In more recent times she has collaborated again with Davey (who is also her husband) and Co. Kerry based musicians (Seamus Begley, Éilís Ní Chinneide, Laurence Courtney, Daithí Ó Sé, Eoin Begley)to produce a unique body of work based on local poet Caoimhin O Cinneide's poetry which they converted into a group of songs and they now perform these as a band called Beal Tuinne. Rita has also been performing with other musicians such as Liam O'Flynn, Arty McGlynn, Neil Martin, Sean Keane, Noel Eccles and Shaun Davey in a new venture called The Funeral Band. She has also been performing in a quartet with her husband Shaun Davey and guitarist Gerry O'Beirne and concertina player Eoin Begley.
Rita has sung for and with many of the great names in Irish music including Shaun Davey, Bill Whelan, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Luka Bloom and Jimmy McCarthy. She has also sung songs for theatre, television and film including The Deer's Cry for 'Who Bombed Birmingham' and Todavia Cantamos for 'The Tailor of Panama'. She has sung in many great venues including the National Concert Hall, Dublin, The Albert Hall, London and Chicago Symphony Centre, Chicago.
Miracles
Rita Connolly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swimming in a coral sea
Timber Danish houses
The couple who had quarrelled in
New York, their faces red
Lying in a bed beneath a ceiling fan
And talk about the hurricane
Through colonial halls
Cannons in the discos and
Barricaded walls in the face in the street
Laughter and pain interlacing like waves on the sand
Oh, like waves on the sand
Trouble in paradise
With too many takers
Hugo blew the roofs away
Across the desert acres
Now the pavement rumbles
With the high hats and the bass drums
The rum punch gets stronger
As the plantation crumbles
Over the ocean
There are caravels
Searching in the tropic haze
And the lighthouse shines
Down by Gallows Bay
There'll be wonders and signs in a heartbeat
So why not a miracle
Oh when the stars ablaze
Lie like stepping stones across the seaways
There'll be wonders and signs in a heartbeat
So why not a miracle
Over the ocean
There'll be meadows silver rivers and a rainbow
There'll be wonders and signs in a heartbeat
So why not a miracle
The song "Miracles" by Rita Connolly is filled with imagery of different places and people, and how they are all interconnected in some way. The first verse talks about blue mountains, a coral sea, Danish houses, a couple who had quarrelled in New York, and a hurricane. The imagery is vivid and suggests a sense of displacement and movement. The couple is lying in bed, beneath a ceiling fan, and talking about the hurricane - perhaps they have been forced to leave their home and are seeking refuge elsewhere. The second verse talks about colonial halls, discos, and barricaded walls, all interlaced with laughter and pain like waves on the sand. The juxtaposition of the historical and the contemporary suggests that the past is still very much present in the present. The final verse talks about a troubled paradise, where too many people are taking and not enough is being given. A hurricane has blown away roofs and the rum punch gets stronger as the plantation crumbles. The implication is that the social and environmental problems of the present are intimately connected to a troubled colonial history.
The chorus is an invitation to hope and possibility. Over the ocean, there are caravels (old sailing ships) searching in the tropic haze and a lighthouse shining down by Gallows Bay. There will be wonders and signs in a heartbeat, so why not a miracle? The sense is that despite the many troubles and problems that exist in the world, there is still the possibility of something miraculous happening. The song encourages the listener to keep faith and hope alive, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue hazy mountains
The tranquil beauty of the blue mountains is visible amidst haze
Swimming in a coral sea
Experiencing the delight of swimming in a vibrant coral sea
Timber Danish houses
A picture of serene Danish houses made of timber
The couple who had quarrelled in
A couple who had an argument in New York, looking upset
New York, their faces red
Their faces now red, expressing anger or frustration
Lying in a bed beneath a ceiling fan
Reclining on the bed with the fan above, after a grueling day
And talk about the hurricane
Recalling the experiences of a hurricane and discussing it
Columbus's footstep echo
The echo of Columbus's footsteps are still heard in colonial halls
Through colonial halls
Walking through old colonial halls
Cannons in the discos and
The strange mix of cannons during the day and music in the discos by night
Barricaded walls in the face in the street
Stuck behind barricaded walls, amidst the hustle and bustle of the street
Laughter and pain interlacing like waves on the sand
The contrasting emotions of laughter and pain intermingling, like the waves of the sea
Oh, like waves on the sand
Just like waves on the sand, life is a mix of conflicting emotions
Trouble in paradise
Even in paradise, trouble and strife can exist
With too many takers
When everyone keeps taking, it becomes a challenge to give or sustain the paradise
Hugo blew the roofs away
The ferocity of the hurricane Hugo wrecks buildings and damages roofs
Across the desert acres
The devastation due to the hurricane covers vast expanses of desert land
Now the pavement rumbles
The ground trembles, probably due to construction activities, traffic or earthquakes
With the high hats and the bass drums
Accompanied by euphonious beats of high hats and bass drums
The rum punch gets stronger
Enjoying the intoxicating and refreshing rum punch that grows stronger with each round
As the plantation crumbles
The plantation slowly withers away while people continue to party and revel around it
Over the ocean
Looking out at the vast expanse of the ocean
There are caravels
In the distance, there are ships moving across the ocean
Searching in the tropic haze
In the midst of the haze, these ships appear to be searching for something
And the lighthouse shines
A comforting and warning beacon of light from a lighthouse shines across the ocean
Down by Gallows Bay
Gallows Bay is a place where people have met their deaths and is located quite far away
There'll be wonders and signs in a heartbeat
Life can be full of surprises and miracles can happen at any time
So why not a miracle
Despite the unpredictability of life, one can still choose to hope and believe in miracles
Oh when the stars ablaze
When the stars are shining bright in the night sky
Lie like stepping stones across the seaways
The beautiful reflection of the stars as though they form a path across the ocean
Over the ocean
Looking out into the vast expanse of the sea
There'll be meadows, silver rivers and a rainbow
Imagining a place with green meadows, sparkling rivers and magnificent rainbows
There'll be wonders and signs in a heartbeat
Life can offer unexpected surprises and miracles can happen in an instant
So why not a miracle
Despite the challenges of life, it is still wise to keep hope alive and believe in miracles
Contributed by Sarah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.