Elizabeth Cronin
This page is about the singer. For the movie character, see Drop Dead Fred.
Elizabeth Cronin (30 May 1879 - 22 May 1956) was an influential singer of Irish traditional music.[1]
Early Life
Elizabeth Cronin, who was nicknamed ‘Bess’, and later ‘The Muskerry Queen of Song’ was born on 30 May 1879 in West Cork.[2] Cronin was the eldest daughter of Maighréad Ní Thuama and Seán ‘Máistir’ Ó hIarlaithe, who was a village headmaster in a school of Barr d’Ínse (which is why he is ‘Máistir), in the Fuithirí area of West Cork, near the Cork-Kerry border.[1] Cronin had five other siblings, four sisters: Mary Anne (b. 1882), Johanna (b. 1885), Nora (b. 1890) and Ellie (b. 1891), one brother: Tom (b. 1888) and two half-brothers: Dan and Tim who her father had in his first marriage.[2]
Cronin remained in the Baile Bhuirne area her whole life. She spent her teenage years on her uncle, Tomás Ó hIarfhlaithe (Tomás Bheirty) and his wife's (who was a sister of Cronin's mother) farm nearby. They were both childless.[2]
It was during these early years where she learned many songs and stories from her mother as well as on her uncle and aunt's farm, as many servants came and went for periods of five to six months. Cousins and friends would have also passed on songs to Cronin over the years. Cronin recalls the story of how she learned Mo Mhúirín Bán. She was sleeping in bed and was woken by a noise that she thought was a ghost. She soon realised it was the sound of butter being churned. An elderly neighbour was churning butter to help her mother and the old woman sang songs through the night while they were at work. Cronin joined them and learned the song from the women, as well as many more, and knew them all by morning. Due to Cronin's father being a teacher and her grandfather and uncle having a big interest in books, she was exposed to literature and the written word more than most would have been at the time.[2]
Cronin was a fluent native Irish speaker her whole life, as were her entire family and they promoted the Irish language as much as possible.[3]
After she married her husband Seán Ó Croinin, she moved to Carraig an Adhmaid, Ballmakeery to ‘The Old Plantation’ which was known as the Cronin family farm.[1]
Family Life
Cronin, although spending many of her younger years on her uncle's farm, came from an educated background. The main reason for this is her father being a schoolmaster. He was a member of her family that was known for his book learning. Her mother, being a professor of the Irish language, reinforced her strong education and connection with the Irish language. Although well educated, Cronin's family life at home gave off the impression that they lived in poverty, and hence the reason for Cronin living with her sister in Lios Bui for a period of time.[2]
There is very little information on Cronin with regards to her family situation in her later life. Her grandson, Daibhi O Croinin, while having his primary occupation of being a professor of early mediaeval history, he also collected and compiled many of his grandmother's songs. Her sons, Donncha and Sean also both assisted in the physical recording of many of their mother's songs. Cronin grew up with family that encouraged and promoted the use of the Irish language. It was in her own family too that she continued the galvanization of the use of Irish, even though many of her songs are recorded in English. Most of Cronin's songs are drawn from her experiences as a young teenager whilst she lived on her uncle's farm. It is her family life and situation that without doubt provided the foundations of her song-writing.[1]
Career and Later Life
Cronin made her first public appearance in 1899 which was in Feis in Macroom. When she made this public appearance she sang two songs that were in Irish, the songs showed how much she loved music. Cronin, who sang Irish traditional Music in Sean Nos, was described as a noted singer and also she was known as The Queen of Irish Song for her extraordinary talent.[2] Her career started from when she was a youth, she would sing everywhere she went, she would sing at weddings, parties, or even when she was milking the cows. Cronin's life was very ordinary; she didn't get prizes or recording contracts from her career in Irish traditional music.[4] Cronin's Irish language caught interest from many collectors. Elizabeth hand wrote many of her songs as well as singing them in two languages which were Irish and English.[1]
A number of collectors recorded Cronin. Across the 1940s and 1950s, she was recorded by The Irish Folklore Commission, followed by Seamus Ennis twice and Marie Slocombe (both with the BBC), as well as the legendary ethnomusicologist and folklorist Alan Lomax. Lomax included her songs in the Irish volume of his 18-volume “Columbia World Library of Folk and Primitive Music,” which he edited whilst in London during the 1950s.
From 1947 throughout to 1950 Cronin became well known and many other collectors contacted her, such as Peter Kennedy, Jean Ritchie and George Pickow, Brian George, Diane Hamilton, and Robin Roberts. Cronin produced over eighty songs on tape, however, many of her songs are not available to the public. Her grandson, Daithi O'Cronin has contributed a book to her which has over 200 songs that belong to her.[4] Cronin also kept a lot of songs to herself.[1]
Towards the latter-end of Cronin's life, her music was grouped together into a collection called “The Commercial Recordings”. Upon listening to several collections, including the collection “The Bonny Blue-Eyed Lassie” recorded by Diane Hamilton in 1955, just months before Cronin's death, it is evident that she has become exhausted and struggles to sing.[2]
Cronin fell ill to blood related diseases toxaemia and anaemia, and she died on 22 May 1956 at the age of 76.
Legacy
Cronin created some inspirational records during her life which are still to this day widely available in the Irish traditional music archive. Most of her songs covered the topics of home and family. Examples of this are her songs "The Little Pack of Tailors", "Pussy Cats Party", "The Good Ship Kangaroo" and "Uncle rat". Certainly the most significant message to take from Cronin's songs is the extent to which they showed from her everyday life, from family life to life on the farm.[5]
The tune and the lyrics of her version of Siúil a Rún were the foundation of many subsequent recordings, including those of Clannad and Celtic Women. Cronin also influenced Irish singers such as Christy Moore and Martin Carthy and Seamus Ennis. Her legacy still lives on as still to this day her songs are played on RTE radio.
Half of Cronin's songs were written in Irish and it was mostly her Irish music that caught the attention of the first collectors who visited her. Due to her love for the Irish language, it made a lot of the Irish community proud to speak the local dialect.[1] Séamus Ennis referred to Cronin as the “Muskerry Queen of Song,”[1] a name which stuck with her.
References
- The Irish Times (19 December 2000). "The Muskerry Queen of Song". The Irish Times. The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (2000). The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, Irish Traditional Singer. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
- Russell, Ian (2003). "Reviewed work: The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, Irish Traditional Singer". Folk Music Journal. 8 (3): 372–374. JSTOR 4522696.
- Brennan, Christopher (2016). "Biographies of Famous Singers". Comhaltas Rochester Irish Music Association. Christopher Brennan. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- Munnelly, Tom (2000). "The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin". Béaloideas. 68: 211–215. doi:10.2307/20522570. JSTOR 20522570.
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