Deirdre Shannon - Crucán na bPaiste

A song in Gaelic, translation below in the description.

From Deirdre Shannon's newest album. For those who don't know, Deirdre has been part of Celtic Woman during the times Méav was on maternity leave.

Crucán na bPáiste means "Burial place of the children".

The song is written by Brendan Graham (also writer of songs like 'The Voice' and 'Isle of Hope/Isle of Tears') Besides being a songwriter he also writes books.

He wrote it for the principal character in his trilogy of books:

1) The Whitest Flower
2) The Element of Fire
3) The Brightest Day, The Darkest Night

Her name is Ellen Rua, from East County Mayo.

The people of Mayo suffered greatly in the Famine, one third of the population died. Many more, weakened by the famine, died of fever and dysentery. Babies conceived and born in this era were malnourished, and often did not live long.

There were so many victims that they were buried in mass graves. However, local people could not bear the thought of their little ones put in mass graves with everyone else, so they made a special place... Crucán na bPaiste.

In this lament, Ellen Rua is mourning her "little redheaded girl" lying in the cold ground of Crucán na bPaiste. She is devastated that she could not save her child, and asks the Lord to take her too.

She cannot stay in Ireland without her child....so she leaves on one of the Famine ships to Australia.
Eventually she travels to Boston, to a new life.....but her strength is again tried by tragedy.

A very sad song... sang with justice by the talented Deirdre.

Translation:

Broken my heart
Lonely my life
With my darling child lying here and me tormented
It is the end of my world
My little red-haired girl
Laid out in Crucán na bPáiste

She will not see again
The dew on the grass
Nor the snow in the glens of Maamtrasna
No sun on her face
No sweet song of the birds
Only the cold earth of Crucán na bPáiste




Chorus:
In the name of the Father
And in the name of the Son
And Mother Mary full of grace
In the name of the Holy Spirit
Don't leave me alive
With my little angel in Crucán na bPáiste

There is sadness on the mountains
Anger on the Mask ( Lough Mask - a lake nearby)
But much worse am I that didn't save her
And for the time I am alive
Never more will I stand
In Ireland or in Crucán na bPáiste




With my little angel in Crucán na bPáiste

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Deirdre
• Shannon
• Celtic
• Woman
• Anamcéol
• Crucán
• na
• bPaiste

[lunescent2007]

Gorgeous song! Deirdre is definitely one of my favorite (former) Celtic Woman members.

[TheGeantrai]

@lunescent2007 @mali2003bu Thank you both. Yes, Deirdre is an amazingly talented woman. I wasn't interested in her first, but decided to buy her albums in curiousity.. very glad about that. A real celtic woman.

[mali2003bu]

This even makes the angels in heaven shed tears.

[inga1206]

@ilyverymuchly

Yes

[ilyverymuchly]

Dierdre is the only Celtic Woman member to never appear in any of the DVD's right?

[camposi]

Wwwwwwonderfuuuul!!!!!

[CTheartsong]

I love Brendan Graham, Dierdre does an amazing job on this song.

[Mhaolchatha]

I love your Gaelic so, Deirdre. I miss you!

[mali2003bu]

This is so beautiful, yet so sad. The music plus your description bring tears to my eyes.