Residents at Schull's Community Hospital have compiled a list of 100 ‘essential songs' and now plan to record some of them to raise funds for the facility.
Residents at Schull’s Community Hospital have compiled a list of 100 ‘essential songs’ and now plan to record some of them to raise funds for the facility.
The debate over which songs should feature on the list began with residents and singer/songwriter Liz Clark last winter.
Musician Liz works there as part of the Arts for Health Partnership Programme in West Cork. She first came up with the idea after meeting Roseanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash at Skibbereen’s Arts Festival in the summer.
Roseanne told the audience her father had given her a very precious list, written out in his own hand, of 100 essential country songs as part of her musical education. She later went on to be a musical artist herself and recorded an album with a selection of those songs.
Liz recalled the moment when she got the idea. ‘I immediately started thinking about the people I get to spend time with in my work in hospitals and how they have informed my musical education. I thought, wouldn’t they have some amazing opinions on what songs they deem essential?’
Liz used her arts residency at the hospital to pose the question: ‘What songs do you think are essential and why? Are they essential to you, or to the world, or for the next generation?’
The process, she said, brought to light many wonderful memories and engaged, not only the residents, but also staff and visitors.
‘What I find so special, about this project, is it’s a snapshot of people’s lives. Residents on respite that were only in for two weeks added to this list their favourite songs from childhood. The Scottish resident would add songs from Scotland. The visitor from Athlone would add songs from their area. And people who have since passed away will be remembered by their special contributions,’ she said.
One resident wisely said ‘The first 50 will be easy. It’s the last 50 that will be the hardest.’
Liz added: ‘And he was right. ‘You would often find people arguing “that song can’t go on the list! It’s too corny!” Or “This song belongs on the list because even though it’s corny, it’s a crowd pleaser and we all know it.”’
Residents performed some of the songs at a celebration in the hospital last week with special guests including Maurice Seezer and Camilla Griehsel.
They also plan to issue a limited collection of 100 CDs for Bealtaine in May and make the tracks available for download at a later stage in the year.
The project was made possible with the support of Friends of Schull Community Hospital and Arts for Health partnership programme.
To find our more go to www.artsforhealthwestcork.com
THE TOP 100 ‘ESSENTIAL’ SONGS
1. Irish Harvest Day
2. Goodnight Irene
3. If I Were a Blackbird
4. It’s A Long Way To Tipperary
5. I’ll Tell Me Ma
6. Banks of my Own Lovely Lee
7. Spancil Hill
8. Dear Old Skibbereen
9. The Old Folks At Home (Swanee River)
10. Yellow Rose of Texas
11. 3 Years Ago This Very Day
12. A Mother’s Love’s A Blessing
13. 40 Shades of Green
14. Doonaree
15. Amazing Grace
16. Black Velvet Band
17. Golden Jubilee
18. Castle of Dromore
19. Dan O’Hara
20. Streets of Baltimore
21. Red is the Rose
22. Mother Ma chroi
23. Churchyard in the Spring
24. Daisy a Day
25. Belfast Mill
26. Will You Go Lassie go
27. The stout hearted men of the County Mayo
28. Moonlight in mayo
29. Blowing in the wind
30. One day you will call my name
31. Sweet 16
32. Galway Bay
33. Oh Susanna
34. Far away in Australia
35. The road by the river that runs through Raheen
36. Home on the range
37. Roads of Kildare
38. Grace
39. Emigrant’s letter
40. The old bog road
41. I’ll walk beside you
42. The holy ground
43. Boulavogue
44. MacNamara’s band
45. You’ll never walk alone
46. Spinning wheel song
47. Come by the hills
48. Fields of Athenry
49. The Ferry man
50. Homes of Donegal
51. How can you buy Killarney
52. Mount Massey the flower of Macroom
53. My hometown in the old County Down
54. Home boys home
55. The rose of Mooncoin
56. Dingle Bay
57. The banks of the roses
58. The green glens of Antrim
59. Fiddlers Green
60. Shoals of herring
61. The Galway shawl
62. Marie‘s wedding
63. The Bantry girl’s lament
64. Granny’s old armchair
65. The hills of Kerry
66. A’ roaming in the gloaming
67. I wish I had someone to love me
68. I’m a rambler I’m a gambler
69. Three leaf Shamrock
70. The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen
71. Glasgow belongs to me
72. Farewell to Galway
73. Raglan Road
74. Fineen the rover
75. The whistling gypsy
76. The old man
77. Come back Paddy Reilly
78. How much is that doggy in the window
79. Song for Ireland
80. Connemara cradle song
81. Westering home/ Trasna na dTonnta
82. Súil a rún
83. Seasons
84. The minstrel boy
85. As old friends do
86. The last rose of summer
87. The mountains of Mourne
88. The humour is on me now
89. The snowy breasted pearl
90. The valley of Knockanure
91. Sunshine of your smile
92. The water is wide
93. Shake hands with Uncle Dan
94. Crazy
95. This land is your land
96. Lovely Derry on the banks of the Foyle
97. The coast of Malabar
98. Courtin in the kitchen
99. Bless this house
100. When the curtains of night (I remember you love in my prayers)
