Music is a wonderful medium for bringing people together. John Sexton and Ronan Mullane both share a love for music. John wrote this song entitled ‘What People May Say’ and performed it with the help of Ronan who is playing the guitar.
Adare was built in the 13th century as a heritage town on the Maigue river. It was a market town in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century the thatched houses that Adare is known for were built by the Earl of Dunraven. In 1232 the church built a monastery which was later restored in 1852 by the Countess of Dunraven. This interesting project created by Maurice Hannigan and Sean Salamh provides information on the history of the towns Castle and Manor.
To view Maurice and Sean’s project please click this link:
Maurice Hannigan and Sean Salamah- Adare History
Click on this link to view more interesting facts about the village of Adare:
Many people know the tune ‘An Irish Lullaby’ from the singing of Bing Crosby (Going My Way, 1944), it was originally written by J.R. Shannon (1881-1946) in 1913. It premiered in Chauncey Olcott’s New York stage production of Shameen Dhu (Black Haired Jimmy.) Many Irish people learned it from their grandparents and it is still popular today. The wonderful Mary Cronin sang the song at our final intergenerational workshop- fantastic!
Irish Lullaby Lyrics
Over in Killarney, many years ago
My mother sang a song to me
in tones so sweet and low
Just a simple little ditty
in her good old Irish way
And I’d give the world if she could sing
that song to me this day
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don’t you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that’s an Irish lullaby.
Oft in dreams I wander
to that cot again.
I feel her arms a-hugging me
As when she held me then.
And I hear her voice a-hummin’
to me as in the days of yore,
when she used to rock me fast asleep
outside the cabin door.
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don’t you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that’s an Irish lullaby.
The audience were captivated by Mary’s rendition of the song
Mary Lynch and Shannon Copse created a fascinating project about Newcastlewest, through the ages. Newcastle West, the county town of Limerick, lying at the heart of Munster’s great Golden Vale. It is a town with a history, a Desmond stronghold which has seen wars and conquest, harmony and development, a town which has adapted and changed to become a thriving centre with a wide range of facilities and services, underpinned by industry and enterprise. Located on the banks of the Arra River, Newcastle West is an expansive town, with lots of green and leafy spaces that make for relaxed and healthy life-styles, and which has drawn new people to live here over the past 25 years.
Click this link to view Mary and Shannon’s project:
Mary Lynch and Shannon Copse- Newcastlewest through the Ages
Click this link if you would like to find out more about Newcatlewest in Limerick:
https://www.limerick.ie/discover/explore/areas-limerick/newcastle-west/about-newcastle-west
This insightful project was completed by Mary Hallinan,Victoria Brouder and Chloe Aherne. It focuses on Mary’s family history.
Click this link to view Mary, Kalya and Victoria’s project:
Mary Hallinan and Victoria Brouder- Geneology
This short video shows Mary describing her family history:
The history of Irish currency reflects Ireland’s political development over the last 1000 years. It began with the Vikings, who hammered out the very first Irish coins in Dublin in the 10th century. This interesting project was created by Mary Guiry and Kayla Mc Mahon.
Click this link yo view their project:
Mary Guiry and Kayla Mc Mahon- The History of Irish Currency
Kayla and Mary perform a traditional Irish song called ‘Limerick Your My Lady’. Kayla plays the guitar while Mary plays the tin whistle (a traditional Irish instrument). Denis Allen was asked to write a song for the Limerick Lady Festival. The result was ‘Limerick You’re A Lady’. The song went to number one in Ireland for several weeks and has since been recorded by over forty different artists including Joe Dolan and Daniel O’Donnell.
Click this link to view the performance:
Lyrics:
Limerick You’re My Lady
your Shannon waters tears of joy that flows
the beauty that surrounds you
I think about you love where e’re I go
While waking in the arms of distant waters
a new day finds me far away from home
and Limerick You’re My Lady
the one true love that I have ever known
The days when you and I spent endless days of fun
in winter snows and summer’s golden sun
we fished in silver streams, the fabric of my dreams
was fashioned by your loveliness
so now I have to say CHORUS
A gift that time has made to travelers on their way
seeking out the beauty of our land
a shrine where children play
the bells ring out to say
that’s God that we’re alive to see the freedom of each day CHORUS
The younger participants from Limerick who took part in the Place EE workshops were from Desmond College in Newcastlewest. They were a wonderful group of young people who were enthusiastic and energetic.
Click on this link to see the students showing of their dance moves as they performed a dance called the ‘Charlie Brown’ during Limerick’s final intergenerational workshop:
Click this link to view the transnational reports from the workshops undertaken for Place EE:
Link to Reports on the Place EE website
