Trá Pháidín

Trá Pháidín are an Irish nine piece collective from Conamara, Galway, a wild coastal region of West Ireland where Gaeilge (Irish-Gaelic) remains the first language in areas known as 'An Gaeltacht'.
The group are currently lighting up Ireland's underground with their joyful noise, a unique and unpredictable blend of traditional Irish folk, post-rock, jazz, and Dadaist absurdity. The glorious album An 424 was mixed by John 'Spud' Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi, Goat Girl) and takes us on a psychogeographical journey along the 424 bus route which follows this remote stretch of coastline, introducing us to the landscapes and the characters who depend on the buses. Expect wild improvisational flights filled with brass, woodwinds, harp and fiddles alongside relentless grooves.


Here's what the band themselves have to say about the album:


Psychogeography is a funny aul term......the effect geography and landscape of a certain area has on the psychology, identity and nature of the local people...........I suppose

Notoriously, Conamara is famous place for psychogeoraphy due to the work of the great Tom Robinson. He walked every coastline in every area contemplating the geography, culture, history, Gaelic language, English language and folklore of the area while he was drawing it's best map with great depth and detail.

Right, so I've given context, a few buzzwords and some interesting names, now it's time for the absurd stuff....

"Bóthar Chois Fharraige" (the R336 and whatever anglicized name they call it) is well known by everyone in the South Conamara Gaeltacht (Gaeltacht is an area where Irish/Gaeilge is the dominant language, there aren't many because we were colonized by the British and our government doesn't care about its own language). The people of Conamara travel this road almost every day by car, by bike, on Peadar Óg's buses or of course, through the medium of the 424 (the bus service provided by Bus Éireann, Ireland's public-private bus company). From Bearna to Carna (maybe sometimes a detour in Casla going as far back as an Cheathrú Rua and/or Leitir Mealláin)

Every passenger is well versed of gorgeous views of the landscape that is on offer on this journey. Included are Cuan na Gaillimhe/Galway Bay, An Bhoirinn/the Burren, na hOileáin Árann/the Arann Islands,Aillte an Mhothair/the Cliffs of Moher, Portach Mhaigh Cuilinn/the bogs of Maigh Cuilinn, Bóthar Loch an Iolra/Eagle lake road, Cuan Casla/Casla Harbour, Cuan an Fhir Mhóir/Greatman's Bay, Cnoc Mordáin/Mordáin hill, Sléibhte Mhám Toirc/the Maamturk Mountains and Na Beanna Beola/the twelve pins. Passengers would also be well used the unique character of the bus. Depending on the day, you will get a unique perspective of the "complicated identity" of the Gaels as the bus travels from the Gaeltacht into anglophone Ireland, or maybe going the other way.

This is a topic you could write a PhD about (and maybe someone already has). But, if you are someone who grew up or lives in this region, you have a particular understanding at this stage of how complicated Gaelic psyche is and the kind of spectrum of identity along bóthar Choise Fharraige. With the landscape in mind, this bus journey is a great meditation of the various topics of life.

‘Bhfuil tionchar ag an mbus ar nádúr na ndaoine?
Nó an bhfuil tionchar ag na daoine ar nádúr an bhus?'

'Does the bus effect the nature of the people?
Or do the people affect the nature of the bus?'

Le gach dea-ghuí,
TP.


(translated from Gaeilge by Peadar-Tom Mercier)

Diabhaltaí an téarma é 'sícitíreolaíocht' (psychogeography)..........sin an tionchar a bhíonns ag tíreolaíocht agus tírdhreacht ceantair áirid ar shícé, aigne agus nádúr mhuintir na háite sin…………..s’dóigh.

Mar is eol do dhaoine, tá cáil ar Chonamara i dtaobh na sícitíreolaíochta de bharr obair an Uasail Tim Robinson. Fear a shiúl chuile cladach i chuile ceantar ag déanamh machnamh ar an tíreolaíocht, ar an gcultúr, ar stair na háite, ar an nGaeilge, ar an mBéarla, ar chodaigh (fractals), ar logainmeacha agus ar an mbéaloideas fad is a bhí sé ag tarraingt an mapa is fearr agus is cruinne den cheantar.

Right, tá comhthéacs, cúpla buzzword agus ainmneacha suimiúla ráite agam, tá sé in am don chraic bharúil…..

Tá aithne ag gach duine i nGaeltacht Chonamara Theas ar "Bhóthar Chois Fharraige" (an R336). Bíonn muintir Chonamara ag taisteal ar an mbóthar seo beagnach chuile lá beo i gcarr, ar an "wyycycle", ar bhusannaí Pheadar Óg nó go deimhin, ar an 424 (an seirbhís bus atá curtha ar fáil ag Bus Éireann). Ó Bhearna go Carna (b'fhéidir beagán de detour i gCasla ag dul siar tríd an Cheathrú Rua chomh fada le Leitir Mealláin)

Tá cleachtadh maith ag aon phaisinéir ar na radharcanna aoibhne ar an tírdhreach atá le feiceáil ar an turas seo. Ina measc tá Cuan na Gaillimhe, An Bhoirinn, na hOileáin Árann, Aillte an Mhothair, Portach Mhaigh Cuilinn, Bóthar Loch an Iolra, Cuan Casla, Cuan an Fhir Mhóir, Cnoc Mordáin, Sléibhte Mhám Toirc agus Na Beanna Beola. Tá cleachtadh maith freisin ag paisinéirí ar phearsantacht éagsúil an bhus. Ag brath ar an lá, gheobhaidh tú léargas éagsúil ar "aigne chasta" na nGael fad is atá an bus ag taisteal amach as an nGaeltacht go dtín Ghalltacht, nó b'fhéidir ag dul an bealach eile.

Seo ábhar a mbeadh tú in ann PhD socheolaíochta a scríobh faoi (agus seans mhaith go bhfuil sé déanta cheana féin). Ach, más duine thú a d'fhás aníos nó atá ina chonaí sa cheantar seo, tá tuiscint áirid agat faoin tráth seo ar cé chomh casta is atá aigne na nGael agus an sórt speictream seo d’fhéiniúlacht atá ar bhóthar Chois Fharraige. Leis an tírdhreacht san áireamh, is machnamh iontach é turas an bhus seo ar chúrsaí éagsúla an tsaoil.

‘Bhfuil tionchar ag an mbus ar nádúr na ndaoine?
Nó an bhfuil tionchar ag na daoine ar nádúr an bhus?'

Le gach dea-ghuí,
TP.


The album was originally self-released through Bandcamp and on CD in 2023. The Hive Mind expanded edition contains 3 extra tracks mixed by Mark Waldron-Hyden (Blind Head Recordings) and the whole lot has been mastered for vinyl by Julian Tardo at Church Road Studios (Hove)
credits
released May 23, 2025

Aoife de Bláca // harp & lapshtíl
Conal Ó hAinmhuighe // trumpet & flute
Niamh Daltún // alto saxophone & fiddle
Peadar-Tom Mercier // guitar
Pól Ó Lionáird // percussion
Ruairí de Búrca // drums
Sara Leslie // bass
Séamus Mac Chriosta // drums
Ultan Ó Labhradha // clarinet, fiddle & baritone saxophone

Recording engineer // Andriú de Buitléir
Recording assistant // Josh McPhilips
Mixing // John 'Spud' Murphy
Mastering // Mark Waldron-Hyden
Album design // Sara Leslie (Mori Maker)

Recorded at Mercier House on the Pointe, An Cheathrú Rua on the 27th of August 2022. Our thanks to Paul & Anne for allowing us to use the house for that weekend.

Thanks to Julian Tardo (Church Road Studios, Hove) for the lovely vinyl mastering.

Aoife de Bláca // cruit & lapshtíl
Conal Ó hAinmhuighe // trumpa & fliúit
Niamh Daltún // sacsafón altach & fidil
Peadar-Tom Mercier // giotár
Pól Ó Lionáird // cnaguirlisí
Ruairí de Búrca // drumaí
Sara Leslie // dord
Séamus Mac Chriosta // drumaí
Ultan Ó Labhradha // clairinéad, fidil & sacsafón baratónach

Innealtóir taifeadta // Aindriú de Buitléir
Cúntóir taifeadta // Josh McPhilips

Meascán // John 'Spud' Murphy
Máistriú // Mark Waldron-Hyden

Dearadh albaim // Sara Leslie (Mori Maker)

Taifeadta i dTí Mercier ar an bPointe, An Cheathrú Rua ar an 27ú lá de Mhí Lúnasa 2022. Ár mbuíochas le Paul & Anne as ucht cead a thabhairt dúinn úsáid a bhaint as an teach don deireadh seachtaine sin.

Míle buíochas le hEalaín na Gaeltachta, le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus leis an gComhairle Ealaíon as ucht an mhaoinithe don taifead seo.