Craith Na Cleita
(Toss The Feathers)
Featured on "Toss the Feathers" album
The story behind Craith Na Cleita (Toss the Feathers):
...when I was living alone in the little cabin after my mother died -
God rest her soul - there came to the door in the dusk of the evening
a stranger and nothing less than a piper, by the way, who with a
‘God save all here,’ introduced himself as was customary. I invited
him in, of course, and after making himself at aise he says, ‘Would
you like to hear a ‘chune’ on the pipes?’ ‘I would that,’ said I, for
you know a piper and his music are always welcome in an Irish home.
Taking his pipes out of the bag, he laid them on the bed beside him,
and what do you think but without anyone laying a finger on them,
they struck up “Toss the Feathers” in a way that would make a cripple
get up and dance. After a while, when they stopped, he says, ‘Will you
play a ‘chune’ for me now?’ I said I would and welcome, pulling the
blanket off my pipes that were hid under the bedclothes, to keep the
reeds from drying out. ‘Give us “Seaghan ua Duibhir an Gleanna”
says I to the pipes, and when they commenced to play, the mysterious
stranger, who no doubt was a fairy, remarked ‘Ah! Mac, I see you
are one of us.’ With that both sets of pipes played half a dozen ‘chunes’
together. When they had enough of it, the fairy picked up his pipes and
put them in the green bag again. If I had any doubts about him before,
I had none at all when he said familiarly, ‘Mac, I’m delighted with my
visit here this evening, and as I have several other calls to make
I’ll have to be after bidding you good night, but if I should happen
to be passing by this way again, I’ll be sure to drop in.
Turlogh McSweeney ‘The Donegal Piper’
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