Click play below the lyrics to hear! 

I've been working on this for a few weeks now and keep meaning to share a video (I made several). I'll share those some other day. Today is the first mix of The Céide Fields and tír Enda members get to hear it first! The Cédie Fileds is a place in North Mayo where i went with my folks when i was young. There are stone 5500 year old stone walls buried beneath the peat bog that grew over them. The story of how they found them is intriguing but todays song ponders who the builders were and how they were farming on the coast 5500 years ago and just marveling at their accomplishments, building the walls "rock upon rock".

Deep Beneath the Ceide Fields Enda Reilly June 2026

The truth is buried where eyes can’t see

But they could feel it

Yes they could feel it

And they were searchin interacting and believing

To achieve it 

To achieve it

Deep Beneath x3

Deep beneath us in the underworld

Consumed by nature

By the Tuatha De Danann

A time capsule, an encasement

A preservation, an embracement

Deep Beneath x3

Deep Beneath x2 

The Céide Fields

Rock Rock upon Rock 

Rock upon Rock to build these walls we got

Rock Rock upon Rock 

Rock upon Rock to build these walls we got

And now we wonder who they were

Those ancients

our relations?

Can we uncover who we truly are

As a nation

 A nation?

Deep Beneath x3

Deep Beneath x2 

The Céide Fields

Rock Rock upon Rock 

Rock upon Rock to build these walls we got

Rock Rock upon Rock 

Rock upon Rock to build these walls we got

The truth is buried where eyes can’t see

I can feel it

I can feel it!

And still we’re searchin interacting and believing

To achieve it

To achieve it

Deep Beneath x3

Deep Beneath x2 

The Céide Fields

Deep Beneath x2 

The Céide Fields

We had a great time at Motor City Irish Fest!  I played a number of sets including 2 talks about Irish songs and songwriting. I also bought a wonderful electric guitar from CBD guitars, one of the vendors. So I felt it would be great to play the guitar at the festival. Here's A Wounded Bird from the Dunleavy Tent and a few snaps I took. 

I hope to see you at one of these festivals this year!

In this Tír Enda “About the Song” video, I take a closer look at an Irish song I first learned in school — one of those songs that’s often treated as a children’s song, even though it carries a surprisingly tragic ending.

The real hero of the song is Feilim’s little boat: a brave wee vessel that has battled the oceans, brought in the catch, and done its work faithfully — only to meet a sad fate in the end.

It’s also trickier to sing than it might first appear, which is often the way with these old school songs. They stay with you for years, and then one day you realise there’s far more going on in them than you understood as a child.

Here I’m trying it out with the bodhrán which seems to be working nicely.

Thanks, as always, for being part of Tír Enda and for giving these songs a warm place to land. there's an mp3 for those who might like to add it to their USB stick. 

There's a song only version of it too that you might see on Youtube.

Translation of Báidín Fheilimí

Feilimí's little boat went to Gola,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it,
Feilimí's little boat went to Gola,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it.

Chorus

A tiny little boat, a lively little boat,
A buoyant little boat, Feilimí's little boat,
A straight little boat, a willing little boat,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it.

Feilimí's little boat went to Tory,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it,
Feilimí's little boat went to Tory,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it.

Chorus

Feilimí's little boat crashed on Tory,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it,
Feilimí's little boat crashed on Tory,
Feilimí's little boat and Feilimí in it.

Chorus

Feilimí's little boat crashed on Tory,
Fish on board and Feilimí in it,
Feilimí's little boat crashed on Tory,
Fish on board and Feilimí in it.
 

Enjoy!

I've been working on this song a long time and I think it's nearly there. Here's an explanation of what it's about and a first listen for you. The lyrics and a few pictures of the island are below to give you a feel for it. Thanks for listening and let me know your thoughts! Have you got a special place you think of in the hustle and bustle of modern life?

Lyrics 

The 12 Bens Of Galway

I dreamt in the night I went to Inishbofin. 

Took a plane, then a bus, then a boat to the island. 

Through Connemara, Clifden and Cleggan. 

Over rough seas to a piece of heaven.

To a bay with a beach like the Mediterranean,

And the Stags at the cliffs with dark waves thundering,

Two Island swans in a lake in the middle

And a white cow standing proud on a hill.

Past the hay-fields to the seaweed shore,

spend the day fishin’, reelin’ wrasse galore,

Out to Cromwell's fort by the boats in the bay.

Then back for a session with the lads at the Days,

Down the purple valley and out to the sea, 

The 12 Bens of Galway smiling at me.

There’s ten ton boulders flung by the Atlantic 

Where sheep eat greedily a green grass carpet

On a black peat bog a declaration 

I love you In white stone writing

Waking to the sound of the cock as he crows 

a walk around the island

On the wee windy roads 

Through the Summer Meadow the delicious air

I really caught a taste of heaven there

Down the purple valley and out to the Sea,

The 12 Bens of Galway smiling at me. 

Skies turn redder as the day is ending

Can I stay in this dream? Keep pretending

Its my memory I'm taking it with me

As I drive the streets of Detroit City.

Waking to the sound of the cock as he crows. 

A Walk round the island, 

On the wee windy roads 

through the summer meadow,

the delicious air

I really caught a taste of Heaven there 

Down the purple Valley out to the sea. 

The 12 Bens of Galway smiling at me.

Waking to the sound of the cock as he crows. 

A walk round the island, 

On the wee windy roads 

through the summer meadow,

the delicious air

I really caught a taste of Heaven there 

Down the purple valley out to the sea. 

The 12 Bens of Galway smiling at me.

Down the purple valley and out to the sea. 

The 12 Bens of Galway are still waiting for me.

Thanks again for joining me on the Easter Rising live Stream. On youtube you can navigate easily back to a particular song with or without my introduction by either clicking the timestamps below or in the description or on the video itself. Kinda handy! i've made a separate video of Óró Sé Do bheatha Bhaile but all other songs can be seen again below! bye for now!

00:00 Introduction 05:19 Mise Eire Intro 07:15Mise Eire Song 10:00 More about Mise Eire 16:50 The Foggy Dew Intro 17:14 The Foggy Dew Song 22:16 More Context about The Foggy Dew 23:40 Blood On the Rose and Francis Ledwidge 26:24 Lament For Tomas McDonagh 37:14 Who Fears to speak of a Nation Once Again? 42:00 Here Comes the Sun 46:58 The Rose Tree - WB Yeats Intro 47:47 The Rose Tree - WB Yeats 43:35 The Watchword of Labour by James Connolly intro 51:00 The Watchword of Labour by James Connolly 57:53 About The Bodhran 1:00:25 Oro Se Do Bheatha Bhaile Sean Nos Looping 1:05:36 Connolly Quote via Tim 1:08:35 Grace 1:27:22 Easter 1916 - WB Yeats (Exerpt) 1:23:30 A Sign Of Rain (by request) 

Many of you have probably seen it by now but here's march's Live Stream.

There were a good few in there that i've been trying out. Do let me know your favourites!

Here's the songs I did in march! lots of new performances here. Let me know your favourites and if you like the Lower sound of the classical guitar or not!

On the youtube page you should be able to go direct to a song to hear it again. (Skip the waffles Feature!)

00:00 - Introduction 5:38 My Lagan Love 11:21 Siúl a Rún / Johnny's Gone for a Soldier 19:14 La belle Dame sans Merci 29:30 Ualach Ó mo Chroí 35:20 Pócaí Stróice - Torn Pockets 41:00 The Curragh of Kildare 47:49 The Blarney Roses