Some songs and sayings I associate with my time with Mam have bubbled to the surface over the past while. There are many more, and others who knew her will have their own memories and associations. These are simply the ones that stand out for me.
Lovely Leitrim
Composed by Phil Fitzpatrick · Performed by Larry Cunningham
Some Words to Live By
These are some of the sayings I remember Mam using. I do not always remember the exact occasion or context. They were said often enough that the occasions disappeared, and the words themselves remained.
Some were moral warnings. Some were practical. Some were old country sayings. Some came from the farm world she grew up in. Together, they give a sense of the language of the house.
“Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin.”
Mam translated it as: “There’s no fireside like your own fireside.”
Báidín Fheilimí
Óró Sé do Bheatha ’Bhaile
Lanigan’s Ball
Lanigan’s Ball is a song I associate particularly with Port Farm.
Traditional Irish song · Performed by The Bards
Spancil Hill
The Spinning Wheel Song
I have a vague memory of Mam and Anne practising The Spinning Wheel Song together for something, though I no longer remember what it was for.
Traditional Irish song · Performed by Sinéad O’Connor
