Myjyn’s new single “Amhrán na Leabhar” is more than a cover—it’s a resurrection. The centuries-old Irish lament, originally penned by 19th-century poet Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabhán after the tragic loss of his precious Gaelic books at sea, finds startling new life through Myjyn’s ethereal vocals and contemporary production. What begins as a traditional sean-nós mourning song transforms into something timeless—a meditation on cultural loss that echoes Ireland’s colonial wounds while whispering hope for its linguistic revival.
The track’s power lies in its duality. Myjyn’s layered harmonies, built through vocal looping, create a ghostly choir that seems to rise from the very waves that claimed Ó Súilleabhán’s treasures. Producer Jack (South East Sounds) adds subtle but crucial textures—a heartbeat-like pulse, ambient swells—that deepen the song’s emotional weight without overpowering its ancient soul. The result feels both intimate and expansive, as if the listener is standing at the cliff’s edge where grief meets the horizon.
There’s profound personal resonance here too. Myjyn—a Gaelscoil-educated artist who grew up steeped in Irish—channels not just the historical tragedy of banned language and burned books, but more recent loss: the passing of her Kerry-born grandfather, a storyteller whose voice lives on only in memory. This personal thread makes “Amhrán na Leabhar” ache with immediacy; it’s not just about 19th-century sorrow, but how cultural erasure reverberates through generations.
Yet for all its melancholy, there’s light in this arrangement. The very act of reimagining this song—with modern techniques, for global audiences—becomes an act of defiance against the cultural suppression it mourns. When Myjyn’s voice breaks on the Gaelic lyrics, it carries the weight of survival.
A masterful alchemy of old and new, “Amhrán na Leabhar” proves traditional music isn’t preserved in amber—it’s carried forward in living voices. Myjyn hasn’t just covered a classic; she’s passed its torch to the future. Connect With Myjyn on Instagram and Spotify
