Shaun Davey

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Shaun Davey
OriginBelfast, Northern Ireland
GenresCeltic
Classical
Occupation(s)Composer, singer
Years active1977–present

Shaun Davey (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer.

Early years

Shaun Davey was born in

The Strawbs
. He worked as a composer of advertising jingles, including "The Pride of the Herd" for the National Dairy Council, 7up, Bank of Ireland and many more.

Orchestral music relating to Ireland

Davey's reputation is built on four large-scale concert works based on Irish history, all using

uilleann pipes
and folk tunes.

  1. Atlantic to Newfoundland in a leather currach. Severin's journey was a recreation of the one allegedly made by Saint Brendan. The style is similar to that of film composer John Williams. The work uses the traditional uilleann pipes to represent the small currach
    , while the rest of the orchestra represents the conditions, islands and wildlife encountered by the boat.
  2. Lorient Interceltic Festival
    , and an expanded version recorded mostly in the 1990s.
  3. pirate queen in the 16th century. It has more songs than the previous works and features the voice of Rita Connolly
    (who married Davey soon after). Dónal Lunny again contributed as a session musician. It is a homophonic piece of music set in the re mode and was also accompanied by a chamber orchestra.
  4. The Relief of Derry Symphony (1990) has a more obvious symphonic structure. It is based around the 17th century , this one uses a Scottish bagpipe band, who enter the auditorium from behind the audience.

Other recordings

May We Never Have To Say Goodbye, released by the

Tara Music label, is a collaboration between Davey, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and a number of famous artists. The album takes its name from the anthem specially composed for the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Croke Park, June 2003, and performed by Rita Connolly, Ronan Tynan and six Dublin choirs. It is presented along with a range of music from Davey's suite, featuring traditional soloists, singers, choir, pipe band, and orchestra, together with percussion. This release also includes previously unrecorded pieces from The Pilgrim, along with (among others): "Fill to me the Parting Glass" (from the film score of Waking Ned), and "Music of the Spheres", a magical piece from the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Pericles
.

Beal Tuinne – Live at St. James' church Dingle (TARA4022) is a collection of songs composed by Davey with lyrics based on the poems of the late Kerry Poet Caoimhín Ó Cinnéide. Davey is joined on this recording by his wife Rita Connolly and Dingle-based musicians: Séamus Begley, Eilís Kennedy, Lawrence Courtney, Eoin Ó Beaglaoí, Daithí Ó Sé and Jim Murray.

Voices from the Merry Cemetery (TARA4023) is a suite of songs again composed by Davey but this time based on grave inscriptions from the cemetery—known as the Merry Cemetery—of the village of Săpânța on Romania's border with Ukraine. For this live recording, Davey has again teamed up with Connolly (vocals) and O'Flynn (uilleann pipes), as well as the Romanian Men's Choir of the Theology Faculty, Sibiu, directed by Pr. Dr. Sorin Dobre and sections from the Romanian State Philharmonia, conducted by David Brophy.

Film composer

Davey has worked on numerous films. His most famous

Tony
.

Other notable work remains Granuaile, which features Connolly's soaring

The Pilgrim
.

Selected discography

Feature Film Soundtracks

Television Soundtracks

Theatre Soundtracks

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (1999), Royal Shakespeare Company, (61021)

Orchestral suites

  • The Brendan Voyage (1980), Tara, (TARA3006)
  • The Pilgrim
    (1983), Tara, (TARA3032)
  • Granuaile (1985), Tara, (TARA3017)
  • The Relief of Derry Symphony (1990), Tara, (TARA3024)
  • May We Never Have To Say Goodbye (Special Olympics World Summer Games 2003), (2003), Tara/RTE, (TARA4017)
  • Voices from the Merry Cemetery, (2009), Tara, (TARA4023)

References