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 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 , Having a foot in two worlds can fiddle player, although the girls Born and raised in Scotland but near Milford in . 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 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 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. Likewise song – Granny and this other lady – and so unless we sing it and put “And we sometimes go back to it out there then it will disappear. The Friel Sisters’ songs that we haven’t sung for It is such a gorgeous and rare All photos - Steve Niblock years and years,” says Anna. “As song. And we wanted to try some long as we can remember the music cannot other things too. As a graduation words we can hold it together, of Anna, Sheila and Clare’s and when I asked for names a they do love it. The music oozes present we got a present of a but that can cause fights too music over the years has been whole stream came flooding out out of these girls, as natural as Tibetan singing bowl, it sounds be held back; it sometimes – cries of ‘that’s the a complete joy and revelation to of all three mouths, reflecting breathing. crazier than it is; it is used for wrong verse’ or ‘that’s not the me. We have spent many a night the same love for the same kind meditation, but it gives out this words’.” is what comes in Huidi Beag’s pub in of stuff. There were no unusual And ‘natural’ is what they wanted pulsing drone. We sing along where they light up the room with responses, but the girls named a the album to be. “It was kind of with this on one track - it was a But with so much in their favour joy, devilment and glorious music. list of people who have inspired thrown down as it was played gorgeous present to get.” and with their musical lives moving natural to them. Musicians spend time perfecting a whole generation of singers I think,” says Clare. “That was forward with the release of their skills and techniques, but I know and players - , Rita pretty much it. We tried to make it Three voices singing in unison They breathe from listening to these girls over & Sara Keane (who also do the as natural as possible. We did all is fairly uncommon, but for album and with two out of three the years that they must have an unison singing thing), Maighread the recording in the family house The Friels it works very well. girls now graduated, what lies in innate understanding of music and Triona Ní Dhomhnaill, The in Derrynamansher in about two With perfectly synchronised store for them? Will they continue music, they live for their musicianship to mature Bothy Band, The Chieftains, and a half days – it was really ornamentation, phrasing and their career as fully fledged to this standard. It is something , and Paul special recording it there, in the breathing, it again comes across dentists (and a pharmacologist) that cannot be learned. I can hear Brady. house steeped with our family as very tight yet very natural. “The or will the pull of the music be too music, they love first song we sang together was strong? nuances of masters like Donegal history.” Sheila fiddlers, Tommy Peoples and The Friel Sisters are lucky to have for Granny’s birthday - it was As I music…” Danny Meehan in Clare’s fiddle been able to go on and play with The girls chose to record the CD Roved Out,” explains Clare. “But “We know a lot of dentists who playing; pipers Gay McKeon and a lot of these people, and indeed, just days after returning from the we didn’t sing in unison – we took work part-time, so maybe further Willie Clancy in Sheila’s piping; they are no stranger to the big Willie Clancy Summer School a verse each. Over the years we down the line we can do a few Northern flute players like Harry concerts. They have played at where they had spent days on end all learned songs at the same time days a week dentistry and a few Bradley and Cathal McConnell in the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow playing in recitals and sessions. so we would sing them together to days being a musician. It is the Anna and Sheila’s flute playing - several times (the first time was While they may have been a bit try to learn them, so I guess that is dream – we would have so much the list of influences could go on. when Clare was 12 and Anna and jetlagged, the music was tighter how the unison thing happened. fun. But we have our weekends But what Anna, Sheila and Clare Sheila were 15), in fact they joke than ever and the fingers were We don’t sit down and plan our just now and we are away just have done is listen to these great that it is kind of like their local, flying, so it was a great time to arrangements – it just happens. about every weekend which is musicians, learn from them, and but they still retain the notion of record an album. That is the joy of being sisters.” great. We have a nice balance at then make the music their own. how lucky they are to be able to the moment, but ideally we would “Briseann an dúchas fríd súile and play there. The gig that sticks out Anna picks up the story: “Within Anna continues: “Recently we all like to do a bit more. We could chait” is an old Gaelic proverb, most in their minds was playing four hours we had put down seven haven’t learned so many songs maybe do the music for a year or which literally states that nature at the Concert Hall with The tracks. We had most of our music together. One of us might pick up two and then come back to the breaks through the cat’s eyes, Chieftains. They admit to being a done the first day and then the a song somewhere and sing it to dentistry or maybe once Clare has meaning that what is innate and bit starstruck when they met them next day we thought we would the others, then they pick up the finished Uni we will hit the road. It natural comes out anyway - you – being introduced to Matt Molloy do most of our singing. But we way the first person sang it, with is something to look forward to.” cannot hold it back. Likewise The and Sean Keane whom they had went to Huidi Beags that night (a their ornamentations; but then it Friel Sisters’ music cannot be held been listening to all their lives was local bar famed for its sessions), develops and little variations get And so will we! The Friel Sisters back; it is what comes natural to a big thing for them. so that plan didn’t work – mum added by each person until the appear to have the world at their them. They breathe music, they was raging with us. We finished group version is created.” feet and with their natural talent, live music, they love music.” But it is not just the big gigs that recording the tunes about 11pm warm personalities and of course, make them tick – it’s the sitting and were in Huidi’s at 11.30 But working so closely with the winning smiles, I imagine they Other musicians that have down the pub, playing tunes that playing a few tunes to let our hair members of your family can lead will go far, whatever route they influenced the Friels are numerous they love. And you can see that down. We probably should have to tensions as well as having choose to take. Anna

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