Bibiel Hears Things: Alannah Thornburgh – “Chasing the Hare”

Hey people! I’ve recently discovered a really intriguing album, about which I’m surprised that I didn’t come across it earlier than I did; same about the artist behind it. Alannah Thornburgh is an Irish multi-instrumentalist, primarily harpist, from Swinford in County Mayo. She comes from a very musical family, with both of her parents playing instruments – her father, Rob Thornburgh, is a saxophonist, which is likely where her specific flavour of harping, influenced by jazz and Appalachian folk, comes from. She was taught the harp by another great Mayo harpist Gráinne Hambly. In fact, her debut won her Best Folk Instrumentalist at last year’s RTÉ Folk Awards, and the track I’m sharing today was nominated too. The album in question is that debut, entitled “Shapeshifter” and released early last year. It is a collection of mainly Alannah’s own compositions themed around the Irish rural traditions of fairy folklore, in particular of her native County Mayo. It started as a commission for…