Alone By The Wild Wood - A Roscommon Songbook, by Declan Coyne
€15
A comment regularly heard from Roscommon people and others at events inside and outside the county is, “Ah, sure there are no really good Roscommon songs!”
This, however, is not a true statement, since Co. Roscommon not alone has a rich musical heritage, but a very rich song heritage as well. It is true that its flute players have un-begrudgingly received the lion’s share of attention from the revivalists over the decades and to some extent the singing tradition has been overshadowed. However, the singing tradition has flourished quietly alongside the music – our first President, Dr. Douglas Hyde, a Roscommon man and song collector, published volumes such as ‘Love Songs of Connacht’ and ‘Religious Songs of Connacht’ in the early 1900s. In 1937 Pat Beades from Brideswell in the south of the county became the first traditional singer from outside of Dublin to be commercially recorded in Ireland. Tom Munnelly’s archive recordings of the Lyons Brothers, Martin and John, from Rahara in the early 1970s are prized among the collection of the Department of Irish Folklore of UCD. The influence of The McNulty Family (1920s to the 1950s) is still evident in the music and singing styles of the North-Eastern United States and the Newfoundland region of Canada. Mrs. McNulty (nee Burke) brought many of her songs and music with her to North America from her native Kilteevan.
In the past twenty years more than a dozen singers from the county have amassed a substantial collection of All-Ireland singing titles through various organisations – C.C.E., Scór, Readoirí, etc. The ballad writing tradition too has experienced a significant revival, also producing an All-Ireland champion in that particular discipline. Traditional Singing is now being taught in many of the primary schools in the county.
In spite of all this progress however, Roscommon ballads are not often heard in live performances or over the airwaves. But that is all about to change.
This publication, ‘Alone By The Wild Wood – A Roscommon Songbook’, with an accompanying CD, will provide easy access for anyone who is interested in the rich song heritage of County Roscommon. In it, ancient songs like ‘Úna Bhán’ and ‘Oisín i nAilfinn’ are re-examined, explained and introduced to a new audience; it introduces new ballads like ‘Ode To Jimmy Murray’ and ‘Land of the O’Connor’, and brings fresh attention to the evergreen classics, ‘The Groves Of Kilteevan’ and ‘The Woodlands Of Loughglynn’ – spreading the cultural heritage of County Roscommon around the world for generations to come.
It also provides an invaluable aid in teaching future generations of our children about our history and cultural heritage through the medium of song.
‘Alone by the Wild Wood’ will be Officially Launched during the South Roscommon Singers Festival 2006, which runs from 27th to 29th October.
