In February of this year I had a great week in New York working with some gifted musicians, sound engineers and filming geniuses. I was blessed to have the chance to spend a day doing improvisational performance / recording in the beautiful Church of the Holy Redeemer in East Village, which was an inspiration – and great fun for all involved! Churches have long been one of my favourite places to sing… probably because of the beautiful acoustic that they provide… which makes everything so effortless and free. My thanks for Monica Hoyt, Matt Hayes, Mike and the Church of the Holy Redeemer for making all this possible.

Deus Meus is a very old Irish hymn, probably written around 1086, author thought to be Máel Ísu Ua Brolcháin. It is what is called a macaronic song, or a song in two languages, common in the Irish tradition. This particular hymn uses both Irish (Gaelic) and Latin as text. The words are very beautiful, though a lot of the meaning is lost when translated into English! It has always been a favourite hymn of mine so I jumped at the chance to record it when in NY a few months ago.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCSeo-P-P_E]

Deus meus adiuva me
Tabhair dom do shearch, a Mhic ghil Dé
Tabhair dom do shearch ,a Mhic ghil Dé
Deus meus adiuva me.

My God, help me.
Give me love of thee, O Son of my God.
Give me love of thee, O son of my God.
My God, help me.