A Concert Underground

Going Underground! Cathal McConnell about to begin his performance at Marble Arch Caves. [c. Ronan McGrade Photography / Cuilcagh to Cleenish]

Going Underground! Cathal McConnell about to begin his performance at Marble Arch Caves. [c. Ronan McGrade Photography / Cuilcagh to Cleenish]

Two years and one pandemic ago I was approached to record a unique concert in County Fermanagh. Organised by the Cuilcagh to Cleenish heritage project to showcase the music and culture of these water-logged lands, Going Underground! took place in September 2019. The chosen venue was the atmospheric water-carved chambers of Marble Arch Caves, part of the wider UNESCO Global Geopark, our local nature gem here in Fermanagh and Cavan. The challenge involved recording several musical performances and spoken voice, at various locations along the cave system, with a free-moving audience, and a potentially flooded river - after all this is Ireland and rainfall is almost written in law.

Acoustically these natural halls are a delight, except for the one big elephant in the room, you might have guessed it: water. Masses and masses of water sink through the limestone from three different rivers into the cave system. When the flow is low, the noise of the water is akin to a trickle. When the flow is high however, it turns into white noise, our most pervasive enemy as sound recordists, as it covers the entire human audible range. And if the flow is very high some chambers flood and the caves close to the public.

The week of the concert we had copious amounts of rain, and there were talks of cancelling the concert. But we went ahead; after all, if it wasn’t for water none of this (none of us!) would be here. So we embraced it and what a night it was. My favourite aspect of the night, aside from the setting and the challenge it posed as a sound recordist, was to see so many community members, all gathered to enjoy a special evening listening to music; listening to their music.

There was also spoken word, tea, cake, and a wider sense of discovery as the audience moved in small groups around the different chambers, following the sounds. Here is Séamas McCanny setting the tone at the entrance gates:

After Séamas’ dark stories, the crowds were then lead inside the cave in small groups to listen to a talented roster of musicians spanning all generations, including: Cathal McConnell, Shauneen Maguire, The Tumbling Paddies, Ancient Music Ireland, Mullaghy Flute band, The Owens Sisters and Tommy Owens and Eugene Dolan.

Onto the geeky technical part.

In order to cover all the performances in the given time I used what I would decribe as a combination of field recording and live gig recording techniques. Each performer would play to a given group, and I had to hop between groups, usually arriving before a group settled and leaving after their departure so as to to reach the following ‘stage’ before the next group’s arrival. There were 5 audience groups and 7 performances inside the cave, plus an 8th one in the cave’s cafeteria. This meant I had to haul a portable rig to capture everything, as well as to find suitable pit stops where I pre-dropped mics and cables to plug into when necessary. Luckily one of the cave guide’s (sorry I cannot remember your name) helped me carry 2 sets of microphone stands along the way. This is the gear I used:

Portable kit

DIY Binaural head (named Aurora) with OKM Classic matched omnidirectional microphones recording onto a Sony PCM-D50 (see picture below).

2x Sennheiser 8040 Cardioid microphones, 1x DPA 4060 omnidorectional microphone, 2x lightweight microphone stands, recording onto Sound Devices 744t recorder though a Sound Devices 552 mixer.

Pre-rigged

Heavy duty microphone stands and Shure SM58s and SM57s. These were placed mid-way through the route, coinciding with the biggest group of performers (The Tumbling Paddies) for which I needed that extra number of channels. Their location was quite tricky as there was a lot of water dripping from the ceiling, which was not only a source of noise but also a risk to the gear. Luckily the Shure dynamic mics are well known for their sturdiness.

Despite the not ideal conditions, it was a one-of-a-kind experience and on the whole we all appreciated the results. You can listen to the full concert playlist here, hopefully you will get a feeling of what a great evening was had. Personally, I am grateful to have been given the chance to play a small part in preserving the local acoustic heritage, which is what Sound Ark is all about.

My thanks to Cuilcagh to Cleenish, the performers, the audience, and the Marble Arch Caves staff. Thank you for reading.

Why Music?, Arvo Pärt and The Singing Neanderthals

After a busy string of back-to-back and overlapping projects I found some time to look past the console's edge. This led to a chain of great coincidences, reminding me how important it is to break the loop and have a wonder in order to refill the creativity tank.

I took the opportunity to start a book that had been on my reading list since the student days: The Singing Neanderthals by Steven Mithen. Published in 2006, it is a thorough investigation of the origins of music, advancing the theory that music is as important and unique to human development as language. It seems crazy writing it but before this work most theories had music as an off-shoot of language. The text is academically rigorous but written in an easy style, and the subject is so interesting that it's hard to put down anyway.

One day a few chapters into the book, I switched the radio on and there he was: Professor Steven Mithen discussing his theory on a live BBC panel. The constant output and sheer quality of programmes that the BBC produces is hugely impressive. The talk I tuned in was part of "Why Music?", the latest subject marathon at BBC's Radio 3 - a whole weekend dedicated to exploring the power of music and what makes music a vital part of being human. Quite on point. 

Over the following weeks I have been listening to as many Why Music? programmes as possible. And in one of those shows I got rewarded with the much mentioned spine-chilling sensation that only music can (safely) give you. The piece I heard was Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Apparently we don't all feel the same levels of emotion to a same piece of music so although this might not raise your back hairs, I'm sure you'll agree it's pretty damn good. 

Call me ignorant but this was my first encounter with Pärt's music. At least it was the first time I was made aware of this contemporary musical genius, as his music has been used in a few movies.

And so I went on an Arvo Pärt listening spree. Suddenly his name started creeping everywhere, like when you buy a red car and start noticing all other red cars. All the music I have listened so far from this man has blown my mind in some way. In some pieces I even hear shadows of the Interstellar score. He really captures the essence of classical music and adds a contemporary edge that works magic on my brain, to the point I can hear it affecting my work.

What music gives you that Tingle Factor? I'd love to hear it! Leave us a comment at the bottom.