In honor of our ancestors, I recorded two Irish songs which reflect the often complex interactions of peoples on the island.
The first song, Star of the County Down, is a popular 19th century Irish romantic ballad based on a traditional melody. The song is notable as a message of Irish unity, the lyrics referring to locations in both the north and south of the island; County Down and Derry in Ulster (Northern Ireland), Bantry Bay in County Cork, and the cities of Galway and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. I chose this song to represent the Wixtead, Drougan and Keith families in County Limerick and County Tipperary in the south of Ireland.
The second song, Wild Mountain Thyme, is a 20th century re-working of a traditional Scottish melody through the lens of Ulster Scots people who settled in Northern Ireland. The song makes no reference to a specific place, but its frequent invocations of “purple heather”, “wild mountain thyme” and “lassie” place it firmly in Ulster (Northern Ireland). I chose this song to represent the Johnson, Patterson and Oglivie families of Ulster in the north of Ireland.