more images |
Sleeve Notes
HOMECOMING — The irresistible call of family, friends and homeland.
NEWTOWN — Dave was born and brought up in this special corner of Cardiff known as 'Little Ireland': This was written as a poem by another Newtown resident, the late Tommy Walsh.
CADER IDRIS/GRISIAL GRWND — Cadcr Idris an original air by the Welsh harper John Parry (Bardd Alaw). Written in Denbigh in 1804, it was composed in the style of the old Welsh harp tunes, and has been popular ever since. It was once popular in England with the title Jenny Jones. Y Grisial Grwnd or The Crystal Ground is an old Welsh harp tune. The version we play here is from a manuscript of tunes by a wandering fiddler from Anglesey, Morris Edwards, who noted it down in 1778
THAT'S ENOUGH — A couple of years ago Frank visited Southern Louisiana to make a TV programme about the Cajuns and their music. Their simple love of life seemed to reflect in these words and Iolo and Stephen's playing just turned out this way.
HIRAETH — This haunting song was collected in Anglesey by J. Lloyd Williams and first published in 1933.
SWEET DREAMING SEA — Love can be a powerful, and at times terrifying thing.
SHORES OF PATAGONIA — Harri Webb's song of the Welsh emigrants who went to the New World looking for a better life and founded the Welsh colony of Patagonia in Argentina.
BREAKING THE LINE — Frank wrote this in response to the terrible hardship being faced by so many faRMing families, especially among our friends in West Wales.
LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR — One of the most beautiful of the Irish traditional airs. To us It symbolises Ireland's eventual and inevitable rise to freedom
SECOND HONEYMOONERS WALTZ — A good old fashioned love song.
THE COUNTRY I'M LEAVING BEHIND — This song of exile was a firm favourite of the people of Newtown in Cardiff and of other immigrant Irish communities.
A NEW LIFE IN NEW YORK — Sometimes we don't realise what we have until it's too late. Hopefully not.