The Shady Groves

Happy May Day to you all! Here I present to you a musical garland to celebrate this sacred month, so full of life and tradition. Loreena McKennitt- "The Mummers' Dance" This piece is, quite frankly, one of my favorite songs of all time... I have loved "The Mummers' Dance" since at least 1999, when I was about 10 or 11 years old. When I first really encountered it, I had recently discovered the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and at the time, this song called up the wild love of adventure and rich reverence for nature that the woodland creatures of these stories possessed. Today, it means even more... I have since learned that the song borrows many lyrics from the traditional English "May Day Carol": We’ve been rambling all the night And some time of this day. Now returning back again, We bring a garland gay... A garland gay we bring you here, And at your door we stand. It is a sprout well budded out, The work of Our Lord’s hand. For me, thes

Éirinn go Brách! Celtic music, including the traditional music of Ireland, is one of the greatest musical influences of my life, and it is a delight to be able highlight some of the Celtic currents that continue to flow through my playlists... Here I present to you a mix of contemporary Celtic folk as well as the kinds of very traditional Irish pieces without which Saint Patrick's Day would feel incomplete to me! Mary Black- “Colcannon” "Heartwarming" is the word that comes to mind when I think of this song... With its beautiful harmonies and the bright piercing voice of the inimitable Mary Black, "Colcannon" expresses nostalgia for home and the love of family, especially a mother's love in preparing favorite foods. Whalebone- "The Otter’s Holt" I have recently become infatuated with this downtempo interpretation of the traditional Irish reel "The Otter's Holt," which is usually performed at a breakneck pace... I love getting to savo

2024 is one of those exceptional years when Saint Valentine's Day coincides with Ash Wednesday, an alignment that has invited me to explore the meaning of love more universally, that is, to reflect on the nature of both human and divine love on February 14 this year. In keeping with such meditations, my musical highlights for this month pay tribute to earthly romance as well as to the mystical imagery of the relationship between God and humankind as being like that of a spousal relationship, the Lover and the Beloved. Let us begin the journey with earthly love… Earthly Love Pauline Scanlon-   Red Colour Sun “And I Love You So” https://youtu.be/fqLXVzh9ED0?si=59rU5KCmZKkXe2ut and “Valentine”  https://youtu.be/ng8GFqkNIAc?si=MnmRrrWBvl7LquRu Irish singer Pauline Scanlon's breathy vocals bring a warm, modern sensibility to traditional songs as well as to beloved covers from popular music, including "And I Love You So" by Don Maclean and "Valentine" by Willie Ne