Casadh an Tsúgáin
Sean-nós “in the old way” singing is unaccompanied, traditional Irish vocal music — usually performed in the Irish language. Of these singers, Iarla Ó Lionáird is definitely my favorite. His performances are emotive, and his intonation is masterful.
The song, Casadh an Tsúgáin “The Twisting of the Hayrope” is a whimsical story, told in the usual coy manner that characterizes many Irish folksongs (when approaching the subject of love). Boy meets girl — then the boy visits her house — only to be met by her rather protective mother. The mother cleverly asks him to unravel a hayrope. The young suitor complies, and as the hayrope lengthens — he is once again outside the door whereupon the expedient mother summarily shuts it in his face.
My version of Casadh an Tsúgáin is specifically based off of Iarla Ó Lionáird’s performance in the movie Brooklyn. There’s some beautiful orchestration on the back end of that performance that I also tried to capture with my guitar.
I suppose I’m also channeling Hozier, as this turned out to be something like he’d play on guitar — with his melodic, but distinctly Irish style.
You might also like to play…
1917: Wayfaring Stranger | fingerstyle guitar + TAB
Hozier: Like Real People Do | fingerstyle guitar + TAB
Spotify and streaming
This performance is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all streaming services.
Casadh an Tsúgáin on Apple Music
How to play Casadh an Tsúgáin | fingerstyle guitar
The guitar tab for this piece is beautifully written across 2 pages. My version is comprised of many trills, hammers, and pulls. I find it to be very easy to play — but I’m aware that beginner guitar players might find this difficult. At a minimum, Casadh , is a perfect étude to practice those techniques.
Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:
This is essentially one long passage played 2x.
**Casadh an Tsúgáin | fingerstyle guitar
This song is tune one whole step down, from low to high: D G C F A D. However, you can just as easily play this in standard tuning.