Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

Songs are a bequest that never devalues. They permeate successive generations and leave their mark on the soul. Trmona and Maighread Nm Dhomhnaill have had the luxury of lifetimes of songs, each one passed down through their family.
Having forged a startling reputation with their eponymous debut album, Scara Brae (along with brother Micheal and Daithm Sproule) an incredible 29 years ago, these two sisters have finally got around to going back into the studio together.
This time round though the spotlight is on just two pairs of vocal cords. It s sibling revelry time with Idir an Da Sholas or Between The Two Lights.
Trmona attempts to put words on precisely what finally drew the two sisters together, after so long pursuing their own careers on both sides of the Atlantic.
I suppose it was mostly the fact that I was finally home after so many years away, she offers. All along we were thinking that we should do something together. We grew up singing together, and I missed her all those years I was away. It finally got to the stage where coming home just for the summers wasn t enough. So I came home, and we finally did it!
Maighread had already set the scene by trawling through crateloads of songs, jettisoning the improbables along the way.
There s been songs over the years that I ve just loved, she says, and for instance Donal Sg from Tory Island is another one that I love. Then the difficult part was choosing the verses. We did four verses and there are over 20! The great thing is when you have a project like this, because it makes you learn songs that you ve always loved.
Maighread makes no bones about the song that stands out from all the rest for her:
Foireann An Bhaid , which Trmona sang, stands out for me, she offers. It reminds me so much of my father; he used to sing it, and she sings it so close to the way he used to. It s extraordinary, just beautiful, but tragic and a real Rannafast song.
Idir An Da Sholas is an album of contrasts. The vast array of human emotions that can be found cosying up for space range from the lighthearted ( Nml Si Ina La ) and downright frivolous ( Faoitmn ) to the funereal and deathly sombre ( Foireann An Bhaid ). Trmona points to precisely these contrasts as the raison d jtre for the album s title.
We really connect that contrast, like the twilight, with Donegal, she explains. Idir an da sholas is a phrase our father used to use a lot if he was driving at twilight, when it was difficult to see. It s an image that s lovely to us, and it seemed to tie in unconsciously with the songs. Some of them are heavy and some are light.
Trmona s and Maighread s voices are startlingly different and yet somehow genetically helixed on so many songs, most particularly Nml Si Ina La .
It s hard to explain but yes, there s something very different about us singing together, Trmona nods. Our voices are totally different. Sometimes when I try to come up to her range in unison, it becomes aware to me where there are sweet spots in Maighread s voice. There are a certain bunch of notes which distinctively identify her, the quality that s in her voice.
Maighread adds another layer to the process:
Sometimes when we re singing together in unison, you wouldn t know who was singing what. I think that is something to do with siblings. When you listen to Kate and Anna McGarrigle or other families who sing together, it just happens very naturally. n
Idir an Da Sholas is released on Hummingbird Records and is distributed by Gael Linn. They will be going on a national tour of the country in November.