Flying
On the surface, The Birth of Lugh is a fantastical legend. A young princess, Ethlinn, has been locked away by her father so that she never meets a man. In fact, Ethlinn is so sheltered, she doesn’t even know that men exist. Eventually her companions secretly introduce her to Cian with whom she falls in love and has three children. When her father discovers this, he tries to have the children killed. However, one of them, Lugh, survives. Ethlinn vows to bide her time until Lugh grows into a man and can kill her father, thus freeing everyone from her father’s wrath.
The frustration of seeing a friend suffer because they are controlled by someone else, is the part of the story that appealed to me. I wrote this song from the perspective of Ethlinn’s companions, trying to convince her to escape her situation. I know that making a change is always easier said than done, but sometimes the words of a friend can give you the strength to do it.
Lyrics
Maybe you should come with me
There are places we could go
I don't know how long we'll be
But you don't really have to know
Because you're wasting away inside
When I try to figure out
The last time I saw you smile
Oh, you need to leave this place
Be on your own for while
Because you're wasting away inside
Well, you don't know
What you don't know
And I don't think that's ok
Well, you don't know
What you don't know
You gotta find that out some way
Well, I know there's compromise
There surely is no doubt
But I hope you realize
That's not what this is all about
Because you're wasting away inside
Well, I don't believe in fate
I believe in what I see
But this surely can't be all
That you were meant to be
Because you're wasting away inside
Well, you don't know
What you don't know
And I don't think that's ok
Well, you don't know
What you don't know
You gotta find that out some way
When meeting someone you haven't seen for a long time, most people are surprised at how much that person has changed. Although we know that everybody is constantly changing, we can't help but only focus on the changes that we see directly. If we don't see someone changing, we assume they are staying the same.
This is the case in The Return of Oisin. Oisin is magically transported to a different world for 3 years. However, he thinks he has only been gone for 3 days. When he returns, he cannot understand why everything has changed.
Lyrics
I was young and strong
And I left you for a better place
At least that's what I thought
And I was gone so long
You probably thought
That I was just a figment
Of your imagination
But now I'm back
To share the details of my
Brand new life
Pick up where I left off
And I don't understand
Why nothings where
I thought it was
And some things are gone for good
I don't understand why
It didn't seem to me that long
Things happen by and by
And then suddenly they're gone
Time stands still for no one
I know that, but I don't know why
It had to move so fast
I'm not sure if you said
How long you would wait for me
Or if you'd wait at all
But why is it so hard
To welcome me back to the fold
Have I really changed that much
Am I not the person that I was
When you knew me
Not so long ago
I don't understand why
It didn't seem to me that long
Things happen by and by
And then suddenly they're gone
Queen Maeve is one of the most famous characters from Irish mythology. She is fierce, independent, and powerful. This song is inspired by the story of the Pillow Talk between her and her husband Ailill mac Máta that ultimately leads to the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge).
My favourite part of the story is when they start arguing about who has benefitted the most from their marriage and he starts to, “regret that he had started this conversation.” I think everyone can relate to that feeling of regretting a conversation they’ve started.
I wrote this song from Ailill’s point of view, if he finally built up the courage to confront Maeve directly. Of course, if he did, I don’t think it would have ended well for him.
Lyrics
You were always just
A little more than I could handle
And now it's on display
For anyone who cares to see
You said I was just
Fortunate enough to have you
But I don't think you know
Everything you do to me
We are just about done
Well, I am getting tired
Of keeping track of why I love you
But keeping track is just
The only thing that I can do
And counting up
All the riches that define us
Only makes a lot
Of other people suffer too
We are just about done
Well, I promised you
I would not be mean or jealous
But I don't think that I
Can keep that promise any more
Because when you go to sleep
You always look so calm and peaceful
But when you greet the day
You always want to go to war
We are just about done
The legend of Cormac Mac Airt and The Magic Branch has many messages. On one level it could be thought of as an ancient embodiment of the phrase, “be careful what you wish for.” A mysterious man appears before the king with a magic branch that can take away all sorrow. Cormac is enchanted by the branch and desperately makes a deal to get it. However, he soon discovers two things. The deal requires him to give up his family and the branch does not actually take away sorrow; it only temporarily hides it.
The second point raises an interesting question. If you had a way of hiding your sorrows from yourself, would you? Most of us do pretty much anything we can to avoid or escape sorrow. However, dealing with sorrow is a big part of what makes us who we are.
Would we want to hide this? I’m not sure.
Lyrics
If I could make it go away
With a little curse
Would that make it ok
Or would it make it worse
If I gave you a box
With a lock and key
Would you hide it away
Or would you let it be
Baby you should see me
When I'm flying away
Ain't nobody out there
Standing in my way
Baby you should see me
When I'm flying away
There will be no stopping
Anywhere along the way
Well we made a deal
And you agreed
You told me then
It was all you need
But now you're here
To unring that bell
To give it back
To break the spell
Baby you should see me
When I'm flying away
Ain't nobody out there
Standing in my way
Baby you should see me
When I'm flying away
There will be no stopping
Anywhere along the way
The Fight at the Ford is the story of the epic battle between two ancient heroes: Cú Chulainn and Ferdia. To me, the interesting part of this story is that the heroes don't really want to fight each other. They grew up together and actually love each other. However, they are manipulated by other people to fight each other.
This seems like a universal truth.
Lyrics
You were my brother
And you were my friend
Know that I loved you
Right to the end
And as you lay dying
By my own hand
I looked for an answer
That I'd understand
I just don't understand
Oh here we go
Into the fray my friend
Conscripted by fools
Blinded by faith again
Oh here we go
Into the fray my friend
Conscripted by fools
Blinded by faith again
When we were younger
We knew what to do
Our thoughts and our actions
Were honest and true
But we were corrupted
By word and by deed
And where has that left us
In this time of need
This is a time of need
Oh here we go
Into the fray my friend
Conscripted by fools
Blinded by faith again
Oh here we go
Into the fray my friend
Conscripted by fools
Blinded by faith again
I wrote this song after reading The Death of Suibhne. The song is from Suibhne's perspective and focuses on explaining why he behaves the way he does. Although he has gone mad and spends his time wandering the forest, leaping from tree to tree, I like to think he is actually wise. The true madness is our human capacity for violence. Although the legend explains that Suibhne’s madness was caused by the curse of Saint Rónán Finn, I prefer his wife’s explanation. She believes it was the horrors of battle that drove the king mad.
I also love the idea that multiple attempts were made to cure Suibhne of his madness, but none of them were successful.
The song is not about Suibhne's death but appreciating his approach to life.
Lyrics
I'm flying over the trees
Leaving this world on its knees
Far from the battle below
Those things I don't want to know
Nobody knows right where it hurts
Well, I'm never touching the ground
Where legions of men cut me down
As wild as a forest can be
No worse than the phantoms I see
Nobody knows right where it hurts
They tried to fool me
But it didn't work
The inspiration for this song is the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge). More specifically it comes from the part of the story where the bulls themselves fight. Eithne Massey’s telling of this story in The Battle of the Bulls beautifully highlights the fact that the bulls don’t actually want to fight each other. They only do so at the urging of the human warriors. This seems to be a universal truth about war. The ones doing the fighting are at the mercy of those in charge, who often treat them as disposable objects to be used as cannon fodder.
I like to imagine an alternative ending to the story where the bulls refuse to fight each other.
Lyrics
Well, they drove us both
Halfway across this land
So we could meet eye to eye
And I killed you once
I'll kill you again but
I don't really understand why
I am just the same
As the other one
And the other one before
And it doesn't matter
If I am destroyed
There will always be some more
I am not cannon fodder
Well, they know our names
Just enough its seems to
Tell us what we need to do
And it never fails
To be absolutely
Critical we follow through
But I am getting tired
Of fighting battles that
I really do not care to win
And no one knows this more
Than you and I my friend
Even though we fight again
I am not cannon fodder
The Vision of Aonghus is a love story. In the story, Aonghus drifts in and out of sleep with a sickness that no one can identify. In desperation, his family sends for the wisest druid they can find. The druid takes one look at him and announces the reason he is sick. Aonghus is dreaming of his beloved who visits him in his sleep and until he finds this girl, he cannot be well. This sends Aonghus on a journey to find his true love.
There are two aspects of this legend that I find very compelling, and which form the basis of the song. The first is that Aonghus doesn't know why he is sick until the druid tells him. Once the druid tells him, it becomes obvious to Aonghus. I believe this applies to many things in life. Sometimes something is so obvious we can't see it. It takes someone else to point it out before we understand. Only then does it become obvious to us.
The second part of the story that I find interesting is how Aonghus eventually finds his love. She can take the shape of either a Swan or a human. Initially, Aonghus doesn't recognize her in the shape of a Swan. It is only when he makes himself vulnerable and shares his true feelings that she reveals herself to him as a human. Again, I think this is a great life lesson. Sometimes you need to be vulnerable before you are able to see something.
Lyrics
My dreams they don't work
They just confound me
I can't tell the difference
Between them and reality
Why am I so sick they asked
And I could not tell them why
So, they sent for
The wisest in the land
Who looked at me and said
You need to find that girl
My dreams they don't work
They just confound me
I can't tell the difference
Between them and reality
So, I left, and I travelled far
Growing sicker by the day
And I searched
Until the end was near
And never did I know
Who I was looking for
My dreams they don't work
They just confound me
I can't tell the difference
Between them and reality
Only when
I said the words out loud
And I laid the whole thing bare
Did you then
Reveal yourself to me
Whatever form you take
I will take it too
My dreams they don't work
They just confound me
I can't tell the difference
Between them and reality
The Children of Lir tells the story of a mother (Aoife) who turns her children into swans and dooms them to spend 900 years outside, exposed to the harsh weather of Ireland. Aoife’s journey from a mother to a demon is primarily caused by the lack of love she receives from her father, husband, and children. In this song Aoife, reflects on her transformation and wonders if she’ll ever really know who she is.
Lyrics
I was so unloved
That I passed it on
From the bottom of the hole
Where I came from
This is not who I
Was supposed to be
I have changed so much
You wouldn't even recognize me
No, you wouldn't recognize me
Is there any part
Of what once was me
Left inside the thing that
I am doomed to be
Will I ever know
What is at my core
Will it take 900 years
Or even more
Will it take 900 years
Or more
When I first read The Revenge of Sin it seemed like a simple story about revenge. A mysterious woman (Sin) seeks to avenge the death of her family by enchanting and destroying the king (Muirchertach mac Muiredaig) who was responsible. However, each time I read the story, a different idea seemed to resonate with me.
Initially I was fascinated by Sin’s beauty being described as ‘a beauty without gentleness.’ I love that expression. Just like the king, we too are often attracted to (and obsessed with) things that are beautiful, but not gentle.
A similar idea is revealed when the king and his men are fed endless amounts of magical food that never satisfies their hunger. In fact, the food leaves them weaker and hungrier. To me, this seemed to reference all the things we crave and consume today that leave us hungry and wanting more (physically, spiritually, and emotionally).
However, the most poignant part of the story is when Sin reveals (after the king is dead) that despite her quest for revenge she has fallen in love with the king. She exclaims, “This is the revenge fate has had upon me” and she subsequently dies of grief. This suggests the idea that revenge is a living thing with a will of its own. In many ways I think this is true. History has repeatedly shown that revenge becomes uncontrollable and all consuming. It eventually destroys everyone and everything.
Lyrics
You cannot control it
Don't try to kid yourself
Once it is inside you
It feeds upon itself
It's gonna get you every time
So don't ever unbox it
Just keep it on a shelf
Justice, only justice
That's all that you can see
But angry and vengeful
Is all that you will be
It's gonna get you every time
And it will just consume you
And never set you free
No one is immune to
The pain that it will bring
It always will destroy
Everyone and everything