This is one of my first foray’s into writing Irish tunes. I wrote this for my grandmother, my mother for all intents and purposes as she raised me from the age of four. She was my best friend, my biggest fan, and the love of my life. She is also the reason that I play the violin and most certainly responsible for most of what is good about me! I wrote this tune partially on a plane and partially in a hotel room in Japan, plagued with jet-lag. I had broken my collarbone (see “The Gift of Falling”) and could not play but heard the beginnings of this tune in my head and so I began to write without being able to play it – a new compositional process for sure! The reel was the accident that resulted from finishing the jig and thinking, “I wonder if it would make a good reel?” I should note that though this tune sounds dark and ominous, my grandmother, much like me, preferred tunes in minor keys!

Commercial recordings:
“The Celtic Fiddle of Liz Knowles” by Liz Knowles
“String Sisters: Live in Norway” by the String Sisters
“Flirting with the Edge” by John Whelan