A return to the well of the traditional song to investigate the great themes of humanity and existence and their portrayal in Irish folklore, mythology and folk music.

Everything, from minor domestic rituals (such as putting the child to sleep), to the symbolic manifestation of death, become part of folklore and folk music.”

In this new release Lorcán Mac Mathúna, joined by Martin Tourish, Éamonn Galdubh and Daire Bracken, dives deep into the liminal space of performance where deep subconscious questions are posed. Tackling material from the Irish tradition and from mythology they explore the "mothúlacht" -the feeling- in traditional music, while exploring great narrative themes embedded in folk traditions of music and story.

Through music evoking, hope, longing, and fire, they explore how how beliefs are manifested in folk traditions posing questions such as Why do so many character types reappear in our mythologies? Are these creations of our imaginations based on reality? And what are the purposes of these narratives- simple entertainment or is there a deeper meaning?

This concert -live streamed on facebook and youtube- will present a preview of the album An Bhuatais & the Meaning of Life; a collection of 14 songs that comes in a hard backed book of essays, observations and commentaries on the topics raised through the medium of these songs, and references the traditional tropes relating to the stories being told.

Supported by An Chomhairle Ealaíon. This album launch was supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.