Lament for Art O’Leary

18th century Europe was a very convulsive place. Prussia, Austria-Hungary, France, Britain and Russia were playing a power struggle that would not resolve itself till mid 20th century.

When you think of Ireland on those times, it is easy to think of it as an isolated place. Nothing further from the truth. Irish noble families whose sons and daughters were oppressed by the limitations of the Penal Laws had in Europe a way to aspire to a brighter future.

Apparently it was very usual to hear Irish language spoken at the inns in Vienna, and Irish ladies would often serve in the court of Catholic European monarchs, particularly with the Habsburgs. For Irish nobility anything happening in Paris would feel closer to them than Dublin, for instance.

This is the background against which the Lament is set. Art O’Leary is one of those Irish young noblemen who went to Austria to make his fortune in the armies of Empress María Teresa.

At some point, maybe tired of fighting, maybe just homesick, he decides to come back to Ireland. Art’s return sets our story in motion: these men were both considered heroes and low-class. The afore mentioned Penal Laws would add even more tension that sometimes would end in violence… Like it did for Art.

The Lament of Art O’Leary is an incredibly powerful piece composed on the spot by Eileen O’Connell, wife of Art O’Leary and also an Irish aristocrat. The Lament was passed on orally from generation to generation as it would be the case with most traditional Irish literature. Even now, 250 years later, Eileen’s voice is still as poignant as it would have sounded at Art’s funeral.