English version follows.
“Tá dúnmharú i ndiaidh tarlú,” ar oileán beag Eaglasaigh (oileán an tséipéil) ar Inse Orc, Luan Cásca sa bhliain 1117. Chuir an tIarla Hàcon an dallamullóg ar a chol ceathrair, an tIarla Mánas, ag cruinniú a bhí in ainm is a bheith ina shos cogaidh, ach a chríochnaigh le dúnmharú Mhánais. Thosaigh ‘Na Seacht dTonn,’ amach ina shuiteáil amharcealaíne, mar chuid d’imeacht comórtha ‘Mánas 900’ in eaglais Naomh Mánas, Birsay, an paróiste inar fhás Mánas aníos agus inar cuireadh é, sular tugadh a chorp go hArdeaglais Naomh Mánas i mBaile na hEaglaise in Kirkwall.
Tá ‘Tryst on Egilsay’, sraith dánta le George Mackay Brown, mar ábhar inspioráide an taispeántais. Déanann na seacht ndán aithris ar an scéal iontach ó Shága Inse Orc le léargais ó dhearcadh agus ó aisteoirí éagsúla. Arsa George: “Rinne mé iarracht a shamhlú sa tsraith dánta seo - atá leagtha amach go maith nó go dona, cosúil le tonnta na farraige - cad é atá fágtha ar lár amach as an mhórscéal: smaointe fhir agus mhná an oileáin. ” Smaointe an Iarla Hàcon fosta; fear stiúrtha long Iarla Mhánais; na dúnmharfóirí; sagart Eaglasaigh; fir Eaglasaigh; an bheirt tincléirí. Chruthaigh Erlend Brown agus Dave Jackson suiteáil ealaíne bunaithe ar ‘mheafar na dtonnta’ a bhéarfadh dúshlán a gcuid samhlaíochta físiúla dóibh. Tá seacht gcanbhás thonnchruthacha le híomhánna péinteáilte ar an dá thaobh sa taispeántas. Tá na dánta ar taispeáint ar pháipéar Seapánach leath-trédhearcach i bhfrámaí peirspéacs. Cuireadh iad i láthair i mBéarla agus i nGáidhlig ar dtús ach anois tá aistriúchán Gaeilge déanta díobh ag Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair agus beidh deis ag daoine eile iad a léamh in Éirinn agus i gcéin. Críochnaítear gné fhísiúil na suiteála le 14 phrionta atá ina n-eagráin theoranta.
Tá ‘fuaimdhreach’ a bhí urraithe go speisialta ag teacht leis an taispeántas. Ba é Paul Harrigan, cumadóir ceoil agus ilionstraimí ó Dhún na nGall, a cheap. Seacht ngluaiseacht atá in achan fhuaimdhreach, iad uilig ag freagairt do na dánta agus do na tonnta. Ba é Cairdeas na bhFidléirí a chuir tús leis an urraíocht agus tá fuaimrian Conallach ag gabháil le tionscadal ‘Na Seacht dTonn’ anois, rud a thagraíonn do na naisc fhadbhunaithe atá againn in Éirinn agus muid ag dul trasna Shruth na Maoile, naisc a théann níos faide siar ná turas Naomh Colm Cille sa bhliain 563 A.D. Cuireann an saothar atá cumtha sa ‘stíl Chonallach’ críoch leis an tionscadal, ‘Dánta ar snámh i bhfarraige de thonnta chanbhás agus ceol na hÉireann.’
“There’s been a Murder,”on the small island of Egilsay (the church island) in Orkney on Easter Monday 1117. Earl Hakon has deceived his cousin Earl Magnus, in what was intended to be a truce meeting, but ended up in the slaying of Magnus. ‘Seven Waves,’ was originated as a visual art installation, part of the commemoration event ‘Magnus 900’ in St Magnus’ Kirk, Birsay, the parish where Magnus grew up and wasfirst laid to rest, prior to his remains being carried to St Magnus’Cathedral in Kirkwall.
The inspiration behind the exhibition is ‘Tryst on Egilsay’ a poem cycle by George Mackay Brown. The seven poems retell the great story from the Orkneyinga Saga from a variety of view points and actors. George said, “In this sequence of poems structured well or ill, like the waves of the sea - I tried to imagine what is left out of the great story: the thoughts of the island men and women.” Also the thoughts of Earl Hakon; the helmsman of Earl Magnus’ ship; the killers; the Egilsay Priest; the men of Egilsay; the two tinkers. Erlend Brown and Dave Jackson have responded to the ‘waves metaphor’ to create an art installation which would challenge their own visual imaginations. The exhibition consists of seven wave shaped canvases with painted images on both sides. The poems are displayed on semi-transparent Japanese paper in perspex frames originally presented in English and Scots Gáidhlig but now in an Irish language translation by Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair, whose scholarship has made them available to a wider readership in Ireland and beyond. The visual element of the installation is completed by 14 limited edition prints.
The exhibition has a specially commissioned ‘soundscape’ by Donegal composer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Harrigan. This consists of seven movements each one corresponding to the poems and waves. The commission was initiated by Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí and the Seven Waves project now has an accompanying Donegal soundtrack reflecting our long established linkages extending further back than St. Colm Cille’s 563 A.D. crossing of the Struth na Maoile. The composition in the ‘Donegal Style’ completes the project, ‘Floating poems in a sea of canvas waves and Irish music.’