| I got the inspiration for this song after reading a book in the "Dear America" series with my young daughter, So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl by Barry Denenberg (New York: Scholastic, 1997). Plus, it was fun to tie in the legend of the mermaid which is so prevalent in ancient stories from Ireland.
(On a personal note, my great, great, great grandfather-- John Carruthers-- was born in Hillsborough, County Down, Northern Ireland in 1800. He, his wife Margaret, and their son William lived through the great potato famine that devastated Ireland in the middle of the 19th century. This famine reduced the population of Ireland by three million people, or 36%. Most of these people immigrated-- my ancestors went to Scotland-- but it is estimated that one million or more died of starvation and disease.)
For more info on the potoato famine, go to:
http://www.irishclans.com/articles/greatfamine.html
|
|
|
