Every song has a story behind it, and I don't mean the academic approach "I collected this song from a blind beggar on the back road to Toledo in 19xx. It's connected to Childe NumberXXX and has echoes of the Igbo tradition of XXXXX." No, valuable as that approach is, in terms of singing in its natural context, every song was introduced by telling the story that led to the composition of the song and then the song was sung. This was the Irish tradition in my father's time - even moreso in my grandfather's time. Unfortunately the modern desire for instant gratification leaves no time for such niceties. The result has been the loss of a huge amount of information. How many people who sing "Úna Bhán" actually know the tragic story behind the song much less be in a position to tell it?
Annraoi