St. Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry, Co. Offaly

‘Music Moves Us from Birth to Death in Times of Sadness and in Joy’, performed by the SME group.
Post-Primary Finalist in the 2024 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition.
When the group discussed the theme, they decided to represent it as an emotional journey through life. They started with ‘Caoineadh Cú Chulainn’ by Bill Whelan. This lament by Cú Chulainn over the body of his son, whom he had unknowingly killed in battle, represented sadness and death. They decided to include the next song, ‘Ireland’s Call’ by Phil Coulter, remembering their resource student singing it at a recent show and bringing the house down. This represented how music moves us with patriotism and passion. The piece moves on to ‘Rorogwela’, a song that they felt represents birth and innocence. The song is based around a traditional Baegu lullaby from the Solomon Islands, and the lyrics refer to a young orphan being comforted by his older brother despite the loss of their parents: ‘Do not cry, do not cry, I will carry you.’ The students sing the first verse in Baegu. Finally, they decided to finish their piece with ‘Komodo (Save a Soul)’ by Mauro Picotto, an upbeat dance track that uses the ‘Rorogwela’ melody but adds more uplifting lyrics - ‘come together, be as one’ - to show unity in their community, and that music moves us physically as well as emotionally. They developed their own harmonies and countermelodies with traditional instruments for the piece, which begins with a calm relaxed vibe and builds to a euphoric finish. Music moves us from birth to death in times of sadness and in joy.