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In certain communities, the presence of death weaves deeply into the fabric of daily existence. This sense is vividly captured in a unique moment from local radio: a message stating, “Welcome to the death notices, but we are sorry to inform you there will be no death notices this morning.” This snippet is part of an award-winning album called *Mo Léan*, created by Irish artist Róis, who was born Rose Connolly. Originating from a rural area straddling the border in Northern Ireland, Róis draws heavily on Ireland’s ancient mourning customs for her music, which, while somber and profound, also embraces elements of playful irony.
Róis explained the mix of humor and darkness in her work by recounting the inspiration behind this radio sample. “I thought it’d be good craic,” she said. She revealed how the original line from the radio was something she and her mother heard, and that her brother later met the woman who delivered that phrase. “She just knew that old people love the death notices, that’s why she said it. I imitated it and pitched my voice down to make it sound different.” This infusion of wit offers a brief respite from the otherwise intense themes throughout the album, as Róis channels the spirit of traditional laments once heard echoing above wake houses in rural Ireland.
Growing up in Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, Róis was surrounded by music, learning Irish traditional tunes and piano from an early age. Despite her family’s strong vocal talents, including her sister, father, and brother, she was initially hesitant to sing herself. “I wanted to be [in] the band… I think I was just quite shy… I knew I could sing but I just kind of wanted to keep that to myself for some reason,” she told BBC News NI. Her confidence grew after mastering Paul Brady’s version of *Arthur McBride* and performing in a school play, which propelled her to study music formally at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and later at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the Netherlands.
Encouragement from her tutors abroad motivated Róis to delve deeper into her heritage and to embrace performing in the Irish language. She credits learning Irish from a friend and drawing inspiration from Gaelic-speaking communities as pivotal influences. Observing the rising trend among artists like rap trio Kneecap and the Meath native CMAT who use Irish in their work, Róis reflected, “People are trying to reclaim their heritage and claim the lost language that was taken away from us, basically.” Her album *Mo Léan* fuses experimental electronic sounds with the tradition of “keening” – a vocal lament (“caoineadh” in Irish) once central to mourning rituals but fading since the 18th century. Róis incorporated fragments of authentic keening recordings from the past, describing the voices she listened to as “poignant” and “interesting sound[s]” that added catharsis to her compositions.
Scholars like Dr Marian Caulfield from University College Cork emphasize keening’s significance as a deeply rooted, orally-transmitted tradition performed predominantly by women, known as bean chaointe, who played a vital role in funerals and other somber occasions. Dr Caulfield praised Róis for reviving this practice with dignity and skill, stating she was “delighted to see Róis proudly performing her keens to full houses,” free from stigma, echoing the legacy of the women who kept this custom alive long ago.
Critical reception for *Mo Léan* has been overwhelmingly positive. The Guardian described the album as an “arresting set,” while KLOF magazine hailed it as a “masterful album, with incantatory soundscapes that leave you for dead.” At the 2025 Northern Ireland Music Prize, Róis took home two awards, including best album, and also earned a nomination for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. Despite these accolades, she maintains that recognition is not her goal: “Music allowed me to break free of fear so I guess through [the record] I’m kind of subconsciously doing that with death, and for the next project, it’s another concept,” Róis explained. Emphasizing resilience and life-affirmation, she said, “We were all very much in fear all the time and it inhibits growth… I guess I want my music to transcend all of that and realise that it doesn’t matter and you just have to get on with it,” adding with a smile, “That’s really the only thing to it, and just being a bit in love with life, it’s very cheesy.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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