sheila live together The CD is a true representation in Glasgow, socialise together of our music and our voices are in sessions and arrange, record never rested!!” and play music together. There must be times when this gets hard While the majority of the CD is and when the big smiles that are pure Friel, they are given a hand normally permanent features on in parts. Bodhrán player Seamus their lovely faces fade a bit. O’Kane put down a few tracks with them, as did Gearóid Mhaonaigh Do they fight? (Lots of laughter and Griogair Labhruidh on guitar. and sarcastic shouts of “of course But the vital thing for them was not!”) Sheila and Anna both look getting the tunes they play and the at Clare for some reason. Clare songs they sing preserved. explains it is because she is the peacemaker. “We never fight “That is the most important thing about music,” Sheila tells me, “but “…what is for us,” says Anna. “We have we would sometimes fight about never heard anyone else sing the singing. People who know innate and natural some of the songs we sing, like us really well can detect slight Tír Chonaill – we learned it from differences in our voices. Clare Granny. She learned it from is slightly sharper than the rest of comes out anyway someone up in the mountains. us, Anna slightly flatter and I am Only one other person has in between - I drift up and down. Clare approached us and said, ‘you’re When the three of us sing together - you cannot hold singing my song.’ So there are we level each other out I think, but only two people other than us that we sometimes fight over getting we know of that actually know the that level right.” it back.

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