Mícheál Ó Catháin is giving people a new perspective on the nature around them.
Mícheál is an artist, a Gaeilgeoir, and a musician and he is sharing what he knows with the people of Douglas. As part of his Singing Walks as Gaeilge, the participants are learning about nature, music, and placenames through the Irish language.
These walks are an inclusive activity for all skill levels. You can contribute as much or as little as you like. Mícheál’s goal is to meet everybody where they are at. There is no need to be fluent in Irish.
“It’s for people who might be shy about their Irish level or their singing level.”
As you encounter trees, insects, and birds Mícheál will tell you their names in Irish, and explain the meanings behind them. Mícheál also breaks down the meaning behind the placenames in Douglas, helping you understand their heritage.
For example, Mícheál told me about the name Douglas. Stemming from the dark stream, abhainn dubhghlasa, the name Douglas emerged giving us what we have today. Sometimes the true meaning of the words can be lost when translated, and their history is forgotten.
Learning the heritage behind the placenames offers a new way to connect to the language, and the places we live. Mícheál offers this new perspective on Irish, trying to help people reconnect, and forget negative experiences they might have had learning the language at school.
These walks have been very popular with older people who are looking to reawaken their Irish language skills. On previous walks there has been a mix of older and younger people as well as families with grown up children. The walks are gentle and follow accessible routes.
Since July, Mícheál has been conducting these singing walks, and he has been writing songs along the way. Mícheál starts by humming a drone, a continuous note, and builds the song around the nature walks. These songs incorporate the words you learn on the walk, giving you a beautiful way to remember them all. This is a playful way to get in touch with your roots. Mícheál says singing them is just a nice excuse.
“As well as the singing, this project is about paying attention to the place itself,” says Ó Catháin. “Douglas Tidy Towns and their partners have done huge work on biodiversity awareness in the park and the Mangala, guided by the Ballybrack Woods and Douglas Biodiversity Action Plans, and we’re really just shining a light on that. I’d love people to come away feeling more at home in the Irish language and more connected to the trees, river and wildlife that are already on their doorstep.”
Feel free to hum, whistle, sing along, or just listen. Mícheál is a big advocate of the phrase ‘Low barrier, high ceiling’ meaning you can participate as much or as little as you like. on these walks. There is room for absolute beginners, and experts. No matter your level of music or Irish there is so much to be gained from attending these walks.
“Working with Douglas Library, I have also co-curated a special nature and Irish-language book & music display for the duration of this project, and a notebook will be available for the community to write or draw their reflections on the walks, the books and the music. This Douglas Library element is really important to ensure these Singing Walks as Gaeilge in Douglas are inclusive of everyone in the community, whether or not they can physically join the walks.”
This project is not the first of its kind. In May, Mícheál completed a series of singing walks with Cobh Tidy Towns and was able to uncover so many exciting facts about the place names in Cobh. A full list of terms in the songs were made available, as well as phonetic spellings so everybody could learn about their home.
Some of Mícheál’s favourites included Rinn Mhín (smooth promontory), Rinn an Chabhlaigh (point of the fleet), and Currach an Eich Bhuí (plain of the yellow horse).
Listen to Cóbh Slán na Loinge, one of the finished songs here.
The Douglas Singing Walks are free to attend, and open to all members of the public. Families are more than welcome. Groups are small so registration is required.
Walk Four will take place on 8th August at 1pm, meeting at Douglas Community Centre. Walk Five the final walk will take place on 15th August at 1pm, meeting at Douglas Community Centre. At the final walk, Mícheál will have the finalised song lyrics prepared for everybody who would like to sing along.
Mícheál Ó Catháin is a multimedia artist working across performance (voice and early Gaelic harp) and generative audiovisual installation, creating both in-real-life and online experiences rooted in ancient and emergent oral traditions. Originally from Kildare, Mícheál grew up in a bilingual family, and has lived in Youghal since 2022. Mícheál specialises in ambitious, participatory placemaking that connects communities to Irish language, heritage, and landscape through inclusive, high-quality arts projects.
Singing Walks as Gaeilge – Douglas is presented in partnership with Douglas Community Association, and is supported by Cork City Council and Creative Ireland through the Creative Communities Programme.
Link to Mícheál’s website here.
Discover more from All About Cork
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
