Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire Madelyn Monaghan

It’s #WorldMusicDay and the #SummerSolstice 🌎☀️ so here is some World Music to ease your spirit on the year’s longest day: my first pass at Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire (Lament of the Three Marys), a very well known traditional song depicting the mourning of the three Marys present at Jesus’ crucifixion: Mary the mother, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Cleophas. I’ve known this song for a big part of my life but have never felt moved to sing it before. I’m more drawn to the Irish songs that are not about Catholicism. But over the last few months I’ve listened to it often, finding comfort in its meditative quality, its simplicity which doesn’t sacrifice power or reverence. More than anything, it is a song about grief with a melody that sounds like hope. Any singer of any style will tell you that knowing a song for many years isn’t the same as knowing it in your body. I thought it might be interesting to share my learning it on my instrument, trying to get the ornaments and vowels aligned, running out of breath, etc. So for my Irish speaking friends, sorry for the interesting vowel on “rugadh” in the 3rd verse. “Rugadh” means “born” i.e. the Mother Mary says, “Is that the little son who was born to me in the stable?” I sang “rugadh í” (she was born) or “rugaidh” which I think is the Scottish word for “rug”, and I don’t believe there were any girl infants or rugs in the stable. (Though who are any of us to say?😉)
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