Brian Boru’s March - The Chieftains, 1977

The Chieftains perform Brian Boru’s March at Knappogue Castle, County Clare. The mediaeval tower house that is Knappogue Castle, seat of the MacNamara Clan in the Gaelic Kingdom of Thomond (in Irish Tuamhain), is the setting for a Chieftains concert recorded by RTÉ. Cyril Cusack reads an extract from ‘Where, O Kincora?’ by James Clarence Mangan (1803 – 1849) which recalls the golden age of Gaelic rule in Thomond, Where, Kincora is Brian the Great? And where is the glory that once was thine? Oh, where are the princes and nobles that sate At the feasts in thy halls, and drank the red wine... This is followed by ‘Brian Boru’s March’ performed by The Chieftains who are Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes), Seán Keane and Martin Fay (fiddle), Derek Bell (harp), Kevin Conneff (bodhrán), Michael Tubridy (flute), and Seán Potts (tin whistle). ‘Chieftains In Thomond’ was recorded by RTÉ Television and Radio, and broadcast simultaneously on both, with stereo sound on radio, on 24 November 1977.