大象传媒

Marty Cullen begins his song-filled odyssey around Ulster in his home county of Armagh, where he meets fellow emerging traditional singers with a passion for the ballads of their county. Armagh has a rich history of unaccompanied traditional singing, especially around its southern border. Amongst pockets of this community: come all ye's, laments and ditties remain a firm part of a tradition as strong as anywhere else on the island.

Traditional songs breathe life in the physical world. Songs were written for walking to work. Songs were written to plough the fields, milk the cows or to weave at the loom. Songs were written to mourn the losses of a community and to help struggle against life's foul misfortunes. Although they were written to be sung unaccompanied, they were never written to be alone. Be it the birds in the bushes. Be it the factory's bell. Be it the rain bashing off a winter's window, the songs were not accompanied by strings, but by life.

From the lofty hills of Granemore to the cattle-crammed marts of Camlough, the singers in this series step outside the studio and sing to their hearts' content in a spot that bellows fire to their
song. Let's hear music naturally in the world, instead of mixed in a vacuum.