Tabharthas was one of the lovely, loamy Irish words I learned from Manchán Magan’s brilliant book, Thirty Two Words for Field. The word has several meanings, including gift, tribute, and bequest. Magan died this week, leaving a gap in the energy field of Irish land-rooted, indigenous spirituality. His loss will echo across the world. His life was a full-blooded tribute to his Irish heritage, lineage, land, and culture.

By coincidence (or perhaps not), I was listening to the new recording from Cormac Begley and Liam O’Connor, titled “Into The Loam.” The phrase ‘drawing from the well’ often comes up in discussions of traditional music, but Begley and O’Connor seem to have found one of those mythical places to play and film some of their new music.

This selection is called Bogadh Faoi Shusa. It struck me that it would make a good lament for Magan’s passing, especially the second part where the melody winds down. He would have appreciated the location, a cave of sorts, half underground and half overground, with nearby running water. He was on the verge of much wider recognition for his culture-changing work. If you have not read, seen, or heard him, seek out his work. A number of his films were made for TG4, Ireland’s Irish-speaking TV channel, and may be found on the TG4 Player.