Song, Magic, Invocation: Expressions of Belonging with Ireland's Living Landscape

This multimedia presentation connects the threads of Irish song, magic, and land invocation. Opening with a brief look at scholarly perspectives on the historical and mythological roots of song in the Gaelic tradition, we then introduce our ongoing collaboration with University College Cork’s Green Campus, the Eco Open Mic, as a contemporary expression of song’s magical dimensions, practices of belonging and care for the living world. A short documentary follows, highlighting the power of participants’ songs, poetry, and stories to invoke an animate Earth, alongside insights from scholars, activists, and musicians engaged in the work of re-enchantment. We conclude with the premiere of an original musical work, weaving elements of the sean-nos tradition with a sound-scape of recordings from the more-than human terrain from which the work emerged. This performance will be inviting all to participate in accessing the essence of Irish land and song.