CELEBRATE IRELAND’S MARITIME SONG TRADITION WITH LYRIC FM
After Christmas is a great time for taking some quiet moments to yourself to listen to the radio and what more could you ask for when you’re safe and warm indoors than a blast of hearty songs about stormy seas, pirates and shipwrecks? RTÉ’s Lyric Feature is broadcasting a new 3 part series on Ireland’s maritime song tradition called ‘The Sea in Song’ at 6pm on December 29th, 30th and 31st 2010.
Our maritime heritage may be overlooked in many quarters, but our singers have not lost contact with this rich source of song, tradition and lore. Discover a song chest of rousing sea shanties, ballads of hardship and heroism as well as heart rending tales of love and loss.  ‘The Sea in Song’ features a wide range of songs from both the English and Gaelic traditions in Ireland.
Part one  ‘Hard Men to Shave’ explores key narratives in the sea shanties and ballads of the 19th century and taps into some hair-raising accounts of life at sea for Ireland’s ocean mariners in the age of sail (December 29th)
Part two ‘The Tumbling Wave’ trawls the coast of Ireland for songs that illustrate  different aspects of our maritime heritage –  shipwrecks, smugglers, drownings and heroic rescues (December 30th).
Some of our most powerful laments and romantic ballads were inspired by events at sea. Part three ‘Love is Tempestuous’ pursues themes of love and loss in Ireland’s maritime songbook. (December 31st).
‘The Sea in Song’ is a Well Said Production for Lyric FM and made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It’s produced and presented by Mary Owens. The sound engineers are Grainne O Malley and Jennie Breen. The script editor for programme 1 is Maud Hand.
FOR MORE INFO CONTACT: Mary Owens, Well Said Productions, Tel (091) 593185,