About Aileen Lambert

Childrens Songs

Aileen has played a leading role in bringing traditional singing to countless children over the last twenty years. She delivers workshops in Primary Schools as part of the Heritage-in-Schools Scheme throughout the southeast. Aileen regularly presents workshops in libraries and festivals etc. and created seventeen online traditional song workshops for children as part of Cruinniú na nÓg Programmes across the country in 2020 and 2021. With her husband Michael Fortune (folklore.ie) and her three daughters Nellie, Eppie and Nan, she tirelessly shares and promotes her love of traditional singing with children in a variety of ways; workshops, recordings, Facebook Live concerts, Zoom sessions, song collection projects and song composition projects.

Community Song Projects

Aileen devises and facilitates local community traditional song research and performance projects, often culminating in a publication with DVD/CD or linked with a YouTube playlist. Many of these have been supported by Wexford County Council’s Arts Department via the Creative Communities Scheme and aim to draw local singers attention to the rich repertoire of song in their locality. Often verse is paired with a traditional air or on occasion Aileen has composed a new air to go with the words of a poem or recitation. With her husband Michael Fortune she conducts innovative song research and composition projects with renowned traditional singers in association with partners such as the NLI, ITMA and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at UL, such as The 1916 Song Project, The Bird Song Project, As I Roved Out and Songs for Our Children.

Aileen’s Repertoire

Aileen’s repertoire includes many songs drawn from the rich store of Wexford traditional song and she sings numerous songs which have been passed on to her by Wexford singer and song collector Paddy Berry. She also has a deep interest in songs connecting Newfoundland and the southeast of Ireland and in 2019 she recorded a solo album of traditional unaccompanied songs from Wexford and Newfoundland entitled The Wexford Lovers. Aileen is also a visual artist and is a Creative Associate with the Creative Schools Programme.

Aileen with her Childrens Songbook

Participants in Blackwater Song project

Singer John Furlong, Kilmuckridge Song Tour

About the Publication

We’ve all heard the well known traditional song ‘The Streams of Bunclody’ but did you know there are literally dozens of songs about this little town? Well neither did traditional singer and song collector Aileen Lambert when she set out on a project to collect songs relating to the area. Over a number of years she has collected dozens of songs relating to the town and its environs and has researched and collated twenty-five which are included in her new songbook ‘O Were I at the Moss House’, which features twenty-five songs all about Bunclody and the surrounding area.

The songbook features songs collected from a range of sources and only a small number of the songs are currently in circulation. In instances where there was no known air for a poem or song, Aileen has matched the song with a traditional air. While it is not known for certain who the composers of some of the songs are, others were composed by James Armstrong, James Brooks and Niall Toner. While most of the songs are older and traditional in style Aileen has also included a couple of newly composed songs which follow the tradition of singing a place’s praises and describing local landmarks.

This publication was produced by Aileen in conjunction with Bunclody Festivals and with the support of the Arts Office of Wexford County Council under their 'Creative Communities Programme'.

YouTube Playlist

Aileen says “My aim with this project is to draw the attention of singers, locals and visitors to songs associated with Bunclody and the surrounding area - and get singers singing the songs!” The airs for the songs can all be heard on a YouTube Playlist which Aileen has created. Click ‘Watch on Youtube’ to see full playlist.

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About the Publication

Stories of Pol and Nancy’s two pet pigs, a wedding between a frog and a mouse and Paddy’s adventures in the belly of a whale all feature in this gorgeous collection of fourteen traditional Irish songs in the English language. Well known songs such as I’ll Tell me Ma and The Rattlin’ Bog are included alongside many lesser known songs from the Irish traditional repertoire which have proven to engage and entertain children of all ages.

Traditional singer and educator Aileen Lambert has drawn on her many years of experience delivering workshops to children to compile this wonderful resource for young singers, families and teachers alike.

The songbook features:

• Lyrics to fourteen traditional Irish songs in the English language

• Fourteen beautiful colour illustrations by Liza Kavanagh

• Linked YouTube playlist featuring songs

• Fun facts and background to the songs

• Suggested activities relating to the songs

• Curriculum links for primary school teachers

• Activities pages including crossword, wordsearches, music notation and more

"I’ve been listening to and learning folk songs all my life - they have been my inspiration. With this great little publication Aileen is bringing these old songs to new ears and voices.”

Christy Moore, renowned folk singer and songwriter

“When we had extended family gatherings all of us children loved to get my father to sing The Frog and the Mouse. I’m delighted that a whole new generation of children will get to hear and learn this song along with many other songs that are part of this beautiful collection.”

Martin Hayes, acclaimed traditional Irish musician

Kindly supported by:

Artlinks Bursary 2021

Deis Publication Award 2021

Kildare County Council Arts Services

Wexford County Council Arts Department

YouTube Playlist

Each of the fourteen songs in the book has an accompanying video in this playlist on YouTube! Click ‘Watch on Youtube’ to see full playlist.

England, Scotland, Wales, Europe

and rest of World