Released today, In Cloak & Womb is a song cycle for three voices composed by Sadhbh O’Sullivan (SIVE) under the Brigid 1500 scheme 2023. Brigid 1500 is a programme of events to celebrate and commemorate St. Brigid the woman, the life and the legacy, in a broad, rich way. Find out more here: https://brigid1500.ie/aboutbrigid1500/
It’s a timely release, for the legend of Brigid – saint, pagan goddess, poet, metal smith (the list is long) was recently celebrated on the 1,500th anniversary of her death. Her feminine spirituality and power, her compassion, and her strong connection to nature and artistic creation have seen a growing number of people turn to her for hope and inspiration, especially those who are disillusioned. One headline in the Irish Times read, “Religious people honour St Brigid, while the disaffected turn to goddess Brigid”.
To learn more about Brigid, take a look at Brigid 1500, mentioned above, and the Herstory website – an Ireland-based multi-disciplinary storytelling platform that illuminates and celebrates female role models and has a mission to spark sister movements across the world. They were among those who spearheaded the successful campaign to make Brigid’s Day a national holiday in Ireland, which falls on February 1st, the old Celtic festival of Imbolc.
“…she represents every woman and our unique talents, skills and qualities. Too often we put ourselves in boxes, limited by cultural stereotypes in an effort to fit in. Brigid urges you to develop and express all your gifts.”
Herstory: https://www.herstory.ie/brigidsday
About In Cloak and Womb
Taking inspiration from the legacy of Brigid in both her goddess and saint forms, the songs of In Cloak & Womb explore how her echo might resonate in the world today, particularly in relation to themes of climate change and social justice.
Brigid, in all her iterations, was and is deeply rooted in the natural world. Drawing on extensive research into the literature and mythology surrounding her, this collection of songs blends closely interwoven 3-part harmony with a wide pallet of tonal colours to harness Brigid’s voice as a messenger for the earth and its inhabitants as we face the challenges of our times.
Due for release on 15th Feb 2024, the compositions were premiered with 3 live performances alongside vocalists Clara Rose and Sharon Murphy in November 2023. Further performances are scheduled at Dublin Trad Fest, Kildare Library, The ACRE Project and Dún na Sí Heritage Centre. The release will be accompanied by a book of lyrics and compositional information; these booklets have already raised almost €400 for Crann (a charity planting and promoting Irish trees, woodlands and hedgerows).
Track-by-Track – In Cloak & womb
Music & lyrics composed & arranged by Sadhbh O’Sullivan
Vocals – Clara Rose Monahan, Sadhbh O’Sullivan & Sharon Murphy
Electric guitar & shruti box – Sadhbh O’Sullivan
Percussion – Patrick Hopkins
In Cloak & Womb is a song cycle written and arranged for three female voices, taking inspiration from the folklore and mythology surrounding Brigid the woman, the goddess and the saint. The songs explore how the echoes of her voice might resonate in our world today, particularly in relation to issues of climate change and social justice. In writing these songs I was interested in learning why these stories and myths matter, finding ways to weave their messages forward through time, into the threads of the stories we’re living now.
Down to the Well was the first song in the cycle to be composed, and was inspired by a trip I took to St Brigid’s Well in Kildare before beginning the work. I was feeling nervous about whether I was going to be able to pull this off so I went in search of inspiration, and on my walk back towards the bus home the melody came to me. It is a song about embodying Brigid by planting yourself in the natural world around you, casting your web of reciprocity wide (as St Brigid did when her cloak grew and grew to encompass the land on which she built her monastery) and asking yourself what you want to become fertile soil for.
Breacadh an Lae is a song about ritual as a means of steering us towards connection with something greater than ourselves and away from the culture of consumption and individualism which is so hurting our planet. It contains references to a number of old Irish rituals, from making Brigid’s crosses out of rushes to weaving blankets for the bereaved at the time of a funeral to telling the bees of significant events in the family. When I was in the midst of writing this song, news broke of Sinéad O’Connor’s death and I knew I had to write it into her somehow as her fiery feminine spirit felt like a modern embodiment of Brigid’s perpetual flame. The line ‘Ní mian liom aon rud nach bhfuil agam’ in the Irish language section translates to ‘I do not want what I haven’t got’, the title of one of Sinéad’s albums and a sentiment that fits the theme of the song perfectly.
(a good woman) is an interlude written to lead into Belinda. Its lyrics are a direct quote from the secretary of the US Board of State Charities in 1873: “A bad girl who becomes a good woman will bless the firm hand that saves her.”
Belinda tells the story of women who emigrated from Ireland to America in the 19th and early 20th century. It’s said that Irish women became known for their bold nature and willingness to share opinions, and came to be referred to as ‘Brigids’ in a derogatory way. For this reason, many women called Brigid would change their names to something like Belinda for example. After mustering the strength to endure unimaginable hardship, both in Ireland under colonial rule and on the journey to America in the infamous coffin ships, these women had to dampen themselves down in order to be more palatable. While this is a song about Irish emigrants, it is for emigrants everywhere who feel they have had to hide or even abandon parts of themselves to be accepted into a new culture.
Are You Listening? invokes Brigid the maiden, the mother and the crone as a voice for earth, imploring us to heed the cry of the environmental crisis and asking: Are we listening? It takes inspiration from The Song of Amergin, which is said to have been the first poem written in Ireland. The story goes that Amergin landed on the west coast, carried by a great wave conjured by the Tuatha Dé Danann (a supernatural tribe in Irish mythology), and recited his song as a declaration of unity with the land. Because this song is addressing an issue that will affect everyone in every corner of this earth that we share, I wanted it to sound as though it was of everywhere and nowhere in particular all at once. It borrows from scales and modes that are common in various styles of folk and choral music from around the globe, also taking some inspiration from Gregorian chant.
For the Mother is an ecological retelling of a poem associated with St Brigid, which begins: “I should like a great lake of ale for the King of kings…” The poem alludes to stories of St Brigid’s generosity, opening with a reference to the notion that she loved to provide ale for visiting clergymen. In writing this song I wanted to take this poem, which has quite a lot of religious connotations, and reimagine it with a more ecological slant, in recognition of the fact that regardless of our beliefs or backgrounds we are all of the earth. The persona of Brigid may encompass different belief systems, but as Rita Minehan says in her book Rekindling the Flame: “Brigid stands at the meeting of two worlds. Neither the boundaries of Christianity nor the older beliefs can contain her exclusively.”
We’re grateful to Sadhbh O’Sullivan for taking the time to present her new album to KLOF Mag – we’re sure that it will both inspire and reward. The digital album is also available with a Book/Magazine; see the links below.
Bandcamp: for Book/Magazine and Digital Album – https://sivemusic.bandcamp.com/album/in-cloak-womb
Sive Links: https://linktr.ee/sivemusic
Crann: Trees for Ireland – https://crann.ie/
Bridgid 1500: https://brigid1500.ie/
Herstory: https://www.herstory.ie/