Black was born into a musical family. Her father had been a fiddler, her mother a singer, and her brothers have their own group. She sang in her family's group in her youth.
In 1975 Black joined a small folk band called General Humbert, with whom she toured Europe and released two albums, in 1975 and 1978. In 1982 she developed a professional relationship with musician/producer Declan Sinnott and recorded her first solo album, Mary Black.
She went on to play in other groups including the traditional Irish band De Dannan from 1984-1986. After 1986 she had a successful solo career where she went on to try contemporary styles ranging from jazz to country. She was named "Best Female Artist" in the IRMA poll in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994 and 1996.
She is married to Joe O'Reilly of Dara Records and they have three children. Her son Danny is a member of the Irish rock band The Coronas, while her daughter Róisín is performing under the name Róisín O.
For a number of years, "What Hi-Fi?" magazine considered Black's voice to be so pure that it was used as an audiophile benchmark for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems.
Discography
* 1983 Mary Black
* 1984 Collected
* 1985 Without the Fanfare
* 1987 By the Time it Gets Dark
* 1989 No Frontiers
* 1991 Babes in the Wood
* 1992 The Collection
* 1993 The Holy Ground
* 1995 Circus
* 1997 Shine
* 1999 Speaking with the Angel
* 2001 The Best of Mary Black 1991-2001 & Hidden Harvest
* 2003 Mary Black Live
* 2005 Full Tide
* 2008 Twenty-Five Years Twenty-Five Songs
* 2011 Stories from the Steeples
Donegal Breeze
Mary Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your dark hair in the donegal breeze,
Bringing me softly and sweetly to the ground,
But, there's madness in the sycamore trees,
And there's no salvation to be found.
Right now the only thing that my mind ever holds,
Are long dark silences or screaming that explodes,
Long dark tunnels, questions and calm,
But, with you, you know I have no doubts,
And fear will have no sting,
With your brilliant eyes and your lost and broken wing,
My head upon your shoulder as you take me in your arms,
Continents will crumble, we will find no harm.
Chorus
With your dark hair in the donegal breeze,
Bringing me softly and sweetly to the ground,
But, there's madness in the sycamore trees,
And there's no salvation to be found.
Well I'll brace myself against the dark, endeavour to go on,
No matter how long it takes, and even though I might be wrong,
And I will ask a little favour of whatever God I find,
And I will come back for you darling, when I find some peace of mind.
Well I don't know about tomorrow, it will be here and gone,
I don't know about tonight, it'll be too long,
Sometimes I think I'm dying, and I don't care how,
All I know is that I want you, and I want you here and now.
Chorus
With your dark hair in the donegal breeze,
Bringing me softly and sweetly to the ground,
But, there's madness in the sycamore trees,
And there's no salvation to be found.
The Mary Black song "Donegal Breeze" speaks of a turbulent emotional state that is only calmed by the presence of a loved one. The opening chorus refers to the physical sensation that one experiences when they are in the presence of someone who brings them peace. The reference to the breeze in Donegal, a coastal Irish county, is itself a soothing image, but it is set against the madness of the sycamore trees, which offer no relief or salvation. The verses are introspective and speak to someone who is tormented by their own mind but is able to find solace in their partner. The singer's mind is consumed by "long dark silences or screaming that explodes", and he is haunted by visions of a "land" and "questions", but he finds respite in his lover's embrace. The reference to "continents crumbling" is a testament to the transformative power of love, as the singer feels that with their partner, they can conquer anything.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that he will have to fight his own demons and that it may take time, but he vows to return to his lover when he finds some peace of mind. The singer then admits his uncertainty about life and his own mortality, but despite the uncertainty, all he wants is to be with his partner at that moment. The final chorus reiterates the central message of the song: that even in the midst of madness, there is peace to be found in love.
Line by Line Meaning
With your dark hair in the donegal breeze,
Your dark hair blowing in the Donegal breeze brings me down to earth.
Bringing me softly and sweetly to the ground,
Your gentle nature is comforting and reassuring.
But, there's madness in the sycamore trees,
There is chaos surrounding us, represented by the madness in the sycamore trees.
And there's no salvation to be found.
No hope or escape is available from the madness surrounding us.
Right now the only thing that my mind ever holds,
My mind is preoccupied with a few specific things only.
Are long dark silences or screaming that explodes,
There are moments of complete silence or explosive screaming.
Burning rocking beds with visions of a land,
Feverish thoughts of a land are causing restless nights filled with tossing and turning.
Long dark tunnels, questions and calm,
There are moments of uncertainty and confusion mixed with brief moments of calm.
But, with you, you know I have no doubts,
My faith in you is unwavering and I trust you completely.
And fear will have no sting,
Fear will not overpower me with you by my side.
With your brilliant eyes and your lost and broken wing,
Your captivating eyes and past struggles make me feel even more connected to you.
My head upon your shoulder as you take me in your arms,
With your arms around me, I feel safe and loved with my head resting on your shoulder.
Continents will crumble, we will find no harm.
Even if disaster strikes and the world falls apart, we will be okay and will not come to any harm.
Well I'll brace myself against the dark, endeavour to go on,
I will do my best to face the difficulties and challenges ahead.
No matter how long it takes, and even though I might be wrong,
I am willing to persist and endure even if I am not sure if it is the right way to go.
And I will ask a little favour of whatever God I find,
I will ask for help from any higher power I encounter.
And I will come back for you darling, when I find some peace of mind.
Once I have achieved inner peace, I will return to you, my love.
Well I don't know about tomorrow, it will be here and gone,
Uncertainty surrounds the future and it is impossible to predict what will happen.
I don't know about tonight, it'll be too long,
The night may feel endless and unbearable.
Sometimes I think I'm dying, and I don't care how,
At times I feel like I am on the verge of death and do not care what happens.
All I know is that I want you, and I want you here and now.
All I truly desire is to have you here with me at this very moment.
Chorus
A repetition of the chorus.
With your dark hair in the donegal breeze,
Reiteration of the start of the chorus.
Bringing me softly and sweetly to the ground,
Reiteration of the second line of the chorus.
But, there's madness in the sycamore trees,
Reiteration of the third line of the chorus.
And there's no salvation to be found.
Reiteration of the last line of the chorus.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
transmissionends64
absolutely beautiful. I love Mary Black and this really is a gorgeous song. Just off to buy a Mary cd - I can't get enough.
Gloria Donaghey
love Mary Black and all her family of fine singers
Sean Naylor
I heard a few of Mary Black's songs and I'm already falling in love with her
nonie285
Lovely song.
Bobby Beck
The more I listen the more I miss Ireland sing on Mary
Cailean Seamus
Only recently, I heard this song on a late-night progam on BBC Radio Ulster. I thought, "That's a really good song. I like it."
kierabyrne09
shes just all around amazing therl never be another like her not in this century anyway!!xX
speckspeck
yeah there will...she came along didn't she? and God likes good stuff
Marian Scanlon
Have searched for this song on so many of Marys CDs but could never find it. Had it years ago on a tape.....
det struebig
I like it