Dear friends –

I’m working on a new project and I was wondering if maybe you could help.

I have been researching the impact of World War I on Drogheda and its people and have been writing a song-cycle on the subject. I’ve always been interested in the poetry and history of the Great War in general – I studied it for my degree – but of course it had a unique impact on Irish soldiers and their families at home because so much changed in Ireland between the years of 1914 and 1918 and when soldiers returned home they were in a unique predicament having fought for the British Army.

Performing my song “The Hard Wind” around Ireland, I was always struck by the response of audience members whose relatives had endured the trauma of the trenches only to be met with a sense of embarrassment or shame upon their return.

The project is provisionally titled And All My Dream Companions Gone, which is a line from “After Court Martial” by Francis Ledwidge, a Slane man of course who himself was killed in the War. As per my previous song-cycle, PORT, I’m trying to write a set of songs here that are a patchwork of emotional, relatable stories, reflecting the hopes and fears of a generation of local people whose stories are not really represented in our canon of song. Importantly, the format will give me the opportunity to present many different viewpoints and give scope for a really balanced piece of work.

I have read extensively, and organisations like the Old Drogheda Society have been absolutely brilliant, allowing me access to a large range of books, articles and accounts. I’ve also already heard stories from local people about their own relatives, however, and that has really helped bring the facts to life. If anyone else is interested in sharing stories with me you can get in touch via any of the social media platforms here.

You can also read more about the project thanks to these lovely article from The Drogheda Independent and DroghedaLife.com

Thanks all!

S x