15 Chapter Fifteen: Song of the Sea
Everyone will view Song of the Sea beforehand. We will have four groups (see below). Each group will have 50 minutes.
#1: Develop your thesis about your topic. I’ll start you off: In the 2014 Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore uses [your topic] in order to convey x, y, and z. In doing so, the film is itself mythological, existing at the top of the Irish mythological palimpsest we have explored in this class because . . . .
#2: Do not summarize the plot. We have all seen the movie. A general rule of thumb when analyzing any text is to focus on determining HOW and WHY.
#3: You can create a PPT/Canva slide show or stop the film at strategic points. If you have a document, upload it to Canvas Assignments before your presentation day.
#4: You may want to lead a quick activity that is meaningful/relevant.
During class on Tuesday and Wednesday
We’ll go in this order: The Myths & Arts and Crafts | The Storytellers & Ireland Today
Looking forward to it! -nancy
GROUP #1: THE MYTHS (4 people)
1.50 Selkies: her song sends all the fairies home across the sea (Tir na nOg)
3.04 Macha (owl)//grandmother; Manannan Mac Lir (Mountain)//Conor. (“Cailleach” (witch) means owl)
4:32: 1 hr 10 Mac Lir & dogs (Finn’s dogs Bran and Sceolan?)
12:44 All the fairies are afraid to come out on Halloween night // Samhain
16:33; 27:40 Fairy fort in Dublin
26:18 Christchurch (with Guinness behind)
26:27 Samhain/bonfires
26:47. Jesus icon
29:12; 32.43 Ogham/Ogma
35:35 “The good people,” “Na Daoine Sidhe”: Spud, Mossy, and Lug
35:44. A hurling bat (Cuchulainn)
44:32. Ben says, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”
44:54. Nettles and dock leaves (cure)
45:00. Holy well/; portal: religious icons, rosary beads, a crutch, chalice, candles
46:00 Tree with ribbons tied to the branches (St. Brigid’s well, for example)
47:31 Rosary
52:10 Mac Lir cried a whole ocean; Macha sent her owls to turn him to stone
53:49 “Selkie & saoilse are connected”
1:21.48 Cernunnos?
1:22.35 Tira Na nOg
Also, Conor tosses Saorse’s coat into the ocean. Later, he wants to get Saorse to a medical doctor. Earlier, one of the fairies exclaims, “Humans haven’t a clue!”
GROUP #2: ARTS and CRAFTS (4 people)
1.04 Ballycotton Lighthouse
2.30 Nautilus shell/spiral
3:29 Symbols from NewgrangeLinks to an external site.
9:32. Currachs
10:24 Standing stone
12:52 Stones
14:20 Sulcha / lights ; Newgrange symbols
17:46 swirls
20:36 Decorated chest
26:44 Brooch
27:40 Stone sculptures of fairies: Boa Island FigureLinks to an external site.; Lusty Man
29:12; 32.43 Ogham stones
30:58. Molly Malone statue in Dublin
33:08. A bodhran
33:42 Turoe StoneLinks to an external site.
34:27 Standing stone
47:36 Artwork
48:00 Round raft
49:18 Sulcha
57:25 Spiral staircase
59:06 Fabulous tree
1:00 Macha’s thatched cottage; spiral staircase
1:10 Dogs
1:19 Newgrange kerb stone?
1:19.3 Stone from GlencolumbkilleLinks to an external site., Co. Donegal
GROUP #3: THE STORYTELLERS (3 people)
Characters: Bronagh (sorrow), Conor, Ben, Saoirse, Cú (dog)
According to director Tomm MooreLinks to an external site., the film is based on several aspects from his childhood.
Yeah, the story itself came from a trip in the west when my son was about ten. We came across a seal cull where the fishermen had started to kill the seals out of frustration, I suppose. The lady that we were renting the cottage from was telling us about how the old folk belief would have linked people to the environment much more so they would have been more respectful, at least of seals. It was a folk belief that people were losing touch with and were getting more and more embroiled in this kind-of ‘celtic tiger’ thing that was happening in the country at the time, where we must profit before anything else. So I sort of wanted to wake people up to that kind of wisdom that was already in the culture and remind them of that. I’m glad the environmental angle is still there in the film.
.37 Yeats’ “The Stolen Child”
1.04 “Amhran Na FarraigeLinks to an external site.”
4:30 Liminal beach
13:36 The pub is “Ó Mórdha” (Tomm Moore’s surname.) The ferry is named “Ceol na Mara” Irish for “Music of the Sea.”
23:49 Ceol Na Mara (Song of the Sea)
25:36. Ben Bulben (Yeats)
33:08; 49:20. “Dulaman Gaelach” (Irish Seaweed)
42:50. Power lines look like owls
50.00 The Great Seanachai // ferry driver): “I could do with a little more light (scoilse).” Eddie LenihanLinks to an external site. is the contemporary model for the Seanachai.
51:49 Each hair holds a story
1:18 Saoirse’s song
GROUP #4: IRELAND TODAY (3 people)
9:32 Currachs
9:42 Dun Na Ngall (Donegal); hurley/hurling
25:36; 43:54 Ben Bulben; Celtic Cross
26:18 Christchurch (with Guinness behind)
26:47 Jesus icon
30:58 Molly Malone statue in Dublin
33:08 A bodhran
35:44 A hurling bat
40:00 A family of foxes
40:10 A family of badgers
40:30 Crows; black bird
41:04 Thorn bushes
42:50 Power lines look like owls
44:32 Ben says, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”
44:54 Nettles & dock leaves (cure)
45:00 Holy well/; portal: religious icons, rosary beads, a crutch, chalice, candles
46:00 Tree with ribbons tied to the branches (St. Brigid’s well, for example)
47:31 Rosary
Undergraduate Students
Participate fully in preparing and delivering the presentation. Showcase what you have learned this semester! After your performances, be prepared to answer questions/make observations about The Song of the Sea and Irish myth as a whole.
Graduate Students
a. Conduct primary and secondary research on your group’s designated topic (e.g. The Myths, The Visuals, or The Poets/Filmmakers) pertaining to Song of the Sea.
b. Lead your group in exploring your group’s topic.
c. Create your group’s PowerPoint and lead the presentation.
d. Participate fully in preparing and delivering the presentation. Showcase what you have learned this semester! After your performances, be prepared to answer questions/make observations about The Song of the Sea and Irish myth as a whole.
e. Lead the full class in a discussion of your presentation.
GROUP #4: IRELAND TODAY
9:32 Currachs
9:42 Dun Na Ngall (Donegal); hurley/hurling
25:36; 43:54 Ben Bulben; Celtic Cross
26:18 Christchurch (with Guinness behind)
26:47 Jesus icon
30:58 Molly Malone statue in Dublin
33:08 A bodhran
35:44 A hurling bat
40:00 A family of foxes
40:10 A family of badgers
40:30 Crows; black bird
41:04 Thorn bushes
42:50 Power lines look like owls
44:32 Ben says, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”
44:54 Nettles & dock leaves (cure)
45:00 Holy well/; portal: religious icons, rosary beads, a crutch, chalice, candles
46:00 Tree with ribbons tied to the branches (St. Brigid’s well, for example)
47:31 Rosary
50:00. Eddie LenihanLinks to an external site. is the contemporary model for the Seanachai
59:00 Full moon
1:04 Spider web/spider
Also, Conor tosses Saorse’s coat into the ocean. Later, he wants to get Saorse to a medical doctor. Earlier, one of the fairies exclaims, “Humans haven’t a clue!”
