Out of the Mailbag Comes Songs and Stories: Ava Wildflower
by Éabha Mc Mahon
2021 13 Tracks 41 Minutes. Review by John O’Brien, Jr. @Jobjr
Éabha (AYE-vah Mac-MA-hon) began her singing career in 1998, when, at the age of nine, she was chosen by Veritas to record an album for Beo go Deo, a children’s book. She then began singing in sean nós, a traditional, less demonstrative, and unaccompanied style, taught by such singers as Moya Brennan, Máire Ní Choilm, Íde Mac Mathúna, and Séamus Mac Mathúna.
At the age of fifteen, Éabha won the Under18 All Ireland Oireachtais final. From age thirteen to seventeen, she was the reigning Leinster champion in the Irish music competition Fleadh Ceoil. From the ages of fourteen to eighteen, she was the Dublin champion in the Fairview Feis Ceoil five times.
Éabha joined Anúna in 2007, becoming the group’s youngest member at the age of sixteen. In 2008, she recorded the PBS Holiday Special, “Anúna: Christmas Memories”, released that year on DVD and CD.
Éabha joined Celtic Woman in July 2015, replacing Lisa Lambe in the ensemble, and recorded seven CDs as a member of Celtic Women. As 2019 ended, she left to pursue her solo career, and is off to a splendid start, with her just released solo debut, Wildflower.
Éabha continues the centuries old Irish tradition of storytelling through song, bringing her own modern contemporary style to the art and seamlessly blending English lyrics with her oft forgotten indigenous language that adds a poetic rhythm to her songwriting.
“I am making this album because it’s the most honest expression of who I am, what I stand for and my intentions for the world that we live in. I sing to heal, and it heals me too. It is the purest form of emotion that I have ever experienced, so I want that in my life every day… It is the greatest privilege to be able to make music, and something that I want to do for the rest of my life.
“It was like a breath of fresh air going back into studio after months of working from our homes. I have never been so thankful to once again feel that feeling you get in the studio. The slight feeling of nerves mixed with lots of excitement and the wonderful anticipation of how the songs will develop after singing them.
Most of the album was written in the west of Ireland. I am so thankful to have been living there for that creative time because it is the most inspiring and scenic place that I have ever lived. I walked the beaches every day for an hour and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore centered me in a way that I have not felt in years.
The cold sea air allowed me to access a mindful part of my soul which I hadn’t had time to tap into for a while. Now listening back to my songs, I realise that so many of the ideas were born on those beaches in Salthill and it will forever be a place full of magic.
“The album is greatly inspired by the sea, and the feeling I get in those moments after jumping in first thing in the morning. Each song represents my passion for the earth, equality, the Irish language and the importance of unity, family and friendship.”
Guests: Gavin Murphy, piano and keyboards; Bill Shanley, Guitars; Noel Eccles, percussion; Liam Bradley, drums and percussion; John O’Brien, Whistle.
Wildflower is a musical journey to find peace, in the night, and when retrospect overtakes us in our quiet moments. Being drawn to the light, we sway with Éabha’s songs, lending ourselves to being open, and then being able to find the connections we need.
At our most basic, we are so similar, in the quest for life, connection, a bit of light that we all need, in trying times. Éabha is a songwriter who walks along with us, with stories and experiences we have all come through. Wildflower is a Top Shelf Selection, and highly recommended.
For more than this review and the Inner View, see Éabha’s appearance on iIrish Songs, Stories & Shenanigans Podcast27, available on OhioIANews.com or on iTunes. www.avaworldmusic.com Facebook and Twitter, and Patreon.
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