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The Breath P
rime example is the magnifi- cent Band Of Burns, “A 12- piece alt-folk collective from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Turkey who reinterpret the
poetry and songs [of Robert Burns] with a contemporary fervour. We have a shared appreciation of his humane vision … Burns’ writings are hugely political, cover- ing a wide range of political themes and issues including revolutionary change, radicalism, republicanism, religion, pover- ty and class inequalities, migration, self- determination, Scottish cultural identity and the environment … Burns’ support for Irish freedom was an inspiration to the Ulster Weaver poets who supported the United Irish Rebellion and I love that one of the songs we sing, Scots Wha Hae, was printed after his death in 1796 in the Northern Star – the paper of the United Irishman Society.” A new Band Of Burns album, The Thread, is due for release in October 2019.
Of course, this is just one illustration of the vast and growing body of work that Connolly is amassing through her numer- ous ventures. Honeyfeet is another. Described as ‘Folk-hop, Ethio-trad, Barrel- house-pop,’ it doesn’t take long to hear more in that mix. There’s jazz, deep soul, unsubtle hints of big band brassery, and there’s a lot of simple delight in there too. Established in 2008, they’re now settled as a collective of seven musical treasures with an egalitarian outlook. “Being in a band is a big investment so everyone deserves to have as much creative input as the other.” So, they write together, and take turns with ideas and arrangements. Presently sporting their 2018 release, Orange Whip, a new album, Room For Manoeuvre, is due in Autumn 2019.
Then there’s The Breath, a conduit for Connolly and Stuart McCallum (ex-The Cin- ematic Orchestra) to put matters more personal, more resounding, to music. With the added support of John Ellis on piano, bassist Sam Vickery, and drummer Luke
Flowers, they met through Manchester’s vibrant jazz circuit, in which Connolly has flourished. The Breath is the smooth- souled alt-folk version of Ríoghnach Con- nolly. Potent in parts, heart-breaking in others, this version breaches issues from grief to Empire, from first love to injustice. “Music is very cathartic,” she told me. “It’s a wonderful way to release emotive expression through your art and perfor- mance. And in this way a privilege to have those expressions documented as such.” With their recent album Let The Cards Fall, The Breath are planning a massive Euro- pean tour in the spring.
We all know Afro Celt Sound System and their very specific angle on fusing Irish traditional and West African music with electronic music. Connolly also writes and tours with the band and is slowly manag- ing to expand the ranks. “I’ve also brought some of my African contemporaries on board,” she explained. “The great vocalist Emmanuela Yogolelo from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), whom I know through my work with Music Action Inter- national, is now singing beside me in the band on tour this year.”
Ríoghnach Connolly’s world continues to expand. But the back story to how her involvement with Afro Celts came about is a chronicle of travel, learning and music all on its own. She was collaborating in a pro- ject with Ellis Davies and Mendi Singh, touring in Brazil. “It was an amazing expe- rience. Life changing. We learnt so much about South America and the effects colonisation and slavery had on the eco- nomic systemic and governmental set-up over there. It was sad but so important … We toured Brazil twice and this record [The Centre Cannot Hold] was the impro- vised record we made on the death of the African poet Chinua Achebe to take on tour … The first track was called Beware Soul Brother and [Afro Celt Sound System founder] Simon Emmerson asked me if Afrocelts could cover it for their next album, The Source. I of course agreed. And
then they asked me to join them as a guest on tour to sing it.” The die was cast, and her involvement on stage and behind the scenes continues.
Connolly’s experiences in Brazil, and the lessons she took from them, mirror her ongoing call to action on supporting the community, on reaching out, social justice. Consequently, she’s involved with various organisations and projects working in the community. “As a traditional Irish musician first, I grew up knowing the importance of passing on that part of oral culture. In Eng- land there is a massive Irish diaspora, and second and third generations who are also very committed to this. I’ve always taught, and feel it is as important as performance, if not more so in keeping history alive in the people and not just written in homogenised text.”
“I work with EMTAS – Ethnic Minority
and Traveller Achievement Service – on sites with Irish Travellers, English Gypsies and Roma, running music clubs, writing songs, and having a great time.” She also works with Music Action International: “A charity made up of people from across the world using the power of creativity to overcome the effects and causes of war, torture and armed conflict. I work with refugees and asylum seekers in crisis choirs. I facilitate refugees in primary schools to talk about the difference between asylum and refugee status and we write songs together. It’s very reward- ing and fulfilling work, and it’s so impor- tant in these times that contact is kept, and representation is at community level, outside of the hands of the media.”
“So,” I ask Ríoghnach: “Is there any- thing we’ve left out?” “I’ve just received tenure as Musician in Residence in Derry’s Nerve Centre. If anyone wants to collabo- rate or record there, please contact Martin McGill for more info,” she responds. I’m pleased for her. I was a bit worried she had nothing going on.
thebreathmusic.com F
Photo: Duncan Elliott
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