Macaronic Songs in the Irish Song Tradition
Macaronic songs in the Irish song tradition are pieces of music set to text of both the Irish and English language. In some cases, other languages may be included; however, the primary languages used in these songs (Irish and English) represent the primary languages used by the people of Ireland over the last millennium. Amongst a number of categories in the Irish song tradition, macaronic songs play an important role in the tradition. They represent a key part of Irish history and culture and they are still performed across the nation and abroad. In this essay, I will discuss the history of the Irish and English language in Irish society, the role of macaronic songs in Irish culture, the origins of macaronic songs in Ireland and the impact of religion on such songs, and I will discuss examples of macaronic songs.
Up until the 18th Century in Ireland, the Irish language remained the first language of the people of Ireland. It’s decline was brought about by the English conquest of Ireland and the influence they had on Irish laws, culture and society, and also the discouragement of the Irish language by the Catholic church. ‘Because of shifts in colonial language policies over time – from outright prohibition of the language to strong discouragement of its use – it gradually became more advantageous to be able to speak English.' Until then, bards and poets composed their works in the Irish language. ‘As part of the changing cultural complex, the English language began to replace Irish as the vernacular of the native people from the late eighteenth century onward. This had obvious implications for a native music that had developed in close partnership with the Irish language.’ Many Irish people continued to use the Irish language as their first language and as a result, it did not die out, but rather remained quite important, especially in certain areas of the country. The beauty of the Irish language means that its continued use in music and poetry is appreciated and admired by the Irish people and many others. ‘The idea of the Irish language continues to exert influence on what is imagined to be unique about Irish culture.’
Macaronic songs usefully combine two languages which are very different in origin and elements such as the syntax are also rather different. Slán is Beannacht le Buireamh an tSaoil (One Morning in June) is a macaronic song notably performed by Joe Heaney. In this song, the lyrics alternate between Irish and English. From reading through the bilingual lyrics of this song with literal translations of the Irish lyrics, it would appear that each language is used because the message is presented clearer in the respective language. On the other hand, the Irish lyrics used are of a more literal English translation, which is unusual for the artistic Irish language. An example of this is the line ‘gur thit mé i ngrá léi’ which directly translates to ‘that I fell in love with her.’ This would be uncharacteristic of the florid Irish language.
Macaronic songs, in their own right, play an important role in breaking the political and social barrier between the use of the Irish and English language. Today, Gaeltacht areas embody the Irish language. Elsewhere in the country, English is the first language of the greater majority of people. The geographic segregation of these two languages means that they seldom mix. Speakers of the Irish language in Gaeltacht areas avoid the use of English and take pride in their native tongue. Throughout the rest of the country, Irish has become somewhat of a foreign language to many people (often due to a lack of education in the language, and in some cases, due to a lack of interest). Macaronic songs, encompassing both languages, are performed all across Ireland. Having spent time in a Gaeltacht area, I was interested to see that, even amongst the most experienced fluent Irish speakers (many of whom would refuse to converse in English), macaronic songs are popularly performed at gatherings in pubs, and even in church services. The English language is accepted when it is used in songs, and even more so when it is one of two languages making up bilingual songs.
Macaronic songs have become an important feature of the Irish song tradition. In an attempt to increase the popularity and preserve the Irish song tradition, many Irish songs have been introduced into school curriculums, and macaronic songs have not been exempted from this. A popular macaronic song in schools is Siúil A Rún, a traditional song telling the story of a woman whose husband must leave to join the military. The verses of Siúil A Rún are in English with a reoccurring chorus in Irish. While there is more English text in the song than Irish text, there is still a sense of pride in singing through the Irish language. A similar idea can be heard in Cara Dillon’s performances of the song Jimmy Mo Mhíle Stór in which the verses are sung in English with a reoccurring refrain of ‘Jimmy mo mhíle stór’ sung in Irish. This, however, is only one interpretation of the song as it can also be sung wholly in Irish (in the case of Dolores Keane), or even in Scottish Gaelic (in the case of Kathleen MacInnes).
Another popular macaronic song in schools is An Maidrín Rua. In many versions of this song, there are two verses in Irish followed by two verses in English and finally concluding with one last Irish verse. This song is popular in schools due to its light-hearted description of a story about a fox. In the latter English verse, there is a line of Irish incorporated. Perhaps the reason for this is that the Irish is more rhythmic than the English, or perhaps the sound of the Irish better suits the telling of the story and the theme of the song.
The origins of the macaronic song in Ireland ‘can be traced at least as far back as the eleventh century in Gaelic and Latin hymns… the macaronic songs in Irish and English that flourished in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are direct descendants of their medieval monastic and scholastic counterparts.’ Of course, for a long time, and even today, the impact of Christianity on Irish culture and society is substantial; therefore, it is fitting to suggest that church hymns would heavily influence the Irish song tradition. It is often seen that church clergy compose their own music to liturgically fit in with religious services, and while there are no publications of macaronic hymns using the Irish and English language, it is possible that clergy in local churches employed macaronic verses in compositions.
The church refrain of ‘Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy;’ is often sung by clergy as ‘A Thiarna, déan trócaire; A Chríost, déan trócaire; A Thiarna, déan trócaire.’ This particular refrain (in both English and Irish) is a call-and-response type refrain where the celebrant of the service calls each line which is then repeated by the congregation. Normally, this refrain is either in English or Irish, but in some cases, the languages alternate in that the clergy would call the refrain in Irish and be answered by the congregation in English. This is depending on the traditions of each individual church and the bilingual version of this is seldom used.
From my research of macaronic songs in the context of the Irish song tradition, it has become clear to me that they are a key feature of Irish music. While the category may not encompass the largest amount of repertoire, it is an extremely popular form of Irish song. Macaronic songs can provide a useful transition in schools from song-singing through the English language to singing songs in other languages. Combining the two primary languages of the Irish people, macaronic songs are celebrated and enjoyed by many in Ireland and even abroad.