Singing the Rite to Belong: Music and Ritual in a Changing Ireland

This workshop is conducted by Professor Helen Phelan, a scholar and singer specializing in the role of music in ritual. For this workshop, she will explore three examples of ritual music connected with her home country of Ireland. The first is a piece of medieval chant to St. Brigid, a Celtic Saint sharing many of the attributes of the older, pre-Christian goddess, Brigantia. The second piece is a Congolese song drawn from Dr. Phelan’s work with new migrant ritual communities in Ireland. The final piece is from the Celtic feast of Samhain, a precursor to Halloween.

This morning workshop will appeal especially to singers and choirs since it will give them a chance to learn medieval and more modern Irish chant.

The flyer for this event can be found here, on the Department of Anthropology’s website.