I'm back in Michigan after a while and I'm Catching up with myself. Some of you probably saw on social media some of the events I was involved in. One of those was as a guest at Aoife Scott's concert at the Fleadh. I had a great evening listening to a number of songs i wrote with Aoife including, We know where we Stand and Woman Warrior. I joined Aoife for a duet of Do Mhuirnín Ó a song Aisling Kavanagh and I wrote and which you may have heard on my new Songs In irish album. I also sang All Along the Wild Atlantic way with her at the end of the show. It was great fun.  Here's Do Mhuirnín Ó from that show.

I also had a few wonderful shows in the Reading Room at the National Library of Ireland which was an honor as their are very few performances there. The last one was actually by the late Glen Hansard RIP during the COVID lockdown.

I also had many other sessions in Mayo, Dublin and Belfast and catch-ups with friends and family.  

Oh and here's a bonus video of me rehearsing in a lovely sounding room in Belfast. 

It seems there's a mystery as to which Island on lough Gill is the Lake Isle of Innisfree. I like the look of this one from Dooney Rock and as it rained softly I thought it might be a moment for a verse of that very poem. 

A Sign of Rain (mp3 available for download below!) 

A song inspired by Irish weather lore recorded in 1935 in the National Folklore Archive at UCD. These are the signs people once watched for—the small details in nature that told them rain was on the way.
And if you ever go to Ireland you'll know what to look out for!

Filmed live at The New School Church in Mill Race Village, Northville, which is a cool little park by the river with old buildings that have been kept looking new. real fun place.

A little bit more about the venue other than it being very reverby!
Built in 1845 by a splinter group of the Presbyterian Church of Northville, the building served as a church for just four years before taking on many lives—as a school, township hall, Salvation Army barracks, and Northville’s library for over 70 years. Saved from demolition in 1964 and moved to Mill Race Village in 1972, it remains a beautiful space for gatherings and music.

Many thanks to Samantha and the Friends of the Northville District Library, Wendy at Mill Race Village, and Mayor Brian Turnbull for their support.

Thanks also to my Tir Enda patrons and to all who came out to support the show. See you there next year for my WB Yeats program!

Live at the Kilgour Scottixh Centre!

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas live Stream the other day! Here's something that i've been working on that wasn't appropriate for that, but I want to get it to you nonetheless. This year we got to go to Clonmacnoise in Ireland with the tour group and It was fascinating. It's an ancient monastic city on the river Shannon in the middle of ireland.

I found this poem recently which I felt was in need of a melody and so here it is for now. See below for some video and phots of Clonmacnoise itself which i took earlier this year. 

Here's the poem 

The Dead at Clonmacnois

In a quiet water’d land, a land of roses,  
     Stands Saint Kieran’s city fair;  
And the warriors of Erin in their famous generations  
     Slumber there.  

There beneath the dewy hillside sleep the noblest          5
     Of the clan of Conn,  
Each below his stone with name in branching Ogham  
     And the sacred knot thereon.  

There they laid to rest the seven Kings of Tara,  
     There the sons of Cairbrè sleep—   10
Battle-banners of the Gael that in Kieran’s plain of crosses  
     Now their final hosting keep.  

And in Clonmacnois they laid the men of Teffia,  
     And right many a lord of Breagh;  
Deep the sod above Clan Creidè and Clan Conaill,   15
     Kind in hall and fierce in fray.  

Many and many a son of Conn the Hundred-Fighter  
     In the red earth lies at rest;  
Many a blue eye of Clan Colman the turf covers,  
     Many a swan-white breast.

And below is some behind the scenes footage! We had great craic on the boat. I was busy singing and drinking so i got no footage of the singsong, but suffice it to say we had fun! 

New video for you today Tírfolk! It's on Youtube so feel free to share! Thanks for your support!

Well I had a great time in Ireland playing a number of shows and meeting family and friends in late November and December. For Science week I performed with my old pal Stephen James Smith in Wexford and Kilkenny, which were really fun concerts. Then to celebrate 100 years since WB Yeats won the Nobel prize for literature I got to perform in both the Central Library Dublin along with Donncha Crowley and also in the National Library in Dublin, which was an honour and a wonderful experience. Many more good times with friends had too. Slainte to you all. 

Enda Reilly Sings The Sullivans We Stick Together at Buffalo Naval ParkI came full circle with The Sullivans (We Stick Together) song on Monday, when I returned to sing on the deck of the 80 year old USS The Sullivans, alongside the Shamrock and the names of the five brothers who died in WW2.

Major repairs are still needed on the ship so if anyone would like to donate to that visit www.savethesullivans.org

The lyrics of the song tell the story

The Sullivans (We Stick Together)

 by Enda Reilly 2022

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

At Pearl Harbour 

We lost a friend

‘twas only right

We must avenge

As Brothers 5

We did unite

The Japanese

We had to fight

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

We enlisted in the Navy

Five proud Irish brothers

The rules were to split us up

But we said 

We stick together

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

We sailed aboard 

the Juneau

At Guadalcanal

took a torpedo

With a Broken Keel 

But we fixed her neat

Stayed afloat

Forced to retreat

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

To the New Hebrides

We made our way

But the Japanese

Were waiting

The I-26 

Sunk us quick

at Torpedo 

Junction

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Now we are gone

But remembered

By our dear father and mother 

And the crew of

DD  537

USS The Sullivans!

We Stick Together boys

The Sullivans

The Sullivans

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

Red, Frank, Albert, George and Madison

The Sullivans 

We Stick Together boys

Brothers til the end

 Thanks to all at Buffalo Naval Park for facilitating this video. 

The song is on Spotify, apple etc.