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Portrait of Bridget Fitzgerald, Irish sean nês singing, 2003
Bridget Fitzgerald
Easton, Massachusetts (now living in Rhode Island)
Photography by Maggie Holtzberg
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Traditional sean nós singing "represents the heart and soul of Irishspeaking people", as told by Bridget Fitzgerald. She was born and raised in a small village in the region of Connemara, the Irishspeaking area in county Galway, Ireland. It is from this region that her singing style of sean nós, or oldstyle Irish singing, originates. Although this traditional style of singing is generally melodically and rhythmically complex, subtleties vary by region, and it is highly individualistic. Singers generally sing unaccompanied, and lyrics are sung either in Irish Gaelic or in English in the sean nós style. Because Irish was the primary language in Fitzgerald's home when she was growing up, 50 percent of her repertoire is sung in Irish. Like many others in her village, she immigrated to the United States in 1964 as a young woman. She has been teaching and performing for more than 30 years.
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