Lasairfhìona
Flame Of Wine

The Aran Islands are strips of land lying in front of Galway Bay, in western Ireland. Situated opposite the Cliff of Moher, tall and spectacular black cliffs against which the ocean breaks, they give the impression of a place where the action of time seems to have had little effect, and the persistence of customs and traditions minimally affected by the rhythms of Western society gives a pleasant sensation of remoteness.

The feeling one gets upon reaching these small patches in the ocean is that of a land that has an exclusive and privileged relationship with nature and its harshness, as if nature had preserved them from contamination from the rest of the world. Times are changing even on the Aran Islands, with tourists and media attention on what is considered the last cradle of Gaelic civilization accelerating the process of blending with the rest of Ireland, which is also undergoing this modernization process.

On one of these islands, the second largest and most extensive, "Inisheer", LasairFhíona grew up, giving voice to this land in her sparse and intimate music. In this Irish folk infused with Celtic sounds and filled with that sense of peace and alienation that these places manage to convey, her voice marries sweet melodies reminiscent of some aspects of our Renaissance music but clearly drawing a lot from more common folk (especially Joni Mitchell).

I found this work "Flame of wine" in the only bistro-supermarket on the island of Inisheer, on a cold August morning (yes, you read that right, August). On the island, the singer is a celebrity and a symbol of pride and reclamation of certain local values. The tracks are all more or less short and have the classic form of an author's ballad. In them, there is all the spirit of peace and harmony of a place where human relationships come first, and a perception of time that is very, very extended. Wander on these wind-sculpted cliffs, let your thoughts be silent and your spirit be renewed, and feel at home.

Can't travel? I would start by listening to this music and turning everything else off. There are some links on YouTube; you might start there... have a good journey.