Sean-nós singer Danny Maidhcí Ó Súilleabháin strikes a blow for Múscraí

THINK of the Muskerry singing tradition and the likes of Iarla Ó Lionáird, Cór Chúil Aodha, or Nell Ní Chróinín may spring to mind. But whisper it quietly — the singing in this Cork Gaeltacht is not exclusively as Gaeilge.

Among renditions of ‘Mo Ghile Mear’ and ‘Cath Chéim an Fhia’ there exists a less-publicised but quietly thriving tradition of singing in English.

A fine singer is a fine singer in any language, and indeed macaronic songs such as ‘My Pup Came Home From Claodach’ and ‘An Hide and Go Seek’, which alternate between the two tongues, are a local speciality.