Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Davy Spillane



From Riverdance The Show at the Point Theatre in Dublin 1995. Caoineadh Cu Chulainn (Lament)
For those that have asked -the correct pronounciation of Caoineadh Cu Chulainn according Erins Web.com is:
'Kweena Coo Hulling'
Song composed by Bill Whelan.
Presented here is
Davy Spillane with a lament on the uilleann pipes for Cuchulain, the great Irish hero and leader who fought the sea prior to his death.
Cúchulainn /(Irish "Hound of Culann"; also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or Cuchullain) is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. The son of the god Lugh and Deichtine, sister of the king of Ulster, he was originally named Sétanta , but gained his better-known name as a child after he killed Culann's fierce guard-dog in self-defence, and offered to take its place until a replacement could be reared. At the age of seventeen he defended Ulster single-handedly against the armies of queen Medb of Connacht in the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"). It was prophesied that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but that his life would be short; one reason he is compared to the Greek hero Achilles. He is known for his terrifying battle frenzy or ríastrad, in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe.
He fights from his chariot, driven by his loyal charioteer Láeg, and drawn by his horses, Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend.

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