We often categorize Christmas carols into things that are only for children, along with many traditions that go with the holiday season. Carols are probably only things we will hear from church choirs or from choral groups who are out caroling, and we generally don't pay much attention to them, probably because they've become too familiar or repetitive.
America Magazine has a podcast titled "Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols" where they search for the origins of some well-known, timeless, and beloved Christmas carols. Apparently, some carols have a storied past.
For example, "Carol of the Bells" was originally a Ukrainian folk song with political ramifications, which caused the martyrdom of its author and composer. "Silent Night" had been sung during the two world wars as a sort of truce to allow soldiers a momentary respite. It was even sung to former president George H.W. Bush right before he died.
Ireland too has its own Christmas carol, and it's one that has been passed down orally for centuries. When it originated is up for debate, but the important thing is that the organist and choir director of St. Aidan's Cathedral, W. H. Grattan Flood, had written it down in 1928 for the next generations to remember it.
The song is called "The Wexford Carol", although to be more specific, it originated from Enniscorthy, a town in County Wexford, Ireland. Though named after the county where they live, it seems that none of the residents know much about it. The video above is a cover done by Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma in English, but it is also beautifully sung in Irish. -via Kottke
(Video credit: YoYoMaVEVO)
This is the Carúl Loch Garman.
(Video credit: Vicki Sands)