PROGRAM NOTES

Craobhan (Gaelic for “Trees”) is the product of a deeply relaxing and philosophical night. The sun was setting, I had a pipe in my hand, and some good coffee at my side. There was moisture in the air (a rare occurrence for Portales, New Mexico), the mist resting gently upon everything around me. This iconic Irish weather inspired within me a deep longing for the country I had visited almost three years prior, and I immediately began writing the chords to this dark, yet optimistic work. Shortly afterwards I discovered the brilliantly expressive poem of the same name by Màiri NicDhòmhnaill, and the marriage seemed only appropriate. The final result is a mixture of emotions that I hope inspire the same love and longing for those rare moments spent in nature; beautifully powerful moments that so many today seem to avert.