This little song was inspired by a recording Alan Lomax made of Máire Ní Shúilleabháin in 1951 – she sang as Gaeilge a song traditionally sung while milking cows and Lomax labelled it ‘Cow’s Croon’. I loved the melody so much, and at the time I was working on Husheen – a new lullaby project with my friend Cathy Jordan. So I made a song called ‘A Mother’s Croon’ for the old melody.

After hearing a traditional song in the French language, I composed this song ‘Baby Bird’ for the Husheen lullaby project.

I composed the music to this beautiful Máirtín Ó Direáin poem as part of a collaboration with my husband John Mc Intyre on guitar, renowned Scots Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and her husband, bouzouki player, Eamon Doorley. We took Irish language poetry and Scots Gaelic poetry and made songs out of them for an album entitled ‘Allt’ – a amazing project to undertake! This was one of my contributions, but this one in particular seemed to resonate with many people across the world, and is now my most well known piece! The metre, the sentiment of the poem and the powerful use of Irish language made it a joy for me to compose this one – he talks about going home to the west, to be with his own people, walking along the beach morning and evening and that’s where he’ll find his peace. The melody is based in a traditional Irish idiom, but the arrangement is more contemporary and takes influences from popular, classical and Indian music.

Melody composed by Síle Denvir, words traditional

Síle Denvir was inspired by the traditions and customs associated with the Eve of Brighid’s day in west Galway and Connemara to compose “Seo í isteach mo Bhrídeog’, a new melody and adaptation of a traditional rhyme or prayer.

Seo í isteach mo Bhrídeog,
Mo Bhrídeog chun a’ tí,
Mo Bhrídeog álainn gléasta,
In éadach agus tuí,
Tabhair pingin don Bhrídeog
‘S beidh sí buíoch díobh.

Here comes my Brídeog,
My Brídeog into the house,
My brídeog dressed beautifully,
In cloth and straw,
Give the Brídeog a penny,
And she will be grateful to you.

This song started life as a poem by a local historian in Gort named Peter Fahy. On reading the poem the first time Joe realised that it would make for a lovely song, but that it would need to be changed and adapted first. He asked Peter’s permission to work on it and the song is now sung regularly at singing sessions.

Amhrán a chumas chun ceisteanna a chur orainn fhéin mar mhuintir na hÉireann maidir le todhchaí ár dteanga agus ár gcuid féiniúlachta.
A song I wrote questioning ourselves as people of Ireland in terms of the future of our language and our identity.