The Mahatma of the Glen

About

The Mahatma of the Glen is dedicated to the late, great Donegal fiddle player James Byrne, who I felt very fortunate to have met and learnt from in the few years before his untimely passing. James was one of the most important traditional musicians in Ireland. He kept a unique tradition alive in his native Glencolmcille and taught many fine musicians.

At James’ very moving funeral, the priest described him as ‘The Mahatma of the Glen’. This inspired me to create this work in his memory. This piece consists of an arrangement of three of the tunes I composed for the fiddle, violin and guitar trio piece ‘Music for the Departed’. I recorded the piece on my solo guitar CD ‘Contemporary Traditional Irish Guitar’.