Introducing The Say A Song Project:

Sean nós singing (literally old style) is an ancient Irish tradition that goes back as far as we do as a people, but what can it tell us of the modern Irish experience? In the sean nós singing tradition when someone is asked to sing a song the request is to ‘Abair Amhrán’, ‘Say a Song’. The emphasis is on the storytelling, narrative aspect of a song and what it can tell us of the singer’s life.

Before there was a literary tradition in Ireland, or indeed an English language tradition, there was a rich oral practice in which the spoken word, sung or intoned, was central. These songs are hundreds of years old and were passed from generation to generation aurally. Singers and composers made and carried songs through time. They expressed their own emotions and life experiences within its metrical patterns. These songs open windows into the past lives of Irish people in a specific time and place. They tell us much about the social, economic and personal tribulations and joys of those who created and recreated them. Although in some cases, many hundreds of years have passed since a song’s composition, elements of the human condition remain constant. The songs speak to us through time and, for avid singers and listeners, remain central in our contemporary oral repertoire.

This first publication from The Dána Press is a limited edition anthology of poems from The Say A Song Project with comprehensive notes on the background and history surrounding the songs featured in the project. The collection features translations from Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Ciara Ní É, Dagogo Hart, Dyrt, Eoin Rogers, Felispeaks, Molly Twomey, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Stephen James Smith & Theo Dorgan, and artwork from Aideen Barry, Ciara Roche, Christina Dervin, Poot Mendes, Ruth Clinton, Salvator of Lucan, Siobhán O’Callaghan, Spicebag, Tara Carroll & Zsolt Basti.

Support The Say A Song Project by buying a limited edition book of the project’s material. 

€15 + €6.50 P&P