Feolin by Daughter of the Water

Feolin, was recorded one opportunistic day, at the remote and beautiful Sound of Jura Studio with Producer and sound artist Giles Perring, at the end of the final season of archaeological excavations at Dunyvaig Castle at Lagavulin Bay on neighbouring Islay. Professor Steven Mithen, leading the dig, asked Sarah to write a song for the closing ceremony of the excavation. What emerged was a potted history of the castle culminating with the fantastic discovery of the seal of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor, which marked a crucial turning point in the castle’s history. The Ballad of Dunyvaig sounds like a traditional folk song who’s live debut in Port Ellen’s community hall, featured Islay musician Shane MacKinnon on guitar, with the archaeology students singing the chorus: “What lies below the heather, Sleeps within the Soil, Rests under the rocks”. This Jura recording is energetic and percussive, with Giles Perring on bodhrán and harmonium, and Sarah on vocals and spoons.

Lunar Light is another archaeology-inspired song, written in the summer of 2021 during the excavation of Silchester Roman Bath house. Whilst observing the beauty and magic of the full moon’s shadows casting from the Roman Tepidarium pilae stacks, a friend’s shamanic journey creating magical links with the past, and the song of the Skylark at dawn.

Song of the Seafoam was written on the shores of Loch Indaal, Port Charlotte, Islay. It started as a reply to ‘Will I Find You’, from the album ‘Her Kiss is a whip of the Moon’, and evolved into the story of the Little Mermaid. She falls for a Prince who she has saved from drowning in a shipwreck, visits a seawitch to trade her voice for legs with which to seek him out, but he loves someone else and so she sorrowfully melts into Seafoam.

Feolin is a place on Jura.

Tracklist

1.	Song of the Seafoam	3:26

2.	The Ballad of Dunyvaig	4:08

3.	Lunar Light	3:49

Credits

released January 21, 2022

All songs written by Sarah Lambert-Gates.
Recorded, engineered and produced by Giles Perring in Sound of Jura Studio (soundofjura.com).
Vocals, spoons and Banjola - Sarah Lambert-Gates.
Bodhrán, harmonium, guitar - Giles Perring.

Islay Photography by Kevin Standage.
Design by SLG.

Thanks to my dear companion Pygar, to Kevin for the beautiful photos, and the students and staff of the Islay fieldschool, particulary Professor Steven Mithen for asking me to write the song about the castle, and student Zoe Wiacek, who found the Campbell Seal.

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