Cloughjordan musician's tribute to poets of war

Martin O'Meara, James Somers and Martin Butler are among the war heroes remembered in an epic compilation of poetry and song pieced together by a Cloughjordan native.

'Poets in the Trenches: The Irish in the Great War' is an album of some 41 tracks featuring more than 60 artists from around the world. Cloughjordan-born musician Martin Butler, who lives in Boston, points out that the First World War had many poets who wrote about their experiences. Until now, however, there hadn't been an album focussing on Irish poets, hence his undertaking of this project, along with John and Colin Owens.

Among those featured on 'Poets in the Trenches' is Tom Kettle, close friend of Cloughjordan's Thomas MacDonagh, who was killed in action in 1916. Kettle is brought to life on the album by the voice of Dublin actor Jason Downes, with track 18 -'Reflections on the Easter Rising' - produced and arranged by Martin along with Galway singer and producer Katie McDonnell.

Also among those featured is Francis Ledwidge, perhaps Ireland's most well-known poet of the war, voiced by writer Thomas O’Malley.

Several Tipperary soldiers of the Great War feature on the album, including Martin's great-granduncle and namesake, Private Martin Butler of Cloughjordan, also killed in action in 1916. The producer pays homage to his ancestor on Track 16 – 'Orchards'; he is one of four great-grandnephews of Private Martin Butler represented on the album.

'Poets in the Trenches' has two tracks devoted to Victoria Cross hero James Somers of Cloughjordan. Lorrha-born Martin O'Meara – the only Irishman to earn the VC while fighting in the Australian armed forces – is honoured on track 29 - 'Hidden Scars and Sleepless Nights' – again written by Martin and dramatically aided by the mournful playing of 'Waltzing Matilda' by New York Jazz trumpet player Kathleen Doran.

The album runs in chronological order, starting at the beginning of the war in 1914. Among its many additional features are an actual recording of the Kaiser giving a speech in Berlin, a live performance of 'The Last Post' recorded at the Menin Gate memorial in Belgium, John Redmond's Woodenbridge speech, as well as quotes from soldiers of different nationalities that took part in the famed Christmas truce of 1914. All of the poems recited were written during the war.

Other Tipperary ties on the album include former Ormond Céilí Band member Jerry Murphy and Martin's brother, Alan Butler. A champion bodhrán player, Martin attributes his love of history, music and culture to his late parents. His father ? was a local historian while his mother, Cork native ? was involved in the dramatic arts.
Martin himself has delivered a series of lectures on the 1916 Rising and the Irish in the First World War with a focus on the poets and poetry inspired by those events. He revealed that there are plans in the works for an accompanying book to 'Poets in the Trenches' to be co-written with Canadian military historian Steven Dieter.

The album is available for download on iTunes and Amazon, and copies of the CD are available at Cdbaby.com.
 

MacDonagh: Poet and Patriot

Martin is also the co-producer (along with John Owens) of 'Thomas MacDonagh: Poet & Patriot – His Life Through Music & Verse'.

Another massive undertaking, this album features over 50 artists, among them Grammy nominee Janine Randall, Grammy winner Frank Wharton, and Irish music legends Tommy Keane and Tommy McCarthy. An example of the songs is 'Down by the Glenside', written by Peadar Kearney, who, in addition to writing Ireland's national anthem, served alongside MacDonagh in the Jacob's factory. Works from MacDonagh's books of poetry are also included.

“All of MacDonagh's poems are worthy of a larger audience and I feel some of his works are often overlooked,” Martin said of his MacDonagh compilation. “The collection of poems chosen here are a broad range of his works, some picked for thematic reasons, others because they are simply wonderful examples both of his skill as a writer and of the many influences that both shaped his life and his creativity.”

This project took Martin two years to complete between research and recording, which took place in the US, Canada and Ireland. “The Thomas MacDonagh Heritage Centre have assisted me a great deal along the way, as have the books made available to me by my late father, and 'In and Out of School', written by Roche Williams, RIP, were great sources of information in helping to shape the album.”

The busy Boston-based producer is currently working on another project that will feature several members of MacDonagh's family and more guest artists, including actors  Patrick Bergin, Ciaran Crawford and singer Monica Brennan.

The 'MacDonagh: Poet & Patriot' album is available on iTunes and physical copies can be purchased at the Thomas MacDonagh Museum in Cloughjordan.