Reviving Tradition: How a Folk Singer Brings New Life to Classic Lyrics

Aileen Lambert’s Song Project Inspired by Winifred M. Letts

Aileen Lambert, a singer and composer, creates music based on the poems of Winifred M. Letts, who lived from 1882 to 1972. Lambert describes Letts’ poems as a joy to sing, indicating they almost seem made for music. Lambert recently collaborated with Letts’ work, despite Letts having passed away long before Lambert’s time.

Letts’ first poetry collection, Songs from Leinster, did not include music or song airs. Over a century later, Lambert composed new traditional-style melodies to accompany selected poems by Letts. The launch of Bairbre O’Hogan’s biography, Sing in the Quiet Places of My Heart – The Life and Works of W.M. Letts, on October 20, 2024, provides the perfect opportunity for these musical performances.

Lambert highlights the strong imagery and storytelling in Letts’ poetry, which often uses dialogue, enhancing its performance potential. Some poems, like “The Harbour,” have irregular rhythms. This uniqueness inspired Lambert to create a new melody for Letts’ words, as traditional Irish airs did not fit. Lambert’s daughter, Nellie (14), performed this piece at the launch.

Letts once shared that her ideas came from real conversations rather than formal settings. Lambert feels it is natural for Letts’ poetry to be sung in a style reflecting the songs of the everyday people.

Moreover, Lambert adapted another poem, “In Service,” which talks about a homesick servant longing for home. Although Letts was born in England, she spent most of her life in Ireland and felt a deep connection to County Wexford.

Lambert expressed gratitude to Oriana Conner (Letts’ grandniece), Bairbre O’Hogan, and South Dublin Libraries for their support. She also appreciated receiving an Arts Council grant that helped fund her project.

After her performance, Conner praised Lambert’s work, saying that the music matched Letts’ poetry beautifully. She felt that Letts would have been pleased with how Lambert brought her words to life through song.