Welcome (Let the People Sing)

I was not born in Ireland, nor did I grow up there. I am "Irish-American," a term often met with skepticism by citizens of the Republic. The fact of the matter is, most Irish-Americans do not know Irish history very well, if at all. While my maternal ancestors came from County Dublin, and my paternal ones from County Clare, I was not taught Irish history as a child.

It wasn't until I enrolled at Notre Dame and was exposed to Irish music that I became interested in the history of Ireland. Something about the passion in that music ignited my interest, and I began a journey of self-education about the history of my ancestors.

It's been years since that initial discovery, but I am still learning. That's part of what this is about -- much can be learned about a country by knowing the history of its music. There is no country where this is truer than Ireland. So, as the song goes, let the people sing ...



Let the People Sing
For those who are in love
There's a song that's warm and tender.
For those who are oppressed
In song you can protest.
So liberate your minds
And give your soul expression.
Open up your hearts,
I'll sing for you this song.

Chorus:
Let the people sing their stories and their songs
And the music of their native land
Their lullabies and battlecries and songs of hope and joy
So join us hand in hand
All across this ancient land
Throughout the test of time
It was music that kept their spirits free
Those songs of yours and of mine

It was back in ancient times,
The bard would tell his stories
Of the heroes, of the villain,
Of the chieftains in the glen.
Through Elizabethian time
And Cromwellian war and fury
Put our pipers to the sword,
Killed our harpers and our bards.

Chorus

Ireland, land of song,
Your music lives forever
In its valleys, in its mountains,
In its hills and in its glens.
Our music did survive
Through famine and oppression.
To the generations gone,
I'll sing for you this song.