I'm back after a long absence -- a couple of computer crashes, my wife's illness (a battle with breast cancer, seemingly successful so far, 15 months after treatment), etc.

I recently sang "Bonny Portmore" at an ecological festival (in Calgary, a first-time festival called ECOFEST), tying it in with deforestation. A woman in the audience had grown up in Portmore, Ireland, and had heard the song since childhood, but only in Gaelic, and she didn't know Gaelic, so didn't know what the song was about. She was thrilled to hear English lyrics and to learn what the song is about.

Now I'm on a quest to find the Irish lyrics. I have friends who speak the language and can interpret them for me.

By the way, my English version comes from Paddy Tutty, who brought the song to Canada. Loreena McKennit's version comes substantially from her.