Watch: An old Bundoran poem inspires a new Bundoran song

Bundoran and its neighbourhood is a unique guidebook that traverses the Northwest with a specific focus of journeying around south Donegal

One year has passed since the rediscovery of the long-lost historical guide-book TC Connolly’s Bundoran and its Neighbourhood (1895) and an old poem from the guide-book has inspired a new song for Bundoran.

I have always believed that we don’t find a good book but that a good book finds us. I was fortunate that this guidebook found me last year.

Bundoran and its neighbourhood is a unique guidebook that traverses the Northwest with a specific focus of journeying around south Donegal. The guidebook is Donegal’s most poetic work of travel literature. It is the first guidebook to promote the Northwest as a tourist destination and the only Irish historical guidebook that has been digitised and made free and accessible on its own dedicated website.

One of the most significant parts of the guidebook is finding a forgotten poem of Bundoran, a Rougey rhyme written by the Rev. Patrick Murray. The late, great Donegal historian and Bundoran native, Fr. Paddy Gallagher in 1961 called it "the first modern poem" of Bundoran.

placeholder image — One of the most significant parts of the guidebook is finding a forgotten poem of Bundoran, a Rougey rhyme written by the Rev. Patrick Murray. The late, great Donegal historian and Bundoran native, Fr. Paddy Gallagher in 1961 called it "the first modern poem" of Bundoran.

When I first read the poem, I said to myself: "The poem is a song". I knew that the poetry needed a soulful singer to sonically bring the poem’s music to life, so I reached out to my uncle Paudge Keenaghan to see if he was interested in singing it.

My uncle was born and raised in East End, Bundoran, a proud native son from the old Keenaghan family from Rathmore. The eldest son of Dan and Mary Keenaghan, brother of Mary, Anne, John, Daniel and Celia. The husband of Patricia, father of Laura, Darragh and Joanne and grandfather.

His favourite pastimes, climbing mountains and singing old Irish music, make him a musician-mountaineer. Luckily, he was inspired to compose the song after reading the poem. He said: "It’s an honour to play a small part in preserving this long-lost art".

He took a few weeks to carefully craft the composition, making sure to faithfully balance the ballad's lyrics and melody as if he was keenly navigating a new mountain path over an old mountain trail. He called the song "Bundoran Remembered".

As I listened to his wonderful song, I imagined seeing and hearing the music of the waves in motion around Tullan Strand, Fairy Bridges, Rougey and Main Beach. Paudge and I were both on the same creative and emotional wavelength, and the next natural step was to explore creating a video.

To celebrate the first anniversary of rediscovering this guidebook, I thought it was a good time to share the recently created video for the song. Paudge’s mountaineering friend Máirtín MacLochlainn (Mountain Mac) used a drone to artfully capture an incredible scenic video of Bundoran’s coastline. Paudge said: "I am very happy with the way my friend interpreted my request".

The video shows the awe-inspiring imagery of the seascape that inspired the poem and song. Paudge’s Bundoran brogue heartfully sings the "breeze, and cliff, and sea and strand", bringing the poem’s music to life, pulsing to the indigenous beat of our heartland.

While Bundoran is well known for her famous song "Beautiful Bundoran", the reimagined poem-song, "Bundoran Remembered", now calls on all of us to once again remember that our old Donegal stories, poems and songs from our local history can inspire new ones.

Donegal history is not just made by the Celtic spirits of our past – Donegal history is made today by the Celtic spirits of our making.