"A through-ball to Barrett. Amber Barrett! One touch, a second touch, and – ohhh, yes! That’s it. Ireland is heading for the World Cup in Australia 2023!"
Le seacht nό ocht de bhlianta anuas atá mé ag leanacht Mná na hÉireann agus a gcuid iarrachtaí in earnáil idirnáisiúnta Sacar na mBan. In those seven or eight years, I have revelled in seeing the Irish Women’s team develop from being relative also-rans to becoming a formidable force in the world of international soccer. Agus aililiú! What joy that Autumn night in 2022, to watch on from the stand as the Pride of Dún na nGall, Amber Barrett, deftly slipped that liathrόid past the helpless Scottish goalkeeper, then turned to the crowd before the ball had even nestled itself into the corner of that Hampden Park net.
And instantly, the thought surged into my mind that these young women – Mná na hÉireann – were most deserving of an anthem to see them on their way to Antipodean glory. Sea, bhí sin, ar a laghad, tuillte acu. Agus thug mé faoi 'Céim ar Chéim/Step by Step’ a scríobh d’ár laochra όga.
That such an anthem should be bilingual seemed to me ‘a given’ from the outset – Gaeilge agus Béarla. And why not? Though we do not speak Gaeilge as often as we might, our understanding of the written word (in all languages) is always greater than our ability in speech. Chomh maith leis sin, I wanted to ensure that, above all else, what I would write would be attractive and pleasurable – é a bheith taitneamhach dúchasach, thar aon ní eile. It would be important that any such anthem should be up-tempo, both lyrically simple and musically attractive, and that it should reflect a mix of musical traditions. Agus, ar ndόigh, go mbeadh curfá neamhchasta tarraingteach leis – a fetching and uncomplicated chorus – with which fans and enthusiasts could sing along.
Agus, nuair a bhí an méid sin déanta, bhí gá le tiún – yes, a tune! I came up with a fonn bunúsach (basic tune), and only then did it dawn on me that, if this was to go any further, there would be a lot more work involved. Enter my old friend, the accomplished ceoltόir and music producer, Daithí Ó Drόnaí, in whose Aspen Lane Studio the recording of ‘Céim ar Chéim’ would be made. Ba é Daithí a d’aimsigh an t-amhránaí Anna Mullarkey – it was Daithí who tracked down the great and gifted Anna Mullarkey to sing the anthem. Anuas air sin, it was Anna who brought her skills as a music composer to bear on my relatively amateurish tune and gave it the ‘snas proifisiúnta’ that it now has. Maith thú, a Anna.
Ach murach Foras na Gaeilge, ní fhéadfaí an togra a thabhairt chun críche. Foras na Gaeilge showed vision, decisiveness and commitment in supporting the making of this anthem. They displayed confidence and belief in the venture from an early stage, and it is to their credit that they have ensured go bhfuil na meáin chumarsáide curtha ar an eolas faoi agus go bhfuil pacáiste tarraingteach atá bunaithe ar an amhrán curtha ar fáil do pháistí bunscoile na tire. And if our young people are to be heard singing out the praises of Mná Sciliúla na hÉireann, as Gaeilge agus as Béarla, we can only be happy that the effort has all been worthwhile.
Even better still, perhaps, would be that ‘Céim ar Chéim/Step by Step’, in all its bilingual glory, should fill the air within Sydney’s Accord Stadium on the evening of 20th July, when Mná na hÉireann take on the might of their Australian hosts. Beirigí bua. Éire Abú!
