Cuimhnigh ar Sarsfield: The Wild Geese Suite

by Francis Ward

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	1.	March To Shannonside (Sarsfield’s March) 03:09
	2.	Sarsfield’s Ride (As Darkness Falls/Galloping Hogan) 04:13
	3.	The Siege of Limerick (The Women of Limerick/The Treaty Stone) 03:06
	4.	Flight of the Wild Geese (Planxty Patrick Sarsfield) 05:10

about

A poetic-musical tribute to Patrick Sarsfield and the Wild Geese. This new composition, commissioned by Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, combines music, dance, history, and language in order to illuminate a key story in the history of the Treaty city, and has been has been created collaboratively by composer Dr. Francis Ward and lyricists Dr. Mairéad Ni Bhriain and Dr. Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain.

Sarsfield was a Irish soldier and leading figure in the Jacobite army, and The Flight of the Wild Geese was the departure of an Irish Jacobite army under the command of Sarsfield from Ireland to France, as agreed in the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, following the end of the Williamite War in Ireland.

The 4 movement suite consists of spirited dance music contrasted with more poignant and reflective airs to represent the highs and lows of Sarsfield’s journey, and are written for Irish traditional instruments (fiddle, button accordion, uilleann pipes) and string quartet. Thus, emotions such as disappointment, defiance, pride, anticipation, fear, despair, and resilience are explored through the musical representation and oral narration of key historical events such as The Battle of the Boyne, Sarsfield’s Ride, Ballyneety’s Walls, The Siege of Limerick and the Flight of the Wild Geese.

credits

released August 6, 2021

Music composed by Dr. Francis Ward
Lyrics written by Dr. Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain and Dr. Mairéad Ní Bhriain
Featuring Niamh Dunne (fiddle), Seán Óg Graham (button accordion), Paul Harrigan (uilleann pipes), Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain (poetry), Arco String Quartet, Dermot Sheedy (percussion), Zoe Griffin (percussive Irish dance).

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about

Francis Ward Dublin, Ireland

Performer, composer, dancer. Lecturer in Music Education.

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