Climate

I virtually got transported to Kildare every moring at 8.30 my time via zoom for the last week. I was singing some songs Oxygen 21 (Ocsaigin 21) World On Our Shoulders (An Domhain Ar Ár nGuailli’), Cuir and Long ag Seol and Salley Gardens and explaining the main processes of Climate Change as gaeilge and in English. The student’s were good sports with lots of great questions and although some weren’t allowed to sing along because of covid restrictions we still had fun.

I was recently contacted by Abbey from planetresolution.com and asked to do a version of the Resolution Song as Gaeilge and one day later this is what I had. There are many great versions with choirs and all manner of amazing musicians out there if you search #planetresolution. Nice to see others singing about this most important of causes and great to see how this song has brought folks from all over the world together through song. I decided to do some looping as there’s so many options for that with this song. Irish and English lyrics are below.
Beir bua! E

The Resolution Project is a global music and climate action project.
The Resolution song has been sung by thousands of people in over 100 countries.
The song is a demonstration of global unity and the will to act now to protect our planet.

Liricí i ngaeilge le Enda Reilly 2021

Taispeáin do Rúndaingne (An Domhain ar ár nGuaillí)

Tá sé fógartha
Ta sé glaoite amach
Cad feasta?

Ó ghuth amháin go
dtí an slua is mó
Cad feasta?

‘s le fáilte is fiche (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Do gach braon aigéanach (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Taispeán do rúndaingne (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Deirfimis
Is lá nua amárach

Táimse seasta anseo leat sa seasta anseo liom sa
Seasta leis an domhain ar ár nguaillí
Táimse seasta anseo leat sa seasta anseo liom sa
Seasta leis an domhain ar ár nguaillí

Chuirfimis an síol
Athrímís-lái threach bonn
le haghaidh domhain níos fearr
áit níos fearr láithreach bonn

‘s le fáilte is fiche (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Do gach braon aigéanach (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Taispeán do rúndaingne (‘sé an t-am agat é!)
Deirfimis
Is lá nua amárach

Táimse seasta anseo leat sa seasta anseo liom sa
Seasta leis an domhain ar ár nguaillí
Táimse seasta anseo leat sa seasta anseo liom sa
Seasta leis an domhain ar ár nguaillí

English lyrics

World On Our Shoulders

We have called it out
We have said it loud
What now ?

From a single voice
to the greatest crowd
What now

With our arms wide open (Time For a Change)
For every drop in the ocean (Time For A Change)
Make a Resolution (Time For A Change)
We say
Tomorrow’s a new day

I’m here standing with you here standing with me
standing with the world on our shoulders
I’m here standing with you here standing with me
standing with the world on our shoulders

We can plant the seeds
We can make a change right now
For a better world
For a better place right now

With our arms wide open (Time For a Change)
For every drop in the ocean (Time For A Change)
Make a Resolution (Time For A Change)

We say
Tomorrow’s a new day

I’m here standing with you here standing with me
standing with the world on our shoulders
I’m here standing with you here standing with me
standing with the world on our shoulders

#planetresolution #gaeilge #climatechange

I have a lot of songs I’ve written over the years and here’s a strangely jaunty one that deals with the theme of Ocean Acidification. Not the sexiest headline-claiming topic but nonetheless extremely important. This video was played at the Paris COP21 five years ago now to try and bring more awareness to the problem. I have started eating more mussels in the last few months as they are very sustainable and as filter feeders they are very nutritious for humans. So they’re a not-too-expensive source of good protein for me. Listen for my explanation and the song. And below is the original folk song Molly Malone from a recent Live Stream.

Last Sunday I performed some of my songs including some new ones I’ve been working on (Melt those Guns, Hybreasil and No Planet B) in my wife’s church, St. Finian’s as part of an interesting and inspiring Lutheran service exploring our protection of the environment or lack thereof. My songs are all written from a human centred viewpoint
so the contrast with the religious readings regarding creation was very interesting and enlightening. Thanks to Anne Marie, Martin and Yvonne for inviting me to collaborate with them in exploring new concepts of caring for and understanding our home on earth. One of the songs I sang was We All Own The Sky. Here’s a recording from another gig I did a while back in Abner Brown’s barbershop.

I’ve been singing songs about the effects of Carbon Dioxide on the atmosphere for 8 years at least at this stage. This song is about the other effect Carbon Dioxide has on the oceans. It makes the water more acidic which unfortunately has some bad implications for seashells and other animals in the oceans and most probably will begin affecting us as a consequence. Thanks to @lemonseatron who via twitter asked for a song about ocean acidification and the result is below.

Some random thoughts about all this.

Shells are made of Calcium Carbonate CaCO3, which can be easily eroded/liquified by various acids. Limestone and chalk are also largely made of CaCO3. In Ireland we see how the Burren’s Karst surface has been carved by rainwater. A lot of this happens because of what they call a weak carbonic acid, which pretty much means CO2 has gone into the rainwater and turned it into an acid strong enough to dissolve limestone.

Geologists use a weak Hydrocloric acid HCl to test if something is Calcareous i.e.has calcium carbonate in it or not. This would be stronger than what is happening in the ocean I think, but when you see how it fizzes on limestone it helps you understand how the process works.

Washington has been hit by this hard with their oysters especially so it looks like they’ve set up a group to tackle it. The Washington Ocean Acidification Center. Colder waters seem to be more susceptible to the problem for some reason. Perhaps cause more CO2 can go into solution in colder water than warmer water. So I’d say we should be keeping an eye on Arctic waters for the first signs of changes.

It looks like the problem is seen Here’s quite a cool intro to the chemistry of it all.

Molly Malone.

I’m not sure how she the fishmonger, crept into the song but I guess she represents a historic link we in Ireland have had with the sea and whether or not that will be able to continue.