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Newry Mountain

from Under the Pines by Bróna McVittie

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about

Another boon in moving back to County Down for Brona has been her discovery that there are so many more folk songs from the area than that well-worn Percy French ditty 'The Mountains of Mourne'. Brona has explored the archives and uncovered some fabulous ballads in the collections of Jackie Boyce and Cathal O’Boyle. Grá geal mo Chroí (Bright Love of My Heart) or Newry Mountain was initially collected by Sam Henry in his Songs of the People, and later recorded by Joe Holmes on his album After Dawning (Topic, 1978). Brona states “the song is a vow of love, although I’m still wondering where Newry Mountain actually is”.

lyrics

At the foot of Newry Mountain clear water does flow
There lives a wee lassie far whiter than snow
She's slender in the waist for all young men to see
And her name in plain Irish is Grá geal mo Chroí

Twas on a summer's morning as I walked along
Down by yon green valley I heard a fine song
It was a fair damsel and her voice rang so clear
Saying how blessed would I be if my darling was here?

I then drew anear to a shade that was green
Where the leaves grew about her she scarce could be seen
It was her whole cry 'Oh my darling come away,
For without your loving company I cannot stay'

The moon it may darken and show us no light
And the bright stars of heaven fall down from their height
The rocks may all melt and the mountains remove
The hour I prove false to the fair one I love

Like a sheet of white paper her neck and her breast
Her bright eyes a-shining have robbed me of rest
She's a pattern of virtue wherever she goes
And her cheeks I compare the the red blushing rose

The ships on the ocean may go without sails
And the smallest of fishes turn into great whales
In the middle of the ocean there will grow an apple tree
If I ever prove false to my Grá geal mo Chroí

credits

from Under the Pines, track released June 19, 2017
Trad Arr KWB McVittie. Vocals/harp/clarinets/production (Brona McVittie); Viola/cello (Richard Curran); Drums (Myles Cochran). Mastered by Myles Cochran

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Bróna McVittie Northern Ireland, UK

Pioneering her own brand of cosmic folk, Bróna McVittie both deftly reimagines traditional folk and crafts her own nature- inspired songs with a rich mix of folk and electronic instruments. As The Guardian describes it “You’re put in the place of a bird navigating wide open landscapes, absorbing light, space and air. This is music that takes you on its wing, and gives you fresh visions” ... more

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