Lament for Owen Roe O'Neill
— Tacet —

Note provided by Laura Prichard: “Lament for Owen Roe O’Neill” (in Irish Gaelic: "Uaill Cuma Eogan Ruaid Ua Niall”) is a slow Irish air in the Dorian mode. It is attributed to Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan (1670–1738) by Bunting’s General Collection of the Ancient Irish Music (Dublin, 1796) and Hardiman’s Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1831). However, Gratten Flood’s History of Irish Music (Dublin, 1905), says that the lament was composed soon after O’Neill’s death in 1649, predating O’Carolan's birth.

The tune commemorates Owen Roe O'Neill (Eoghan Rua Ó Neill, 1582–1649), was a member of the noble O'Neill family of County Tyrone. He fought in the Spanish Netherlands, and returned an officer in 1642 to mastermind the Confederation of Kilkenny rebellion against the Stuarts. After winning an important victory at Benburb (1646), he died at Cloughouter, County Cavan, just before he was to campaign against Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads (and thus his death was considered a national catastrophe). Legend maintains that O’Neill’s shows were poisoned before a banquet. After he danced vigorously for several hours, the poison was absorbed into his skin, leading to his death several days later.


Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):


This page was added to the website: 2006-11-07