FEATURE:
Emerald and Gold
Kate Bush in the Motherland
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I have written about…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
Kate Bush and her connection to Ireland. Her late mother Hannah was Irish and they had family there. In terms of musical and personal influence, Ireland was key right through her career. It became more obvious in her music on albums like The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985) and The Sensual l World (1989). When she was in her mid-twenties and early-thirties, Bush drawing more from her ancestral home. People naturally assume Bush is this quintessential English artist. Though England has been key to her and made its way too into the music, we can’t overlook the importance of Ireland. Rather than return to the same topics I covered before, I wanted to explore something different. It is clear that certain albums demanded Bush worked rigorously at various studios. That was especially true of The Dreaming. This was a time when Bush was producing solo and really wanted to throw everything into the album. I see 1981 as an especially frantic and packed year in terms of hours logged in the studio. Not only ensuring her performances and that of her musicians were up to scratch, Bush was considering how her production would sound. Adding layers and new sounds to the mix. Maybe finding it hard to reign things in, one of the biggest advantages was that Bush had a connection to Ireland. Having visited as a child and been there a fair few times, she knew it offered this sense of comfort and peace. Also, in terms of the musicians she could work with there, it would change things. Although there are Irish sounds on Night of the Swallow (Liam O'Flynn – penny whistle and uilleann pipes; Seán Keane – fiddle; Dónal Lunny – bouzouki), it wasn’t until Hounds of Love where Bush found time to get to Ireland. I will come to the Irish sessions and the artists she worked with there. However, Bush also managed to spend some time unwinding. The first time she had been able to visit and spend quality time in Ireland since she was a girl.
People do not realise how important Ireland was in terms of Hounds of Love. The inspiration it provided and how vital it was for Bush to get her head clear and find some perspective. A good majority of the lyrics for Hounds of Love were completed in Ireland. Bush would use Ireland again for 1989’s The Sensual World. The title track is a classic example. Based around James Joyce’s Ulysess and the soliloquy from Molly Bloom, the motherland was never far from her heart. For Hounds of Love, she embraced the natural sounds and geography of the country to open her mind and colour her songs. Jig of Life boasts John Shehan’s fiddles; Liam O’Flynn’s uilleann pipes and Donal Lunny’s bodhrán beats. I love reading any article connecting Bush to Ireland. I will drop in one example soon. The whistle parts from Sheehan on And Dream of Sheep is especially affecting. Although Bush had family in Ireland and it was very much a second home, there was some resistance and reluctance from some at Windmill Lane Studios. Situated in Dublin, it was a space that would see laid down some of Hounds of Love’s finest moments. Maybe national wariness, the thought of an English pop star coming over was met with some frostiness. However, soon enough, Bush was welcomed with open arms and was taken to heart! Bush felt that familiar connection. Like she was meant to be there. An inspired decision to record in Ireland. The calmer setting and the stunning landscape meant Bush’s creative mind was freed in a way that it was not in London. She nodded to Ireland for The Sensual World. Touches to be found on The Red Shoes.
Not to suggest Hounds of Love is a relaxed and sunny album. Like The Dreaming, there are moments of fear and tension. If The Dreaming’s seemed more to be claustrophobia and anxiety from the point of characters’ perspectives – expect Get Out of My House, which seemed to be personal -, Hounds of Love seemed more personal to Bush. Some of her fears coming to the surface. However, there is never a sense of the music weighing on top of you. Of it being a hard listen. It is powerful and beautiful. After returning from Ireland, most of 1984 was dedicated to overdubs and technology. As Tom Doyle writes in his book, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, Bush’s working methods were cemented and centred around technology. Perhaps that experience in Ireland and the free and often ecstatic spirit was a holiday. It was back to business when she came back to East Wickham Farm. This amazing programme from last year, Give Kate Bush Back to the Irish explores her songs and how Ireland is evident commonly and effectively. I want to bring in a bit of a 2014 article from the Irish Independent. It writes how Bush is proud of her Irish roots:
“A quiet and stable family life is important to Kate. Bush is married to guitarist Danny McIntosh, whom she met in 1992 while recording her seventh album, The Red Shoes. She told me that her mother was a massive source of inspiration to her, especially when she collaborated with legendary Irish traditional musician Dónal Lunny on a version of 'Mná na hÉireann'.
"Although she'd already passed away, I really felt that she was there helping me get it right," Bush said. "I loved singing it and I hope I did an okay job, because I never spoke or sung in Irish before."
"I'm incredibly proud of being half-Irish. I really wanted to get that Irish blood in me to come through, so I worked very hard on it."
Dónal Lunny confirms that Kate poured her heart and soul into the recording sessions. "She never told me that about her late Mother, but it clearly meant an awful lot to her," Lunny says.
"It was a joy to be in the studio with her. Kate is a very vivacious, happy and positive person. She is great fun to be around. I'm absolutely delighted that she is back playing concerts."
Bush performed on The Late Late Show in 1978. When she was briefly interviewed by Uncle Gaybo, a very shy Kate refused to reveal her mother's maiden name, claiming that her family would prefer anonymity as they were receiving a lot of unwelcome attention in the UK due to her increasing fame.
Despite her heritage and numerous collaborations with traditional musicians, this remains her only performance on Irish soil”.
The Sensual World also saw Bush record once more at Windmill Lane Studios, with Bill Whelan conducting the sessions there (he also conducted the Irish sessions for Hounds of Love). With Davy Spillane, John Shehan and Dónal Lunny adding their magic to The Sensual World, Never Be Mine and The Fog, Bush knew how powerful it was reconnecting with these musicians. A chance also to give her heart to Ireland. Obviously, these wonderful musicians were a big reason why Bush travelled over there. She could also find great connection with the land and people. The friendliness and generosity of them. Though she got this in England, there was something different in Ireland! The views around her so much more evocative than back in England. I often felt most of Hounds of Love was written at East Wickham Farm. Though it was actually Ireland. I didn’t know there was this uncredited part of her most popular album! How crucial Ireland was. Not only for the studio and players. It is clear that the country dug into her soul and unlocked her best work. She was able to write and create in a new way. The same with The Sensual World, though not quite as extensively. I think Bush had a natural curiosity about Ireland because of her mother. Hannah Bush was born in 1918 in County Waterford. At such a terrible time, in a quite rural setting, it must have been strange for her. Born Hannah Daly, she grew up at a farm outside Dungarvan and was from a deeply musical family. Kate Bush taken to Ireland as a child by her family. Seeds planted and this history being written. I am going to end things there. This emerald island producing gold! A wonderful nation filled with wonderful people. We need to discuss Ireland more when we look at albums like Hounds of Love and The Sensual World. This verdant, incredible and spiritual motherland…
STANDS for comfort.