End of a longer day
Available to buy on Amazon
“End of a Longer Day” is an album of my original compositions and includes the beautiful “Mná na hEireann” composed by Seán O’Riada. The album features some of Ireland’s most talented musicians and is completely instrumental except for the two poems written by my sister Susan and recited by Noelle Middleton which open and close the work.
A small shadow
Available to buy on Amazon and iTunes
A second album in this series titled “A Small Shadow”, is another collection of instrumental pieces inspired by the countryside in Co. Sligo and in particular the lovely Inismurray island which is situated about four miles off the Sligo coast near Cliffoney.
This also features some fantastic playing by top Irish musicians namely: Máirtín O’Connor, Richie Buckley, Niamh Crowley, Bill Shanley, Ted Ponsonby, Séamus McGuire, Liam Bradley, Tom Jamieson, Gerry O’Donnell, Anna Houston, Rowland Blennerhassett, Séamus Brett. I played Double Bass, Six string contra-bass, Guitar, Recorders, Keyboards programming & sampling.
The lake Isle of Inisfree
I started composing the pieces for this project during 2012 after I was asked to take part in an exhibition celebrating the work of the poet W.B.Yeats, which would be shown in the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo. For this I collaborated with the sculptor Martha Quinn and we were given the the poem “The lake Isle of Inisfree” to work with. Martha had to come up with 3 artworks and I would compose accompanying pieces of music to depict what we got from various aspects of the poem.
For one of these pieces I was inspired by the “Bee loud glade” and with the Chapman NS Stick I composed a piece full of flurries and comings and goings of the bees as they went about their daily business. The exhibition was a great success and inspired me to keep writing on this wonderful and unusual instrument and so the current project was born. I mentioned the idea that I had in my head for an unusual tale with characters born in the music to my sister Susan who was very excited by it and immediately started to write and with her very talented artist husband Vitya, we started to create the characters who Vitya brought to life on paper as only he can.
The Todalie Stories
Little Tales of Kindness and Courage. For Children and Adults. Written by James and Susan Blennerhassett and narrated by Humphrey Smellington Smythe.
A series of audiobooks called ‘THE TODALIE STORIES’ composed by James Blennerhassett and written by his sister Susan Blennerhassett, the 1st of which ‘Laylianas Tale’ is available in an abridged version on Spotify or wherever you listen.
It all started when…
James Blennerhassett wrote “Nibbles”, a tune that was inspired by one of his brother-in-law’s charcoal drawings. Vitya Malirsh, bored one rainy afternoon, got out his pencil and drew a pair of fierce looking river creatures who were teasing a fisherman trying his best to catch a fish. The drawing sparked James’ imagination and very quickly, the outline for the Todalie Stories began to take shape. Susan, James’ sister, took on the task of writing stories to go along with the music and Vitya sketched the characters as they presented themselves. It is a family affair which includes James’ two daughters, Louise and Carla, and his stepson, Shane. With the combined efforts of everyone involved, Todalie and the other characters are looking forward to making their debut into the world. We hope you enjoy The Todalie Stories and don’t worry, there’s lots more to follow!
