Irischer Segen (An Irish Blessing) – (Sacred Circle)/Germany [Gerhard Pietsch]
| Links: | |
| Original: | Irischer Segen |
| Translation: | [An] Irish Blessing |
| Region: | Germany |
| Aliases: | {An) Irish Blessing Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen (May the road bring us together) Irischer Reisesegen (Irish travel blessing) Irische Segenswünsche (Irish blessings) |
| Choreographed: | Gerhard Pietsch |
| Introduced: | Ira Weisburd |
| Year: | |
| Type of Dance: | Circle/Chain/Line: non-partner |
| Category: | Recreational Non-Ethnic |
| Formation: | Closed Circle |
| Skill: | Easy |
| Energy: | Moderate |
| Hand Hold: | V & W |
| Leads to: | R w/R |
| Meter: | 4/4 |
| Song: | Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen (May the road bring us together) sung by Sigrun Bankwitz on Regenmann und Regenfrau |
| Composer: | Markus Pytlik, 1988 |
| Date Taught: | 3/12/2024 |
| Teacher: | David |
| Posted: | March 12, 2024 |
| Updated: | April 3, 2024 |
Irischer Segen (An Irish Blessing) is a simple sacred circle dance choreographed to the beautiful song by Markus Pytlik, „Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen” (May the road bring us together), aka „Irischer Segen” (An Irish Blessing). Read below the story of how a trip to Ireland in 1988 inspired Markus to craft the lyrics from souvenirs he brought home: a postcard with the well-known Irish Travel Blessing (“May the road rise up to meet you…“) and a booklet of Irish Toasts (not to be confused with French toasts or Belgian waffles). There is (are?) English version(s) of songs about Irish blessings created in the same manner. The particular recording of the song used is sung by Sigrun Bankwitz on her album Regenmann und Regenfrau, which contains songs—stories in musical form—that can be described as “children’s songs for adults.”
About the creation of the song by Markus Pytlik:
Google translation of German text at Evangeliums.net
In 1988 I was on vacation in Ireland and brought with me a) a postcard with the well-known ‘Irish Travel Blessing’ and b) a small booklet with ‘Irish Toasts’. At home I tried to set the postcard (now the first verse and chorus of the song) to music and found that the text was too long for a canon and too short for a song. For this reason, inspired by the ‘Irish Toasts’ from the little book I brought with me, I added verses 2 to 4: Some of the images and ideas are taken from them, some of them were supplemented or expanded by me.
The melody, on the other hand, is not Irish (anyone who knows Irish music will recognize this immediately), but rather entirely ‘invented’ by myself. At the same time as the German version, an English version was also created with the same ideas and images. The song initially began through singing – later various photocopies circulated and so the song caught on throughout Germany.
May the road rise up to meet you May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Lyrics
Lyrics by Markus Pytlik. https://lyricstranslate.com/de/markus-pytlik-irischer-reisesegen-moge-die-strasse-lyrics.htmlMöge die Straße uns zusammenführen und der Wind in Deinem Rücken sein; sanft falle Regen auf Deine Felder, und warm auf Dein Gesicht der Sonnenschein. Refrainzeile (2x): //Und bis wir uns wieder sehen, halte Gott Dich fest in seiner Hand...// Führe die Straße, die Du gehst, immer nur zu Deinem Ziel bergab; hab´, wenn es kühl wird, warme Gedanken und den vollen Mond in dunkler Nacht. //ref// Hab´ unterm Kopf ein weiches Kissen, habe Kleidung und das täglich Brot; sei über vierzig Jahre im Himmel, bevor der Teufel merkt: Du bist schon tot. //ref// Bis wir uns ´mal wieder sehen, hoffe ich, dass Gott Dich nicht verlässt, er halte Dich in seinen Händen, doch drücke seine Faust Dich nicht zu fest. //ref//May the road reunite us And the wind be in your backpack Gently falls the rain on your fields And the sunshine on your face [is] warm Refrain (2x): //And till we see each other again [May] God hold you tight in His hand...// Follow the road you walk, always just downhill to your destination, When it gets cold, I have warm thoughts and the full moon in the dark night. //ref// Have a light pillow under head, Have clothes and everyday bread Be over forty years in heaven Before the devil notices that you're dead //ref// And till we see each other again I hope that God doesn't abandon you He held you in His hands But don't hold his fist too tight //ref//
Dance Steps
The dance hardly need explanation outside the videos, but here’s a quick cue sheet thingy. For this dance, there is a step or touch on every beat.
| Bar | Direction | Step |
|---|---|---|
| PART A (Verse) | ||
| 1 | Hands V, facing center, moving R | R, L together, R, L together touch |
| 2 | Facing center, moving L | Reverse of Bar 1 |
| 3 | Facing center, moving forward, raise hands to W | R, L, R, L |
| 4 | Facing center, moving R then L | R, L together touch, step L, R together touch |
| PART A’ | ||
| 1-4 | Repeat Part A, but moving back in Bar 3 while lowering hands to V | |
| PART B (Chorus) | ||
| 1 | Facing & moving LOD | R, L R, L |
| 2 | LOD then ½ turn CW to face RLOD | R, begin a CW ½ turn with a step L in front of R over 90º (alternatively, make the full 180º w/ L), complete turn with R behind L heel w/ full weight on R beginning a rocking step, rock back on L in place. |
| 3 | Moving LOD | Grapevine: R over L, L, R behind L, L |
| 4 | Moving LOD | Continue grapevine |
| PART C (Bridge) | ||
| 1 | Repeat Bar 4 of Part A | |
| 2 | Facing center, ½ turn CW to face out | Make a ½ turn CW in 4 steps staring w/ R |
| 3 | Repeat Bar 1 (facing out) | |
| 4 | Repeat Bar 2 (turn facing out to in) |
Dance Sequence
With each part being 4 bars, you can mix and match, but you should do A’ after A, or you’ll be stuck in the center. The ending is when you can choose the last two figures to your liking (the chorus is repeated). The song form is 8-bar verse (a), 8-bar chorus (b), & 4-bar bridge/instrumental (¢).
| Song | Dance |
|---|---|
| Intro (4 bars) | bop in place |
| ab¢ | AA’BBC |
| ab¢ | AA’BBC |
| ab¢¢ | AA’BBCC |
| abb | AA’BBCA (Rosemary) |