EILÍFÐ

EILÍFÐ (Eternity)

With M’ANAM & Systir

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Hávamál (written 900 - 1000 AD)

Soloists: Bjarni Gudmundsson, Aisling McGlynn,

Percussion: Noel Eccles

Brestanda boga, brennanda loga, gínanda ulfi, galandi kráku,

Fljúganda fleini, fallandi báru,ísi einnættum, ormi hringlegnum,

Sjúkum kalfi, sjalfráða þræli, völu vilmæli, val nýfelldum. Hætt er þeira hvárt.

A breaking bow, a burning flame, a howling wolf, a cawing raven,

a flying arrow, a crashing wave, one-night-old ice, a coiled serpent.

To a sick calf, a self-willed slave, the deceptive words of a seeress, a freshly killed falcon. Both are dangerous.

Ēarendel

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Traditional & M.McGlynn

Soloists: Lucy Champion, Aisling McGlynn, Lauren McGlynn

"Ēarendel" reflects on the fleeting nature of human existence against the boundless scale of the cosmos. Inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope's discovery of the star Earendel, the piece juxtaposes ancient poetic texts with a contemporary perspective. The Exeter Book's 10th-century lines, intertwined with Irish, Icelandic and Latin elements, echo humanity’s enduring need to find meaning in the vastness of time and space. The star’s lonely journey becomes a metaphor for our own fragile connection to something far greater.

Ēala ēarendel, engla beorhtast, ofer middangeard monnum sended, ond soðfæsta sunnan lēoma

Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, over Middle-earth to men sent, and true radiance of the Sun.

Ave Stella solitaria, lux antiqua

Hail solitary star, ancient light.

Song of the Selkie

Composed by Michael McGlynn

Soloists: Aisling McGlynn, Lauren McGlynn

“A child walks by the sea and sings. A selkie echoes her song, coming closer to the shore and singing to the child of the great sea, dark and ancient. The child calls to the selkie and the creature transforms. They dance in the evening sun. Then the child transforms and passes towards the night. The selkie sings again, but this time alone as she returns to the darkening sea”.

This piece captures the haunting beauty of transformation and belonging, themes deeply rooted in both Irish and Icelandic folklore. The selkie - a seal that can become human - symbolises the pull between land and sea, the familiar and the unknown. The song evokes the fluidity of identity and connection. A child and a selkie intertwine in dance, reflecting the fragile yet profound interplay between worlds.

Ar uisce beannaithe,

Ar uisce ceolmhar,

Loinnir na gréine, siosarnach

Réalt geal na maidine

Dhá cheol ag méadú le chéile mar aon

Amhrán ar uisce ceolmhar

Amhrán ar uisce beannaithe

Loinnir ar uisce réalt geal na maidine

Uisce chiúin

Blessed water,

Musical water,

The brightness of the sun, whispering,

Bright morning star,

Two songs rising together as one,

A song on musical water,

A song on blessed water,

Light on water, bright morning star,

Quiet water.

MERROW

Composed by Michael McGlynn

Viola: Karl James Pestka

Soloists: Aisling McGlynn, Lauren McGlynn

ROSC

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Amergin Glúingel & Michael McGlynn

Percussion - Noel Eccles / bodhrán & electric guitar - Cian O’Donnell

"Rosc" explores the intersection of Ireland’s mythic past and its modern voice. Drawing from Amergin’s invocation to calm the seas, the piece layers ancient text with new, minimalist phrases. It is a meditation on Ireland’s duality: the wildness of the ocean balanced by the stillness of the night sky.

Soineann na hoíche, suaimhneas an fhíobha. Na réalta ag dealramh i suaimhneas na hoíche

The brightness of the night, the stillness of the wilderness. The stars shining in the stillness of the night.

Iascach muir, mothach tír, tomaidhm n-éisc, íasc fo thoinn

Fish-full sea, the land full of bounty, plunder of fish, fish under wave.

An Raibh Tú ag an gCarraig

Solo Caitríona Sherlock

An raiḃ tú ag an gCarraig, nó ḃ-faca tú féin mo ġraḋ,

Nó a ḃ-faca tú gile, finne, agus sgéiṁ na mná

Nó a ḃ-faca tú an t-uḃal ba cúbarṫa is ba ṁillse bláṫ

Nó a ḃ-faca tú mo valantíne no a ḃfuil sí da claoiḋ mar taím?

Do ḃíosa ag an gCarraig, is do ċonairc me féin do ġraḋ,

Do ċonairc mé gile, finne, agus sgéiṁ na mná,

Do ċonairc mé an t-uḃal ba cúbarṫa is ba ṁillse bláṫ

Do ċonairc mé do valantín agus níl sí da claoiḋ mar táir.

'N úair ḃím-se am ċoḋla bían osnaḋ gan ḃríg am ċlíaḃ,

Is mé am lúíḋ eadar cnocaiḃ go d-tigiḋ an dúaċ aníar;

A rúin ḋil s'a ċogair ní'l fortaċt mo ċúis aċt Dia,

Is go n-dearnaḋ loċ fola do solus mo súl ad diaiḋ.

Have you been to the Rock, or have you yourself seen my love,

Or have you seen the brightness, the fairness, and the beauty of the woman?

Or have you seen the apple that was the most fragrant and sweetest blossom?

Or have you seen my valentine, and is she being weakened as I am?

I was at the Rock, and I saw your love myself,

I saw the brightness, the fairness, and the beauty of the woman,

I saw the apple that was the most fragrant and sweetest blossom,

I saw your valentine, and she is not being weakened as you are

When I am asleep, a sigh without meaning comes to my breast,

And I lie between the hills until the sorrow comes from the west;

My dear love, and a whisper, there is no help for my cause but God,

And that a lake of blood be made of the light of my eyes after you.

Sofðu, unga ástin mín

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Jóhann Sigurjónsson

Soloists: Þórhallur Auður Helgason, Pétur Oddbergur Heimisson, Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir

The poem “Sofðu, unga ástin mín” "Sleep, my young love" was written by Icelandic playwright Jóhann Sigurjónsson, well known in Iceland as a lullaby. I don’t know the original melody but I was struck by the story that undelies this text, and the my setting features three Icelandic singers, Þórhallur Auður Helgason, Pétur Oddbergur Heimisson and Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir.

The story is about Fjalla-Eyvindur, Icelandic for "Eyvindur of the Mountains" (1714–1783) who was an outlaw. He and his wife Halla are reported to have fled into the remote highlands of Iceland after 1760. They lived in the wilderness for 20 years. Halla sang this song to her baby before she threw it into a waterfall so she could follow her husband. The reference in the poem to bones refers to those traditionally used as toys and were called "leggur og skel" ("calf bone and seashell"). While a lullaby is traditionally a woman’s song, I asked Þórhallur to take this tenor solo as, like myself, he is a father and his perspective brings this song to quite a different place, casting an unexpected shade on the final outcome of the song. Bryndís encapsulates the sound I hear in the land itself when I travel across Iceland, opening out into the vastness and beauty of a landscape that has been so inspirational to me and changed my life.

Sofðu, unga ástin mín,

úti regnið, regnið grætur.

Mamma geymir gullin þín,

gamla leggi og völuskrín.

Við skulum ekki vaka um dimmar nætur.

Það er margt sem myrkrið veit,

- minn er hugur þungur.

Oft ég svarta sandinn leit

svíða grænan engireit.

Í jöklinum hljóða dauðadjúpar sprungur.

Sofðu lengi, sofðu rótt,

seint mun best að vakna.

Mæðan kenna mun þér fljótt,

meðan hallar degi skjótt,

að mennirnir elska, missa, gráta og sakna

Sleep my little love,

Outside the rain is weeping.

Mummy keeps watch over your gold,

Old leg bones and a little treasure chest.

Let's not stay awake through dark nights.

There is much that darkness knows,

My mind is heavy.

Often I've seen the black sand

Scorching green meadows.

In the glacier rumbles deadly-deep cracks.

Sleep long, sleep tight,

It's best to wake up late.

Hardship will teach you soon,

While the day becomes night,

That the people love, lose, cry and mourn.

Prophetarum Presignata

Arranged by Michael McGlynn

Percussion: Noel Eccles

Prophetarum Presignata comes from the Dublin Troper which has been a part of my life for decades. It is a 14th-century manuscript that, like a time capsule, captures the chants and liturgical practices of medieval Dublin. The hymns, sequences, and tropes are more than just religious rituals; they're a testament to the artistic spirit of that time. I feel a close connection to this intricate weave of spirituality and music, and a profound sense of the presence of the original writers of these beautiful melodies that predate our own traditional song culture today.

Prophetarum presignata virgo vaticinio

Super celos exaltata mater es a filio

O benedicta circumamicta varietate

Te veneratur quem imitatur angelis amica

Virginum pudica concio stella pudicicie beata

Virgo plena gaudio

Prophesised Virgin foretold of the prophets

Mother, you are exalted above the heavens by your Son.

O blessed one, clothed in colours,

You are venerated, by Him who the angels imitate.

Chaste assembly of virgins, blessed star of modesty

Virgin full of joy.

Suantraí

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Traditional Irish

Soloist: Aisling McGlynn

Our journey has taken us through landscapes both earthly and heavenly, but this song concerns itself with the intimacy of life's small, profound moments.

A ghrá na súl atá 'mo thrá
A ghrá mo chroí 'tá ghrámhar lán
Cé gur leanbh thú gan cháil
Is iomaí bua duit i ndán

Cuirfead mo rúin chun suain
Cuirfeadh mo rúin in a luí
Alleluia

A ghrian gheal thuas sa spéir ghlan thú
Is solas tú san oíche dhubh
Saorfaidh tú ó chách an brón
'Gus béarfaidh eolas naofacht dúinn.

O love of the eyes who is my ebbing,
O love of my heart, who is lovingly full,
Though you are a child without reputation,
Many victories are destined for you.

I will send my love to sleep,
I will lay my love down,
Alleluia.

You are the bright sun above in the clear sky,
You are light in the black night,
You will free all from sorrow,
And you will bring us knowledge of holiness.

EARTH SONG / MAALAULU

With ORDAINED, Featuring Isaac Cates

Commissioned for the Tampere Music Festival 2021

Composer: Michael McGlynn

Text: Traditional Finnish and Michael McGlynn

Soloists: Lorna Breen, Aisling McGlynn

Niin on pitkät miun pihani kuin on pitkät pilven rannat, niin on kaiat kaivotieni kuin on kaiat kaaren rannat...

The yard of my farm is as long as a wisp of cloud, the walk to my well is as narrow as a rainbow’s band...

Le gaoth ar na tonnta, le grian ar an uisce

With wind on the waves, with sun on the water

One day, one day soon we’ll sing in a new world Can you hear, on the wind a sweet melody
Some day, some day soon we’ll lift up our voices With one song, together with one voice, one world.

Feel the warmth of the sun and drink the clear water

Let your heart fill with love and sweet memory. Touch the dew on your skin, and lift up your voices

With one song, together with one voice, one world,

And we will sing a new song, echoes on the water.

Come and make a new world, Maalaulu.
And we will sing a new song, echoes on the mountain,

Come and make a new world, Maalaulu.