New heritage project explores Leitrim’s musical past

A new heritage project exploring the songs, stories and cultural change of 1920s Leitrim will be officially launched in Ballinamore Library on Wednesday, February 25th at 7pm. The project, will be officially launched in Ballinamore Library on Wednesday, February 25th at 7pm. The project, Shannon Waters Flow, is led by traditional singer and researcher Fionnuala Maxwell, supported by Leitrim County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and draws on the rich resources of Leitrim Library’s Local Studies Collection to uncover a vivid and often overlooked chapter of the county’s cultural life.

At the heart of the project is an understanding that song was not merely entertainment, but a powerful social record. Many of the songs examined reflect local reactions to national and international events, including the Sheemore and Selton Hill ambushes, offering insight into how communities processed conflict, loss and political change through music and verse;

“In our sad and glorious history, we have read of gallant men,

Who never weighed the odds against, but only fought to win.

They took their stand and foe to face, their weapons almost nil

But they fought for a cause they knew was right, like the men of Selton Hill.” Patrick Logan

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The research also pays tribute to the role of Cumann na mBan, whose contribution to the revolutionary period is remembered not only through history books but through song, memory and local storytelling.

The project situates Leitrim’s musical output within the wider revolutionary period, acknowledging figures such as Seán Mac Diarmada, whose legacy loomed large in the cultural consciousness of the county. Songs and poetry from the period reflect a deep engagement with questions of identity, language revival and the future of Irish culture in the years following independence;

“On Leitrim sod this verdant May, where first he drew an earthly breath,

We raise his monument today, whose name will not be quenched in death.

For those whom God has willed to lift his torch of Liberty to men,

Wherever Freedom’s fires are lit, will leap to valorous life again.

When Seán Mac Dermott heard the call to shoulder arms for Erin’s sake,

The blood-steam of his fathers all answered the summons, wide awake;

And out of Aughrim shrilled the cry: “Strike in our names a blow long due,

And we who dared to fight and die for Erin will be there with you!” Teresa Brayton

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Shannon Waters Flow also traces the vital role of the diaspora in sustaining Leitrim’s musical life. Emigration carried songs across the Atlantic, where new recordings, American musical styles and commercial technology began to influence what returned home. These emerging sounds helped rural communities navigate years marked by economic hardship, social change and cultural tension.

One of the project’s central inspirations is Philip Fitzpatrick, the Aughavas-born emigrant whose composition Lovely Leitrim became an unofficial anthem for the county. Fitzpatrick’s work captures the longing, pride and emotional resilience of emigrants who remained deeply connected to home, even as they built new lives abroad;

“I’ve travelled far through these great lands, from the east unto the west

But of all the islands I have seen, I love my own the best.

And if ever I return again, there’s one place I will go,

It will be to Lovely Leitrim, where the Shannon waters flow” Phil Fitzpatrick

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The research also examines how these shifting musical influences eventually fed into wider cultural debates, including the infamous anti-jazz demonstration in Mohill in 1934 and the deportation of Jimmy Gralton — moments that highlight the tension between tradition, modernity and the struggle to define Irish cultural identity.

Throughout the project, particular care has been taken to shine a light on the “lesser-known” musicians, singers and cultural carriers who worked quietly behind the scenes — playing at local dances, composing verses, teaching tunes and sustaining traditions at community level. Their contributions, often undocumented, form the backbone of Leitrim’s musical heritage.

A major strand of Shannon Waters Flow involves making archive material accessible to new audiences. Digitised audio, historical notes and curated resources are being shared through library platforms and the Rakes of Music collection, reconnecting local communities and the global Leitrim diaspora with this rich cultural legacy.

The launch event in Ballinamore Library will feature an illustrated talk, live performances of songs from the period, projected archival material and a demonstration of newly created digital resources. The evening will offer audiences an opportunity to experience how music helped carry Leitrim people through years of upheaval, change and cultural renewal.

The event takes place on Wednesday February 25th at 7pm and is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.