When the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society commissioned Brigid O’Neill to compose words and music that captured the essence of Belfast’s special, unique buildings, it was as if all her Christmases had come at once – a perfect gift for the talented musician and writer.
Like a magic tree, the project grew and grew to incorporate collaboration with other musicians and composers – Duke Special, Anthony Toner, Gareth Dunlop, The 4 Of Us, and Elma Orkestra, with additional support from the British Council.
The roots spread too – beyond the Belfast city limits to Derry and Armagh – and the outcome, is twelve unique compositions that don’t just tell stories, but seep far more than a sense of place, beyond bricks and mortar, to chronicle in the most poetic and personal manner, the social history of these buildings, the shadows of the souls once caught within their walls – the blood, sweat and tears – the joy and laughter – the bundles of emotion weaving their spirals in sound.
The outcome – called ‘Heritage In Song’ – was released on 26th November 2021, along with the single ‘Sisters Born Here’ – one of a trilogy recorded live in the studio with local stalwarts Linley Hamilton on trumpet, John McCullough on keys and Cian McGrory on the eloquent, haunting Uillean pipes.
‘Sisters Born Here’ is special. It’s the chorus that stirs the soul. You can’t help but be moved. You would need a heart of stone to not have an emotional reaction to this song. Its beauty is its truth. The Uilleann pipes, the piano, the pathos, the hope, the harmony
‘Sisters Born Here’ is a place where “hope and history rhyme”.
Recent years have seen Brigid O’Neill come into herself – finally gaining a deserved reputation as one of Ireland’s finest songwriters. It’s an exceptionally beautiful song with a gentle, melodic piano intro, it steers you into the walls of Armagh gaol – an important, historic building that captures the heritage of one of the ecclesiastical city’s most important landmarks.
Armagh is one of Ireland’s oldest settlements going back millennia, but the gaol became infamous in more recent times as the women’s prison during Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles.’ The sisters, born in a place called ‘here’, incarcerated within the thick grey bricks, had stories and backgrounds from both sides of ‘the divide.’
The opening lyrics say it as it is:
We walk a line between heaven and hell. We are sisters born here, they know me well. We’re in a space between right and wrong. The same sky looks down on everyone.
As part of the project, Brigid was privileged to spend time in the historic building, in the name of art, sensing its past, its secrets, its silence – but it was the light that captured her muse.
I was pretty affected by the skylight in the prison itself when I was lucky enough to get a chance to be shown around. While the song talks about the experiences of the women, ultimately it speaks of the amazing resilience and hope that the women held on to.
Recorded at Ballymena Sonic Visuals, ‘Sisters Born Here’ serves as a taster for the forthcoming release of the new EP, ‘Intangible Heritage’.