Between The Worlds

".... echoing the inner threshold where soul and mind ebb and flow into one another."  John O'Donohue

The Druid priests of old believed in the spiritual power of betweenness, the idea that thresholds and boundaries shimmer with otherworldly possibility. They loved the seashore, which was neither land nor sea; the mist, neither water nor air; and twilight, neither day nor night. This principle applied as well to the changes of season – the four “cross-quarter festivals,” Beltaine, Samhain, Lughnasadh, and Imbolc, were special times when the veil between the worlds grew thin and humans could contact the other side.

On Between the Worlds, Áine Minogue celebrates the evocative brilliance of betweenness with a musical feast in honor of these special moments of spiritual potential.  The song Fyvie Castle reflects the ancient wonder of Samhain – the festival that we call Halloween today – the night when they received the wisdom of the ancestors. Mal Bhán Ní Chuilionain, is a lively, traditional song of Beltaine, the Celtic celebration of Spring, ripe with erotic and creative potential. And to fête harvest time or Lughnasadh, there is Rosemary Faire, a daring duet of courtship and romance. 

With these and nine other traditional and original songs, Áine Minogue has crafted an album she calls her “personal favorite.” Joined by Celtic bassist Lindsay Horner, Seamus Egan on guitar, whistles, and flutes, Barry Phillips on cello, Winnie Horan on fiddle, and special guest Alasdair Halliday, she weaves a spell with harp and vocals to cross an invisible barrier and take you Between the Worlds.

Exile 4:38

The journey begins as movement between worlds and the beginning of the search; moving from birth to death, from the old world to the new, and from this world to the next. Here, the sea is a metaphor for the carrier whose female fluidity divides and joins the male solidity of the land. As the movements of the sea go from turbulent to calm, nothing is assured. The quest for the betweenness of old and new, the place that is neither sand nor sea, leads to where both embrace in a mosaic of foreign sounds from different corners of the world

O'Carolan 3:02

This piece by Turlough O'Carolan, the 18th-century blind Irish composer, combines the classical with the traditional Irish musical world. The genius of O'Carolan was in incorporating the essence of the music of his homeland with the European classical tradition he emulated. 

Silence 3:38

The journey continues, but it is not an external journey. By traveling the distance while staying still, the search for inner peace is as strong, heartfelt and necessary as the search for love. 

Many achieve their stillness on "holy ground." It would be difficult to find an area in Ireland that does not have old sites such as "ring forts" or what came to be known as "holy wells, " places where ancient lines of power were thought to intersect. After the introduction of Christianity, churches were built at many of these sites. It was believed that the boundaries between territories was supernatural, and that water which flowed between two or three territories was thought to have curative powers.

The Grove 3:33

Perhaps the ultimate "holy ground" was the grove of the Druids, the site of ancient ritual. Their reverence for nature - and working within its boundaries - made them particularly respectful of the elements in states of betweenness. They loved the seashore, neither land nor sea; the fog or mist, neither water nor air; dawn and dusk, neither night nor day. Their sacred branch was holly, neither bush nor tree. Their rituals revolved around the agricultural cycle of the year, and they led the people in the union of practical life and the earthly world with that of the spirit. 

Mal Bhán Ni Chuilionain 5:07

(Mol Vawn)
The Celtic cycle of the year was marked by four major "fire festivals": Beltaine, Samhain, Lughnasadh and Imbolc. These boundaries marked the new season, and allowed for movement between the worlds as lines along which the supernatural were thought to break through to the surface of existence. Beltaine occurred on the First of May, May Day, and marked the beginning of the "light half" of the year. It was symbolized by the white flowering hawthorn tree, around which ritual dancing took place to ensure a good harvest (Lughnasadh) later that year. Mal Bhán represents the spirit of spring after the long winter, with a raw and markedly erotic energy, celebrating the earth at its most forceful.

Between the Worlds 4:02

During these seasonal feasts, the veil between the worlds was thought to be lifted, the obstacles removed, the laws of space suspended, and communion with one's ancestors became a distinct possibility. They celebrated freedom from addiction to the purely visible, in the age-old premise of a life beyond this one, in which our ancestors are no further away than the next world. And that world itself being rather close by. 

Fyvie Castle 3:39

Samhain was the feast that marked the end of the "light half" of the year and the beginning of the "dark half." The light half was that of the people, the dark half belonged to the earth, the cycle of time being expressed in the basic duality of darkness and light. Samhain, or Halloween as it has come to be known, was actually New Year's Eve in the Celtic calendar. For the Celts, the dark always preceded the light, and day began at dusk, not dawn. The children's tradition that otherworldly creatures come to life on Halloween has its origins in the ancient feast of Samhain, but the Celts' main concern with the other world was to receive wisdom from their ancestors. It was a time for solitary introspection and reflection. The custom of dressing up in costume began back then. It was acceptable to stretch the boundaries by assuming a different identity to welcome the supernatural. This tune, however, reflects the lighter side of the season that we all grew up with. 

Rosemary Faire 3:44

Lughnasadh was the harvest feast, celebrating the wedding of the sun god Lugh to Mother Earth. It was a time of gathering, games and joining together to reinforce the identity and strength of the people. It also marked the beginning of the sun's journey into the night of winter. Still in the "light half" of the year, it was considered the best time for a wedding. This is a courting song of daring, in which a man and woman challenge each other to do the impossible - ultimately an invitation to explore all the other possibilities.

The Parting 5:37

Voluntary or involuntary, the movement between two worlds usually involves a parting. This piece expresses that part of ourselves that keeps us from letting go. 

In ancient times, it was the duty of the harpers to evoke certain emotions: laughter (geantraí), sorrow (goltraí) and/or sleep (suantraí). This song falls into the goltraí category.

Jezebel Carol 2:16

Traditionally, carols were sung at all ceremonies and feasts, not just at Christmas time. This carol invokes all those times when we cross invisible barriers, with an optimistic sense of a serendipitous journey, when we don't quite know what surprises lie in store.

Across The Universe 4:59

Sleep Song

Áine Minogue: vocals, Irish harp, percussion
John Arimond: tenor vocal, backing vocals, whistling
Jeramie Hammond: harmony vocals, bass vocals
Seamus Egan: nylon strung guitar, whistles and flutes, mandolin
Winnie Horan: fiddles
Lindsey Horner: double bass
Takaaki Masuko: percussion
Alasdair Halliday: harmony vocals, lead vocals, shaker, rhythm guitar
Barry Phillips: cello, bass vocals
John McGann: rhythm guitars
Arden String Quartet: Zioa Bologovsky- violin, Rohan Gregory - violin, Louisa Sarkissian - viola
Daniel Orlansky: steel cello, didjeridoo

All tracks published by Little Miller Music (BMI) for Aine Minogue.

Bulfinch, Thomas 
Bulfinch’s Mythology
Avenel Books, New York

Frazer, James George. The Golden Bough, A Study of Magic and Religion Scribner, 1996 reprint edition.

Graves, Robert 
The White Goddess
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1984

Hillers, Barbara 
Music from the Otherworld: 
Modern Gaelic Legends About Fairy Music 
Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium (April 29-May1, 1994) 
Bealoideas, Iml. 60-1, 1992-3

MacKillop 
Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
Oxford , New York, 1998

Rolleston, T. W. 
Myths and Legends of The Celtic Race
David D. Nickerson & Company, Boston 
No year given – limited edition

Rees, Alwyn & Brinley Rees 
Celtic Heritage, Ancient tradition in Ireland and Wales, 
Thames and Hudson, England, 1961

Skelton, Robin and Margaret Blackwood 
Earth, Air, Fire, Water

Squire, Charles 
Celtic Myth and Legend
Newcastle Publishing Company, US, 1975

Thomas, Keith 
Religion and the Decline of Magic
Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1971

Exile 

Tread softly when you leave
A journey safe to you
A pilgrimage to foreign lands
Seek sanctuary true

Chorus: Exile... exile...

I cannot of two places be
Cannot be the shore and be the sea
To seek... to search... to find the place
Where sand and shore simply interlace

Slipped those ways into a life
Not knowing that you'd grow with me
The freedom that you gave... to see
Threefold earned this loyalty

Cannot be two ways complete
Cannot be both day and night
Surrendering to find the space...
As dawn and dusk find their resting place

Silence 

Welcome.. silence... to my place
I've missed you for so long
I sought your face a thousand times in voices loud and strong
In searching for your solitude... I looked and looked without
And where else should I find your face... upon this holy ground.

Now... silence... would you not... spend more time just here
Your breeze is as a lover fine, a lover fine to me
And in the quiet darkness of our sacred place
I'd hold your court and bid you never leave here or away

Through worlds divine and shadows fine and 'cross the seven seas
Forever searching... wanderlust... in hopes of home to see
If... silence... you've a home... a place for us to be
Then glad I'll be your lover true
And go there... go there... with you

Mal Bhan Ni Chuilionain 

Ar meisce cha dteim nios mo,
Braon leanna go doe ni bhlaisfidh me
Or chailleas mo chailin beag og
A chuireadh im phoca an t-airgead.

Chorus:
Is fada liom uaim i, uaim i
Is fada liom uaim i o d'imigh si
Is fada liom thios is thuas i,
Malai na gCuach Ni Chuilionain.

Bhi me la amuigh ar an gcoill
Is tharla dom soilse bradoige
A dheanfadh an marbhan beo
No reice boic oig de sheanduine.

Da mbeinnse in eipir an bhais
Agus daoine dha ra nach dtiocfainn as,
Ni dheanfainn mo thiomna go brach
Go dtiocfadh si, Mal Bhan Ni Chuilionain.

Ar meisce cha dteim nios mo,
Braon leanna go doe ni bhlaisfidh me
Or chailleas mo chailin beag og
A chuireadh im phoca an t-airgead.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION Molly (Ni Chuilionain - Name) with the curly hair 

Drunkenness for life I forego,
Strong ale I will taste never more,
Since I lost my pretty young maid,
Who would plenish my pockets with riches.

CHORUS:
I long for her from me, from me,
I long for her from me, since leaving me,
I long for her above and below me,
The curly haired Mal Bhan Ni Chuilionain (name)

I happened one day in the woods,
and I met a charming young maiden
She'd make a corpse come alive,
and a lovely young man of an old fellow.

If I were in the last throes of death, 
Ane people could see no recovery,
I'd never dictate my last will,
'Till the arrival of Mal Bhan Ni Chuilionain

Drunkenness for life I forego,
Strong ale I will taste never more,
Since I lost my pretty young maid,
Who would plenish my pockets with riches.

Between the Worlds 

And as you move between the worlds
Great sorrow will I feel
As first and last they journey same
Through nature's passageway

Chorus:
You're welcome, soul, to be with me
I'll happy be your guide
Teach to me what's been forgot
The old ways, by and by.

I've begged the wise to lead me to
The places you have been
But glimpses in these waking dreams
Is all they'll let me see.

And as you move between the worlds
Such sorrow makes us reel (real)
As first and last they journey same
Through nature's passageway.

Rosemary Faire 

HE:
You may go down to Rosemary Faire
Every rose grows merry and fine
Pick me out then the finest girl there
And I shall make her a true lover of mine.

SHE:
Tell him to find me an acre of land
Every rose grows merry and fine
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Or he'll never be a true lover of mine.

HE:
Tell her to send me a carembrick shirt
Every rose grows merry and fine
Made without needle or needlework
Or she cannot be a true lover of mine.

SHE:
Tell him to bring it to Rosemary Faire
Every rose grows merry and fine
When he arrives there'll be nobody there
And he'll never be a true lover of mine.

Across the Universe 

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a papercup
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me. 

Chorus:
JAI GURU DEVA OM
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.

Sounds of laughter, shades of earth are ringing through my opened views
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless, undying love, which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe.

Words and Music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
© 1968, 1970, Renewed 1996 SONY/ATV Songs LLC
Administered by EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC. (BMI)
All right reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by permission

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE 
by Thom Duffy
This lovely album seamlessly draws on classical, traditional, and contemporary influences. More important, it evinces the spiritually healing quality of Celtic music, which helps explain the genre's remarkable worldwide popularity.... 

AQUARIUS
A bard of the Irish tradition reaching back to the myths of the nation's founding...a hypnotic, etheric album which whispers its way into your system, magically enveloping you in a swirling breeze of sweet airs, jigs and ballads. Fans of traditional Celtic ways and poignant, heartfelt, soulful music will not want to miss this one...

THE CELTIC CONNECTION
Beautiful vocals from Áine, who, in addition to having a lovely voice, is also an outstanding harper......

IRISH NEWS
This album is beautiful and haunting ...... consists of both original and traditional compositions which compliment each other beautifully to form a cohesive whole. Áine's voice is delicate and ethereal, much like her harp.... 

NEW AGE RETAILER
Beauty, grace, passion, and excellence are the hallmarks of this fabulous album. Don't miss it..... 

IRISH EDITION
...From ecclesiastic chanting to ethereal choral voices, from dancing flute to driving drums, this album is almost a series of contradictions which cleave together in a most natural form ...

NEW TIMES
These are places of unfathomable mystery and unspeakable beauty, and so is this magical record..... 

CELTIC CHRONICLES
....this is not your typical "Harp Disc". Moments after you pop in this CD, you'll be lost in a mystical journey through the Celtic spiritual world...hours of listening pleasure.......

VOICES FROM SPIRIT MAGAZINE
...filled with fantastic instrumentals and vocals with a slightly modern touch, this collection of timeless treasures will delight your imagination.... Highly Recommended!..... 

THE IRISH HERALD
......a dreamy trip from birth to death and from the old world to the new......demonstrates her profound lyricism, describing the search for inner peace.....

CONVERGENCE MAGAZINE
.....the music of Áine Minogue is gently mysterious, calling to the mind the haunting melodies of the Celtic tradition. Her music carries the listener to faraway Celtic lands where the veil is lifted to allow movement and unity, between worlds

Introduction by John O'Donohue

The Threshold

The visible is that which we can see. That which we cannot see, we call invisible.

Great regions of our life are governed by invisible presence. No one can see time, yet it is one of the most powerful of invisible forces. Music in the one art form that changes our experience of time. We enter the deeper dimension of time where the eternal is hidden.

Time is never still; it brings us to new frontiers in every moment.

The Celtic imagination was never dualistic it experienced no separation of visible and invisible, temporal and eternal. Celtic music echoes this fluent unity.

Aine Minogue has pitched her album (Between the Worlds) in this interim world of the threshold where these infinities meet. The vibrance, energy and mystery of this encounter is given voice in the imagination of her music. There on those subtle spiritual thresholds, the ocean beseeches the land, the light tests and blesses the dark, the exile dreams of home, echoing the inner threshold where soul and mind ebb and flow into one another.

This music is suffused with the powerful resonance of the great Celtic feasts - Beltaine, Samain, Lughnasadh and Imbolc - when the veil between visible and invisible is lifted; that gentle membrane where silence become audible. The great conductor Sergiu Celibidache said " we do not create music, we merely create the conditions so that she can arrive."

Aine Minogue achieves these conditions with a poise that is gentle and sure.

John O'Donohue

After the Sea by John O'Donohue

from Echoes of Memory

As it leaves
the sea inscribes
the sand
with a Zan Riddle
written in Japanese
characters of seaweed.

Above
the white selves
of seagulls
mesh in repetitions
of desire.