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Sleeve Notes
Ireland — A salute to the small green island, gleaming in the North Atlantic, that has sent its disproportionate cultural contributions reverberating around the world. — Music: Were you at the rock?
Life Waters — Our cultural heritage, continually renewing itself, keeps nurturing the soul of a nation, century after century, in an endless expanse of time. — Music: Savourneen Deelish
Ode — Nineteenth century poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy's great tribute to the music makers and bards, who, down the centuries, have enriched Ireland's culture so much. — Music: Sliabh Fuadh (Tommy Makem)
Pegasus — A very powerful, poignant, insightful poem of "modern" Ireland from a master poet. Music: Old Foggy Dew
The Man From God Knows Where — A story of the rebellion of 1798 when the United Irishmen rose, mostly in Counties Wexford, Antrim and Down, to fight oppression. This story is from Co. Down and "the man" in the poem was Thomas Russell an organizer for the United Irishmen. — Music: The Battle of Ballynahinch
Winter — Winter—a dark time of rest and renewal, preparing for the returning light and the Rite of Spring. — Music: The Palatine's Daughter
My Fidil Is Singing — One of those eerie and magical little poems for which Joseph Campbell is noted. Music: My First Love
Causeway — Regarded by many as one of the wonders of the world, the Giant's Causeway on the north coast of County Antrim, is indeed spectacular. Poet Peter Makem addresses its origins some sixty million years ago. — Music: A Hi Ro
Traveling To Skellig Michael — The Skelligs are two mountains rising out of the sea eight miles off the coast of County Kerry. One is a bird sanctuary and the other a 6th Century monastic site called Skellig Michael. To climb the 670 steps hewn out of the rock, and experience the completely other-worldly feeling when you reach the top, can be described in one word-awesome! Music: O Ro Mo Bhaidin — Music: O Ro Mo Bhaidin
Peter Kagan And The Wind — This story comes soaring out of the vast Celtic folk tradition. Gordon Bok has crafted a very beautiful version of a very ancient tale. — Music: Peter Kagan (Gordon Bok)
The Songman — How the music and poetry, that seems to emerge from the earth and air, are gathered and sent on their way to sweeten our lives. — Music: Emhain Macha (Tommy Makem)
I Am The Mountainy Singer — Belfast-born Joseph Campbell included many ancient Celtic references in his poems and songs. A number of his songs, such as "My Lagan Love" and "The Gartan Mother's Lullaby" have passed into the oral tradition and are regarded by many as being traditional. In this poem he is expressing his affinity with the land and the people of the land. — Music: Sweet Dromintee (Tommy Makem)
A Glass Of Beer — It appears that Yellow Charles MacElgun the 18th century poet was traveling down a mountain road on a hot summer day. Being very thirsty, he stopped in at a roadside pub and being poor like most poets, demanded "the loan" of a glass of beer. He was thrown out of the pub unceremoniously and in boiling anger composed this poem "at" the mistress of the pub. This translation is by the 20th century poet James Stephens. Music: Conall Cearnach
Emhain Macha — Emhain Macha, about two miles west of Armagh City, is the ancient seat of the kings and queens of Ulster. It is also the location for the Ulster Cycle of Tales, Ireland's greatest contribution to Medieval literature. The tales feature the mythological hero-warrior Cuchullain, the Red Branch warriors, who were the predecessors of the Arthurian Knights, and the tragic and magnificent love story of Deirdre of the Sorrows. Music: Bonny Portmore
The Children Of Michael — This modern retelling of the Faustian legend in which a man sells his soul to the devil for some specific purpose, is by my late friend J.B. Goodenough. In this case "the devil" or "fate" is referred to as "the year." This is vintage Goodenough. — Music: Cast a Boat (J.B. Goodenough)
To Welcome In The Spring — Life, light and energy return to all living things with the great awakening at the beginning of Spring. — Music: Gallagher's Frolics
Watercolors — After touring in Ireland, Connie Sanford Jeffrey returned home to Chicago and found that even the passing of time did not lessen or change the memories or the lure of the place, in her heart. — Music: Blind Mary
A Childhood Christmas — A perfect rural Christmas morning. Kavanagh's feet were firmly planted in the mucky fields of Monaghan, but his head was among the stars.. — Music: The Raven's Circle (Tommy Makem)
Brugh Na Boinne — Newgrange, or Brugh na Boinne in Gaelic, is a 5300 year old megalithic mound in County Meath. Some say it was a burial mound, others, that it was ceremonial in nature. In any case, it is a magnificent, mystical, hallowed place indeed. — Music: Written on the Stones (Tommy Makem)
Titanic — In this poem, an iceberg was predestined, since the dawn of time, to be at a precise place at a certain time, where it was to cause the terrible disaster that destroyed the great ship Titanic on her maiden voyage. — Music: The Grey Green Sea (Tommy Makem)
The Voyaging Done — Weary of wanderlust, the soul of the traveler will always turn, drawn by some magnetic force, to the last journey, and home. — Music: The Flower of Finea
Young Land; Ancient Land — At the present time Ireland is regarded as having, arguably, the youngest population in Europe and yet it is a land of great cultural antiquity. — Music: O'Carolan's Concerto (Turlough O'Carolan 1670-1738)
