RÓIS on new EP MO LÉAN, keening, the Angelus, and death notices on Irish radio
The Fermanagh-born, Belfast-based artist releases her new EP on Friday, October 4
Fermanagh-born, Belfast-based artist RÓIS (Rose Connolly) releases her concept keening EP MO LÉAN today, October 4. It’s nine tracks long though three are interludes, or what she calls ‘breathers’ - wonky Angeluses and local radio death notices. They add a layer of odd humour to what’s an absolutely superb collection of songs. From the press release: MO LÉAN features several new original recordings and reworks of songs and hymns based around the concept of death, life, mourning and catharsis. RÓIS reimagines the tradition of keening; in Ireland that goes back to pre-Christian times, a practice in which women would keen; a lamenting wail at the side of a coffin during a wake. After discovering the last two recordings of keening songs, RÓIS was inspired by their ethereal melodies to give them a modern reworking yet honouring the original women by sampling them in her adaption. Keeners; through their voices, movements and laments, conveyed the communal expression of grief and allowed those suffering a way to release their sorrow and loss. RÓIS aspires to do the same with the album and her live tour, by expressing the power of the voice to transcend death and help us relinquish our fear of it.
She says: “I am beyond thrilled to release this concept EP and embark on a tour to perform it live. The Irish Wake is not just a cultural tradition but a powerful celebration of life that deserves to be revived. Historically, the Catholic Church sought to suppress many of these 'pagan' customs, and after the Famine, much of what made the wake unique faded away. One of the most fascinating aspects of the wake was its role in matchmaking—finding love in a place where the impermanence of life was most palpable. The wake was not just about mourning; it was also about embracing life’s most primal elements—sex, love, and death. Finding and making love in the room next to the deceased would have been the perfect way to celebrate the here and now.
“These customs, though shocking to some, were an integral part of the human experience, a way to connect with others when life and death were so closely intertwined. This tour performance has evolved into quite a theatrical piece, one that takes you on a cathartic journey while exploring these rich, and sometimes unsettling, traditions. We need to relinquish our fear of dying to fully thrive in life and within our sexual environment. The Irish Wake, in its essence, is a declaration of life in its rawest, most honest form."
RÓIS tour dates:
Saturday, October 12: Accidental Theatre, Belfast
Friday, October 18: Plugd, Cork City
Friday, October 25: Connolly’s of Leap
Sunday, October 27: Workman’s Cellar, Dublin
Saturday, November 2: De Barra’s, Clonakilty
Listen to MO LÉAN below, buy it on Bandcamp here, go see RÓIS on tour, and read my interview with her after the subscribe button (if you’d like to like/share/subscribe to the Substack, that’d be nice).
I saw you supporting Elaine Howley at Bello Bar during the summer. What a super gig that was. Has Elaine been an influence on your sound?
Certainly, ‘A song for Mary Black’ was on repeat when it first came out. I was so inspired by how perfect the sample is, and inspired me to find that ‘eureka’ moment you get when you find a great sample. Howley is fluent in virology too - her sets are a beautifully constructer sound bath that you can sink it and dance too.
You're from Fermanagh. Are you based there still? Is it a good place to make music?
I am based in Belfast at the moment. Fermanagh is the perfect place to surround yourself in unique geological wonders. It has a small music scene but everyone is so supportive and helpful, from community, family, ex-music teachers and the newspapers.
You say MO LÉAN is a concept EP, "taking the listener through the grieving process from start to finish, from the chaos that loss brings, to the intense emotional outpourings and finally, a cathartic release". Where did that idea come from? Where does your interest in death stem from?
It was more the interest in the keening (ag caoineadh) songs that sparked the idea to make a project about catharsis. It’s such a rich part of our history that needs to be explored more, and resonates with me a lot. A scaoil amach, or wailing release, is the first thing I have to do when anything extreme happens to me. The power of the voice is the portal tomb that links me to the primal and gives me a better understanding of what is going on, when thoughts and fears may prevail. I’m interested in the extremities, hence creating a full album of very cathartic, large soundscapes. The album explores that release, entering a space larger than yourself. The performance aspect to my music explores this, but in The Wake setting. Where grasping every extreme in life takes precedence. Sex, food, laughing and of course death. We need to relinquish our fear of dying to fully thrive in life and within our sexual environment. The Irish Wake, in its essence, is a declaration of life in its rawest, most honest form."
You wrote and produced the EP, with additional production from John 'Spud' Murphy from OXN and Lankum. What did he provide? Was it simply just another set of ears and and ideas?
Spud had a plethora of synths and unique instruments such as a tashigoto to add to the already existing music. He created a very open and encouraging space for me to add to the extremities of the project.
The likes of third track 'Cití' sound so theatrical. Is that how you see it too?
This is a reinterpretation of the beautiful keening (Caoineadh) song by Cití ní Ghallchóir (Kate Gallagher) from Ghaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), Co Donegal. The connection between the light and the dark is a recurring theme in the production of this EP and especially this track. With John Spud Murphy, we added deep, brooding synths which contrast with the brightness of the Taishogoto, the Japanese harp sound heard throughout. I wanted to portray this as the Irish wake had the full range of social interactions in the one place. There were keeners wailing and family crying in one room, and in another old childhood friends rekindled friendships, neighbours drank together, new romances began, there was the whole range of human experiences.
You sing in Irish on the track too. Is that something that just seemed obvious to do?
Keening is specific to the Irish tradition. It would have only been sung in Irish of course. It would not make any sense to sing them in English.
You have three short tracks on the EP: 'Death Notice', 'Angelus 2' and 'Angelus 3'. Sounds like you had fun with them?
Yeah I wanted to create a breather between each track. I have always found novelty in the daily reminder of the bells of the Angelus prior to the 6 o'clock news in Ireland. This EP could be said to be critical of the way the Catholic Church looks at death, but I enjoy these pauses the state broadcaster has given us. We can choose to use this time as we like, Catholic or not. Is it a gentle reminder to meditate or simply that we’re all going to die? In this interlude I put the bells through various effects to make it sound like you were hearing them from a different world. Every day on the bus to school at 8am we would hear the death notices on Northern Sound Radio. It is almost a cliche now, but most rural Irish people know of this, the updates of who has died in the area. This track is a literal quote I once heard when listening to the death notices. I found it a little humorous but also endearing that the broadcaster felt the need to apologise that no one had died that day yet considered it important enough to let us all know.
'Feel Love' is the second single from the EP. I love how propulsive it sounds. Tell me about how it developed as a song.
I imagined a person is on their deathbed, happy in the knowledge that once they are laid to rest, they will give back to the earth what has been given to them, life. In their last moments’, all they can feel is love. Never fully landing on the tonic chord, until the last big bang, I wanted to create that tension before a long-waited release. The catharsis of a life, a death and a rebirth. This piece is the cathartic end to the album.
Finally, what's your favourite track(s) by an Irish artist right now?
Ana palindrome - SORRY A MILLION