Gráinne Hambly – “Amhran na Leabhar (The Song of the Books)”.

   Hey people! 🙂 

   Today I’d like to share with you a harp piece, played by an Irish harpist whose music I’ve never shared on my blog until now, namely Gráinne Hambly from county Mayo. I first heard of her and got to listen to her music on BBC Radio Ulster a few years ago. This piece played by her that I want to share with you is a sad tune composed by Irish poet and musician from 19th century – Tomás Rua ó Súilleabháin, who was working for some time as a headmaster in Derrynane, co. Kerry. Once a permanent headmaster for the school was appointed, he was forced to move to Portmagee. He owned a huge library of books, which he decided to transport by boat that was going from Derrynane to Valentia Harbor and himself travelled by road. Sadly though, the boat carrying all his priceless books struck a rock, and his whole collection was lost! And that’s how this song came to life, he wrote it as a way of seeking solace after such a huge loss. I think every bibliophile’s heart must break just thinking about this tragedy, but even more so when listening to this tune and knowing about its origin. I can definitely understand how awful it is to lose a book irretrievably, and it must be so much worse losing like a huge library, especially back then when books were a lot more of a rare thing! This tune is also known as Valentia Lament and Cuan Bhéal Inse. 

   Gráinne Hambly – “Amhran na Leabhar (The Song of the Books)”. 

 

Question of the day.

Hi guys! 🙂

What was the last item you purchased?

My answer:

A book on Audible.

How about you? 🙂

My favourite “Pat Of Silver Bush” quotes.

So I thought I’d also share with you some of my favourite quotes from “Pat Of Silver Bush” series, also by Lucy Maud Montgomery. “Pat Of SIlver Bush” tells a story of Pat’s life. She is very deeply attached to her family home called Silver Bush, she just literally lives for it, and as one of her uncles said, Silver Bush was her religion. She loved her family deeply and hated any changes. And hated leaving Silver Bush. Since as you probably know I’ve spent almost my entire childhood at the boarding school and hated, I related to Pat a lot, almost as much as to Emily of New Moon. So here are some quotes.

“Don’t be fretting…about me marrying. Marrying’s a trouble and not marrying’s a trouble and I sticks to the trouble I knows.”

“If you believe in a thing it doesn’t matter whether it exists or not”

“No matter what dreadful things happened at least there were still cats in the world.”

“Oh, oh, it’s not meself that do be knowing what the girls of today are coming to. Trying to make thimselves into min and not succading very well at that.”

And here are some quotes from “Mistress Pat”:

“There might be some hours of loneliness. But there was something wonderful even in loneliness. At least you belonged to yourself when you were lonely.” —

“I don’t seem to be like other girls, Judy. They all want to go to college and have a career. I don’t…I just want to stay at Silver Bush and help you and mother. There’s work for me here, Judy…you know there is. Mother isn’t strong. As for being educated…I shall be well educated…love educates, Judy.”

“I’ve always thought nobody understood me quite as well as I understood myself.”

“I love keeping house…it’s really a lovely phrase isn’t it? Keeping it…holding it fast against the world…against all the forces trying to tear it open.”

“If one could only feel always like this,” Pat had said once to Judy. “All the little worries swallowed up…all the petty spites and fears and disappointments forgotten…just love and peace and beauty.”

“Oh, oh, but what wud there be lift for heaven, girl dear?” asked Judy.”

“These modern novels that leave everything unfinished annoy me…”

“But things are often unfinished in real life,” said Pat…

“All the more reason why they should come right in books,” said Uncle Horace testily. “Real life! We get enough real life living. I like fairy tales. I like a nice snug tidy ending in a book with all the loose ends tucked in.”

“They can laugh when things go wrong. I like that. Anyone can laugh when it’s all smooth sailing.”

“Everybody is a little insane on some points”

My favourite “Jane Of Lantern Hill” quotes.

I was rereading this book a few days ago for like a fourth time in my life I guess, and thought I’d share with you a few of my favourite quotes from this book. For those of you who have never heard of it, it’s written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It tells the story of a girl called Jane, who lives with her mum and her grandmother in Toronto. She is mainly brought up by her stern and demanding grandma, because her mum, although very loving, caring and just wonderful, is afraid to opose and claims she should be grateful for her mother for things she did for her. Jane thinks her father died, but one year she’s told he’s still alive, and then she gets a letter from him and he invites her for holidays on Prince Edward Isle. And then the most interesting part of this book starts. So here are a few quotes. I usually don’t particularly search for quotes in books and don’t focus on them a lot, but since I’ve been rereading Montgomery’s books many times, I have my favourite quotes or even whole paragraphs in her books.

“It’s the fools that make all the trouble in the world, not the wicked.”

“Can I help you?” said Jane.

Though Jane herself had no inkling of it, those words were the keynote of her character. Any one else would probably have said, “What is the matter?” But Jane always wanted to help: and, though she was too young to realize it, the tragedy of her little existence was that nobody ever wanted her help.”

“Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” The most terrible and tremendous saying in the world, Jane… because we are all afraid of truth and afraid of freedom… that’s why we murdered Jesus.”