Hailing from the Isle of Man, between Ireland and Great Britain, Barrule explore the deep, obscure Manx Gaelic culture on their new album Manannan’s Cloak. As you can hear on the track “Fir-Hammag Yioogh (High Net Worth Individuals)”, it sounds both rousing, alien, and ancient at the same time, as fascinating a Celtic track to come out in 2015.
“This song rails against the rich people who buy up land and houses on the Isle of Man to the detriment of local families and the island’s culture,” explains accordionist Jamie Smith. “They feign residency, but really they are just after tax breaks and they seldom show any care for the island or its people. It’s a fairly angry, scathing song and is superbly written in the Manx language by Chris Sheard. The melody comes from Manx musician David Speers. It was a pleasure to work with my father-in-law Greg Joughin on this song. Greg is one of the foremost singers in the Manx language and has been at the heart of the Manx music scene for decades. It’s people like Greg who have helped keep the Manx culture alive to pass on to younger generations.”