REACTION: Must hear!! Davy Spillane - Caoineadh Cu Chulainn Uilleann Pipes.flv

[@joepryan4424]

The story is a lament about a father who accidentally killed his son in battle, I sourced the following online " There's a story behind this lament, as there is behind any Irish lament (or Scottish one for that matter) but this one, I think deserves telling. Now you have all heard of Cú Chulainn or Setanta, as he was called as a child. How he got the name Cú Chulainn or the "hound of Chulainn " is a different story, as is his battle to the death with his blood brother Ferdia. Now Ferdia was a very old and the closest friend of Cú Chulainn. The met in the land of Alba (Scotland) where was sent to train in the art of war and all the weapons, but that's again a different story. This lament is about the time when Cú Chulainn killed his own son in battle you see you see when he was in Alba being trained by Scathach A fierce Scottish Warrior of renown he met Scathachs' sister. Both Scathach and Aoife, her sister were masters at warfare and had never been beaten, which is why the best young warriors were sent to train under her guidance. To cut this part of a long story short, Scathach and Aoife were feuding and after a long complicated story Cú Chulainn beat Aoife in battle and forced her to make peace with her sister, He also won her affection and so the inevitable happened and she had a son to him and she named him Conlaoch Years later and not knowing he had a son, Cú Chulainn married Emer, his childhood sweetheart. When Aoife heard that Cúchulainn had married Emer, she was totally enraged. So she decided to turn her son into a weapon against Cú Chulainn. She trained her son in all aspects of being a warrior. She then sent him over to Ireland but first she put three geasa on him. A "geasa", for those who don't know is an unbreakable promise, your Word of honour, so to speak. Now for any true Irishman or Scottish man for that matter there is no worse fate than to be without honour. It is the single worst fate that can befall you. First of these geasa was that he was not to turn back, the second that he should never refuse a challenge, and the third that he should never tell anyone his name. When Conlaoch arrived at his father's home in Dundalk, he was met by the warrior Conall, who according to custom asked him his name and lineage. Because of the geas his mother had put on him, Conlaoch could not comply with this request and was immediately challenged to a duel with Conall, which he could not refuse. After many such chalanges and battles, Conlaoch then came against Cúchulainn himself and was asked his lineage, but again could not tell it and so was challenged by Cúchulainn. In the terrible battle that followed the hero light came upon Cú Chulainn and Conlaoch realised that he was fighting his father and that his mother had been treacherous, he cast his spear sideways so that it would miss Cúchulainn and shouted that he was his son, but it was too late Cúchulainn had already thrown the gae bulga (which he had won from Aoife) and it was unstoppable once thrown and thus Conlaoch was slain. Cúchulainn was thrown into a fit of rage and grief in which he lost his senses and started attacking anything in sight, so in order to save him and his friends from further tragedy, the Druid Cathbad cast a spell upon Cúchulainn causing him to see the waves of the sea as armed opponents. He battled with the waves until he collapsed from exhaustion. So that being said this lament called "Caoineadh Cu Chulainn" (Cú Chulainns' lament) is about that tragedy."

[@katieherring3473]

I have been wondering about the story of this particular song. Davy Spillane played it beautifully.

[@Argyll9846]

This piece of music reaches out and takes hold of your soul. I've always loved the wonderful sound of this superb instrument that touches me like no other.

[@shane-irish]

One of the best pieces off irish music you will ever hear

[@davidhession1605]

The song is pronounced Kweenah Koo kullenn and is Irish for the cry of Cu Chulainn (Cu Chulainn is one of Ireland's most important characters in mythology/ ancient story). Hope this helps

[@tacfoley4443]

The correct translation is 'lament'.

[@roycroftki5358]

It takes 15+ years to learn your way around the irish uilleann pipes and a lifetime to be this good.

[@luvtogroove]

I can well imagine

[@cahillgreg]

Nobody gets to be this good Bar a handful

[@robertlindsay6671]

As soon as you said "it transports me" I had to like this video. This song somehow cuts to my core and moves me like nothing else can

[@steveblanco7494]

I've played this a hundred times or more and it gets me every time. ..amazing and haunting. . Every body must visit Ireland before they pass.

[@katesimmons9297]

This lament makes my heart cry

[@resipsaloquitur13]

Phonetically- "Ill'n" like "chill'n" replace ch with ill.

[@MatthewLombard1981]

He is playing this music in Riverdance The Show from 1995 at The Point Theatre Dublin which is called now the 3Arena, the name of the song is Lament & played on the uilleann pipes

[@leoantsiferov]

Actually I've watched this exact video on VHS Riverdance NTSC standard in 1999, I guess. And I thought immediately that the same manner I heard in "Titanic". Much later I found out that Davy was in a crew of musicians recording OST for the movie. And even more later I discovered him in "Rob Roy" This guy is outstanding, gorgeous and cool.

[@MatthewLombard1981]

Plus he plays the uilleann pipes & low Whistle on the soundtrack of Neil Jordan’s historical epic Michael Collins (1996) composed by Eillot Goldenthal

[@thomasobrien1213]

Absolute soul bending song. I am Irish but I think this should touch all humans. SOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!🥹😧

[@liberalirishman1425]

Pipes are called the Uileann pipes. Pronounced "ill-inn" pipes. Uileann is the Irish language word for elbow. They're named this because to produce air, the player squeezes a small bellow with his elbow. Song is called Caoineadh cu Chulainn. Pronounced "Kweena coo Cullen". Which translates as the lament of Cú Chulainn. Cú Chulainn was a warrior from Irish mythology.

[@liberalirishman1425]

@@adamjbgames what? No it is not. 'Caoineadh' means to cry or lament and Chú Chulainn was the name of a warrior from irish mythology. Chú meaning hound, thus the hound of Chulainn. The song translates very simply as the lament of Chu Chulainn. Your morning cuckoo statement is horrendously incorrect.

[@luvtogroove]

OMG 30mts of my life I wont get back

[@emanymton713]

This is the tune I want played at my funeral (morose as that sounds).

[@pjtufty66]

My Father had the uillean pipes at his funeral 30 years ago . Not this tune though. Unbelievable sound

[@luvtogroove]

I made sure it was played at my mums funeral.A truly emotive piece.A lot of tears

[@emanymton713]

Back again , and still this is he tune I want played at my funeral.

[@lelenapeacock4210]

Also, the name of the pipes: Uilleann, which means elbow. You use your elbow to push air through the reeds. Pronounced *illin*, lol.

[@adamjbgames]

Depends on the pipes, some are elbow valve some are knee valve. Either can't be used when marching but work grand with a pint 😂

[@odonnchada9994]

Check Out The Fureys Or Paddy Keenan On The Uilleann Pipes They Are Class At Playing Them.☘🎼🎼🎼💚

[@bcpipes]

BTW, Davey is a left handed player. Don’t let that throw you off. 😊

[@wayned8758]

This was a lot of fun. I won't even pretend to try to help you pronounce the title of the song, but the pipes are EE-len (approximately). Irish _Gaelige_ is not a language I can speak or understand at all, but it is beautiful. And pipe music is an acquired taste, but I am glad you enjoyed this. It was beautiful. Now, maybe I should add a Scottish performance on the Great Highland Bagpipe (in Scottish Gaelic: _a' phìob mhòr_ , pronounced approximately ah fee-epp vohr). Let me know. And glad you seem to have overcome your technical issues!

[@garhuli1]

“Queen-u , ku-kullen” for pronunciation

[@lavienestpasunlongfleuvetr2559]

It's actually pronounced 'ill-en', like the name Ellen, but with an 'i' sound at the start, the same as the words 'if' and 'in'.

[@bcpipes]

Further pedantic: it’s a tune “chune”, not a song. A “slow air”, to be precise. Songs have sung words. Irish tradition.

[@lelenapeacock4210]

You would say the Lament of Coo Hullen...phonetically spelled in English anyhow. Not so sure how to say Caoineadh, but maybe Kinu? Still learning. And I could be wrong. LOL

[@bcpipes]

Also, as wonderfully produced and recorded this piece is, it comes nowhere near what the Uilleann Pipes can do. Do some KZbin searches!

[@bcpipes]

In English, the language is “Irish”. In Irish it’s “Gealige”. Sorry to be pedantic, but that’s the convention.

[@johndoyle2397]

The pipes are pronounced illen pipes

[@dssbfam]

Bag pips are Scottish uilleann pips are irish

[@thomascassidy6163]

Mich they are the Irish Uileann Pipes, the instrument of choice for the orchestral sound in that Epic movie Braveheart, these pipes were choosen over the Scottish Highland Pipes because of the higher notes achieved and more softer and haunting sound much to the annoyance of the Scottish people though.

[@garhuli1]

And the fact large parts of the movie was filmed in Ireland!

[@luvtogroove]

Kidding,But absolutely emotive and stunning

[@browsman2328]

My Irish grandfather used to tell me and my siblings stories about the mythical Irish warrior CuChulainn (there are various spellings) although we suspected he embellished a bit as he was prone to do, for example Cu Chulainn sometimes grew to twenty feet tall to battle his enemies. He also would hear the call of a barn owl and say it was a banshee foretelling the death of a family member. I have been to Ireland and unfortunately not all Irish like the “elbow “ pipes or trad music or are even fluent in the Irish language. Sad really, they should be.

[@phcoh]

Dude ur face, I bet you have never been to Ireland, but this 1 tune. This 1 instrument, ah feck it ended and you just made the above points.But do come, yes as the tune made you feel its Is that green, it is that passion, it is that feck it ur only here once.

[@John-iq4cj]

Since i was a teenager this song made me think about being noticed from the opposite sex, then acceptance, then being rejected, then hope

[@adamjbgames]

Kwee-nuh noo coo-len. It's a shiter of a language to learn, sadly a dying one at that. Also hi from Scotland from and Irish guy 😂

[@pjtufty66]

ILL EE UN PIPES if you break the word down to its simplest phonetic .

[@alexlamont4470]

Elbow pipes

[@resipsaloquitur13]

I've heard that lol

[@emmetnolan2329]

Learn how to pronounce the name of the song in Irish if you want some culture my friend……..in English the tune is called Cucullans lament…….. cucullain was a great warrior and a hero to his people ………