Elizabeth Cronin

Elizabeth "Bess" Cronin ( ga, Eibhlís Uí Chróinín, italic=no; 29 May 18792 June 1956) was an influential singer of Irish traditional music in the sean-nós style. She sang hundreds of songs which she learnt as a youth, half of which were in the Irish language, which was her first language. She was visited and recorded by prominent collectors of traditional music including Alan Lomax, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Seamus Ennis. Some of her songs inspired popular recordings, such as her version of '' Siúil a Rún'', which was covered by Clannad and Celtic Women.

Early life and family

Elizabeth Cronin was born on 29 May 1879 in Ballyvourney, County Cork. Her name at birth was Eibhlis Ní Iarlaithe, but she was nicknamed ‘Bess’, and later ‘The Muskerry Queen of Song’ and 'The Queen of Irish Song'. 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 (hence ‘Máistir'), in the Fuithirí area of West Cork, near the Cork-Kerry border. 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, from her father's first marriage. The entire Cronin family, including Elizabeth, spoke Irish as their first language and worked to promote it, with her mother in fact being a professor of the language.

She spent her teenage years on a nearby farm owned by her childless aunt (her mother's sister) and uncle, Tomás Ó hIarfhlaithe (Tomás Bheirty). She learnt many of her songs and stories as a young teenager from farm servants who came and went for periods of five to six months, as well as others from her mother, cousins and friends.

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.

After she married her husband Seán Ó Croinin, she moved to Carraig an Adhmaid, Baile Mhic Íre (Ballmakeera) to the Cronin family farm which was known as ‘The Old Plantation’. She remained in the Baile Bhuirne area her whole life.

Music

Cronin sang songs both in English and in her local dialect of the Irish language, which particularly interested collectors.

She made her first public appearance in 1899 at the age of 20 in a Feis in Macroom, singing two sean-nós songs in Irish. Her career as a youth involved singing at weddings and parties, whilst also singing to pass the time when milking cows.
She was visited and recorded by The Irish Folklore Commission, Seamus Ennis and Marie Slocombe (both with the BBC
...