Editing Shaun Davey

{{No footnotes|date=July 2020}}
{{short description|Northern Irish composer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name           = Shaun Davey
| background     = solo_singer
| image          =
| origin         = [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]]
| occupation     = Composer, singer
| genre          = [[Celtic music|Celtic]]<br />Classical
| years_active   = 1977–present
}}

'''Shaun Davey''' (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer.

==Early years==
Shaun Davey was born in [[Belfast]] in 1948 and attended [[Rockport School]] in County Down. He graduated from [[Trinity College, Dublin]] in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a master's degree at the [[Courtauld Institute of Art]] in London. In the late 1970s, he made his first recording, ''Davey and Morris,'' with James Morris, and guest artist [[Dónal Lunny]], produced by [[Tony Hooper]] of [[The Strawbs]]. He worked as a composer of advertising jingles, including "The Pride of the Herd" for the National Dairy Council, 7up, Bank of Ireland and many more.

==Orchestral music relating to Ireland==
Davey's reputation is built on four large-scale concert works based on Irish history, all using [[uilleann pipe]]s and folk tunes. 
#''[[The Brendan Voyage]]'' (1980) depicts the journey taken by explorer [[Tim Severin]], in 1978, from Ireland across the [[Atlantic]] to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in a leather [[currach]]. Severin's journey was a recreation of the one allegedly made by [[Brendan the Navigator|Saint Brendan]]. The style is similar to that of film composer [[John Williams]]. The work uses the traditional [[uilleann pipes]] to represent the small [[currach]], while the rest of the orchestra represents the conditions, islands and wildlife encountered by the boat.
#''[[The Pilgrim (1983 album)|The Pilgrim]]'' (1983) is set in a vaguely medieval world where the Irish, the [[Brittany|Bretons]] and [[Scotland|Scots]] explore the seas of western Europe. It exists in two versions: the 1983 recording made at the [[Lorient Interceltic Festival]], and an expanded version recorded mostly in the 1990s.
#''[[Granuaile (album)|Granuaile]]'' (1985) tells the story of [[Gráinne O'Malley]], an Irish [[pirate]] queen in the 16th century. It has more songs than the previous works and features the voice of [[Rita Connolly]] (who married Davey soon after). Dónal Lunny again contributed as a session musician. It is a homophonic piece of music set in the re mode and was also accompanied by a chamber orchestra.
#''The Relief of Derry Symphony'' (1990) has a more obvious symphonic structure. It is based around the 17th century [[Siege of Derry]], showing the [[Protestant]]s inside and the [[Catholic]]s outside the beleaguered city. Whereas the previous three works involved [[uilleann]] piper [[Liam O'Flynn]], this one uses a Scottish bagpipe band, who enter the auditorium from behind the audience.

==Other recordings==
''May We Never Have To Say Goodbye'', released by the [[Tara Music label]], is a collaboration between Davey, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and a number of famous artists. The album takes its name from the anthem specially composed for the Opening Ceremony of the [[Special Olympics|Special Olympics World Summer Games]] in Croke Park, June 2003, and performed by Rita Connolly, [[Ronan Tynan]] and six Dublin choirs. It is presented along with a range of music from Davey's suite, featuring traditional soloists, singers, choir, pipe band, and orchestra, together with percussion. This release also includes previously unrecorded pieces from ''The Pilgrim'', along with (among others): "Fill to me the Parting Glass" (from the film score of ''[[Waking Ned]]''), and "Music of the Spheres", a magical piece from the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] production of ''[[Pericles, Prince of Tyre|Pericles]]''.

''Beal Tuinne – Live at St. James' church Dingle'' (TARA4022) is a collection of songs composed by Davey with lyrics based on the poems of the late Kerry Poet Caoimhín Ó Cinnéide.  Davey is joined on this recording by his wife Rita Connolly and Dingle-based musicians: [[Séamus Begley]], Eilís Kennedy, Lawrence Courtney, Eoin Ó Beaglaoí, Daithí Ó Sé and Jim Murray.

''Voices from the Merry Cemetery'' (TARA4023) is a suite of songs again composed by Davey but this time based on grave inscriptions from the cemetery—known as the Merry Cemetery—of the village of [[Săpânța]] on [[Romania]]'s border with [[Ukraine]]. For this live recording, Davey has again teamed up with Connolly (vocals) and O'Flynn (uilleann pipes), as well as the Romanian Men's Choir of the Theology Faculty, [[Sibiu]], directed by Pr. Dr. Sorin Dobre and sections from the Romanian State Philharmonia, conducted by David Brophy.

== Film composer==
Davey has worked on numerous films. His most famous [[film score]] has been ''[[Waking Ned Devine]]'' (1998), with contributions from John McSherry, [[Liam Ó Maonlaí]], [[The Voice Squad]], [[Nollaig Casey]] and [[Arty McGlynn]]. His other scores include ''[[Twelfth Night (1996 film)|Twelfth Night]]'', ''[[The Tailor of Panama (film)|The Tailor of Panama]]'', ''[[David Copperfield (2000 film)|David Copperfield]]''  , and ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''. Television work includes ''[[The Hanging Gale]]'' for the BBC (the score won an Ivor Novello and was nominated for a BAFTA) and the theme to ''[[Ballykissangel]]'' (nominated for a BAFTA). In 2000, he collaborated with [[Richard Nelson (playwright)|Richard Nelson]] on the musical ''[[James Joyce's The Dead]]'' which was performed on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], for which the score was nominated for a [[Tony Award|Tony]].

Other notable work remains ''Granuaile'', which features Connolly's soaring [[soprano]] voice. Liam O'Flynn's solo album ''[[Out to an Other Side]]'' (1993) had several tracks written by Davey. He also created a setting of St. Patrick's Breastplate titled ''The Deer's Cry'', first used on the soundtrack of the TV documentary ''Who Bombed Birmingham'' and later included on his album ''[[The Pilgrim (1983 album)|The Pilgrim]]''.

== Selected discography ==
===Feature Film Soundtracks===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Twelfth Night (1996 film)|Twelfth Night]]'', (1996), Silva Screen Music America
* ''[[Waking Ned]]'' , (1998), London Records
* ''[[The Tailor of Panama (film)|The Tailor of Panama]]'', (2001), [[Varèse Sarabande]]
* ''[[The Abduction Club]]'', (2002), Silva Screen Music, (FILMCD 362)
{{div col end}}

===Television Soundtracks===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[The Hanging Gale]]'', (1995), BBC/Virgin
* ''[[Ballykissangel]]'', (1997), BBC/Virgin, (VTCD117)
{{div col end}}

===Theatre Soundtracks===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', (1999), [[Royal Shakespeare Company]], (61021)
{{div col end}}

===Orchestral suites===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[The Brendan Voyage]]'' (1980), Tara, (TARA3006)
* ''[[The Pilgrim (1983 album)|The Pilgrim]]'' (1983), Tara, (TARA3032)
* ''[[Granuaile (album)|Granuaile]]'' (1985), Tara, (TARA3017)
* ''The Relief of Derry Symphony'' (1990), Tara, (TARA3024)
* ''May We Never Have To Say Goodbye'' (Special Olympics World Summer Games 2003), (2003), Tara/RTE, (TARA4017)
* ''Voices from the Merry Cemetery'', (2009), Tara, (TARA4023)
{{div col end}}

==References==
*[http://www.shaundavey.com/ Official website]
*{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p29798}}
*[http://www.allmovie.com/artist/shaun-davey-201524 All Movie Guide]
*[http://www.taramusic.com/biogs/shaundbg.htm Tara Music]
*{{IMDb name|0202753}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Shaun}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:Male composers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Jingle composers]]
[[Category:People educated at Rockport School]]
[[Category:Musicians from Belfast]]
[[Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century composers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:21st-century composers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Film score composers from Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:1970s in Irish music]]
[[Category:1980s in Irish music]]
[[Category:1990s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2000s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2010s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2020s in Irish music]]