Track Comments To 'the Visit' - Loreena Mckennitt

"All Soul's Night"
This piece was inspired by the imagery of a Japanese
tradition which celebrate the souls of the
departed by sending candle-lit lanterns out on
waterways leading to the ocean, sometimes in
little boats; along with imagery of the Celtic
All Souls Night celebrations, at which time huge
bonfires were lit not only to mark the new year,
but to warm the souls of the departed. - L.M.

"Bonny Portmore"
The destruction of old growth forests has become an
important conservation issue in recent years, but it
is not a new phenomenon. Over the centuries many
of Ireland's old oak forests were leveled for military
and shipbuilding purposes. Only recently has there
been an effort to reestablish these great hardwoods.
The Great Oak of Portmore stood on the property
of Portmore Castle on the shore of Lough Beg. - L.M.

"Greensleeves"
I always wondered how Tom Waits would
sing Greensleeves. When preparing my
previous recording Parallel Dreams,
while waiting to do something else, we
accidentally and spontaneously recorded
this track in one take without ever intending
to release it. However, here is, Tom. - L.M.

"Tango to Evora"
This piece was originally conceived and recorded for the National Film
Board of Canada's The Burning Times, directed by Donna Reid. - L.M.

"Courtyard Lullaby"
The photographs which appear in this booklet were
taken at a 16th century hunting lodge in Portugal,
where Elisabeth Feryn and I stayed for a week. Within
the lodge was a courtyard, marked at each corner by
orange trees. The feel of the place reminded me of
the Unicorn tapestries which hang in The Cloisters
in New York City. The tapestries and the lodge are
both rich with earthy, pre-Christian iconography -
depicting the mysterious life and death cycle of the
seasons. It was in this courtyard that this piece was
conceived. - L.M.

"The Old Ways"
I spent a most haunting New Year's Eve in Doolin,
County Clare, Ireland some years ago, and was moved
by the antiquity of the some of the celebrations. Yet
I was met by deep reminders that they may be the
remnants of the old world meeting the "new". - L.M.

"Cymbeline"
Here are William Shakespeare's thoughts
on this earthly visit. this song occurs
towards the end of his romance play
Cymbeline, which was written near the
end of the author's life. The play is set
in ancient Britain when the Romans were
invading the last remaining outpost of
the old Celtic order. - L.M.