Eleanor McEvoy wrote ‘A Woman’s Heart’ when she was a student, living in Rathmines, County Dublin. In 1992 she was playing it live when singer Mary Black and her husband Joe O’Reilly listened intently. He had a record label called Dara, and he thought it would be a perfect title track for his upcoming sampler album. Soon enough, the record sold a million copies and Eleanor’s song was registered deep in the nation.
‘A Woman’s Heart’ was important because Ireland was starting to change and female voices were an assertive part of the process. Eleanor reflected on this, years later. “Without realising it, I tapped into a zeitgeist that other women were feeling the same way… looking back to that era, there are a lot of things that you didn’t think were possible but there was a chink of light in the road ahead.”
On October 23, 2024, I sat in a recording studio in Belfast to hear the song rise again, repurposed and relevant for this age. The new title was ‘A Mother’s Heart’ and the lyrics had been gently amended to connect Irish women to their counterparts in Palestine. Eleanor had given her blessing and even loaned out the original backing tracks.
Mothers Against Genocide with Belfast mural artwork by Taqi Spateen
Mothers Against Genocide had committed to do the song justice. This was a collection of activists from across Ireland, who were furious about the death toll in Gaza and the West Bank, plus the attendant, willful brutality. They could barely fit into RedBox studios on University Street. But they played a patient game, climbing the stairs in shifts and layering their choir. They looked into the barrel of the video camera when they sang “my heart is low” and they did not stint with empathy and love.
Dónal O’Connor, the musician, producer and filmmaker was in the control room and you heard his encouraging words on the talkback. “Sing it out.” he called. “Don’t leave anything behind!” Some of the singers had children on their hips and many contributors were tearful. This was being documented by Gerard Black and Clem Bradley from the Creative Workers’ Cooperative.
Mother’s Heart launch, Belfast 01.08.25. Photo by Stuart Bailie
Downstairs, I spoke with Róisín El Cherif, the Irish-Palestinian artist. She was due to record her solo vocals in her hometown of Galway, but she was fortuitously in Belfast and wanted to be part of the day.
“It’s almost like a hug from Ireland to Palestine through song, and music,” she said. “As Irish people, that’s our forte – the music and the stories. ‘A Woman’s Heart’ is an absolutely iconic song. During the genocide, what has really hit people is the amount of children that have suffered. And with children come parents. It’s a universal point of view that the children should come first.”
Róisín, like many of her peers, has been deeply involved in the protest movement.
“I’ve been singing at Palestine gigs to raise awareness, singing in Irish and singing in Arabic to show the connection. Singing in Arabic was a real important thing to be doing, because there is so much stigma around being Arab or Muslim, or from that part of the world. And it’s misunderstood. So, it was important to show people that there is a voice.”
Fionnuala Nic Thom by Stuart Bailie
The Eleanor lyric has been amended by Fionnuala Nic Thom, a core member of Mothers Against Genocide in Belfast. Hearing the song again in 2024 brought back many powerful associations.
“When I heard the song,” she recalls, “I was cleaning the kitchen. It took me back to when my mummy was in the house when we were growing up. I know that song was a sense of pride for her, as an Irish woman. And I knew that we could reach other women – particularly Irish women, with this song. That’s why I thought that this would be a powerful song to do as a rewrite - and dedicate it to the mothers of Palestine.
“It was still very close to the original. I tweaked an amazing classic song, and when we reached out to Eleanor, she was so happy to be able to do something for Palestine. She loved the fact that it was still so true. We just really got the sentiments of ‘A Woman’s Heart’ and lent it to ‘A Mother’s Heart’. All of the things that I wanted to say, for Palestine, just came naturally. That song really talks about a deep emotion and that’s how I feel.”
Fionnuala first sang her version at a rally on International Woman’s Day, 2024. People responded strongly and so they approached Eleanor and began talking about a recording session. This prompted Suzanne Doyle to offer her music industry experience. She has managed Finbar Furey and Declan O’Rourke, plus her current charge, Lorraine Nash. Her career started with Principle Management in 1987 and U2’s Joshua Tree tour.
“Suzanne has been the backbone of this project from the day and hour that she got involved,” says Fionnuala.” We have been joined at the hip, although there’s many miles between us. We’ve become very, very good friends. We’ve laughed a lot, we’ve cried even more. We’ve been arrested together. That’s been an experience.”
Suzanne and Fionnuala (far left and second left) at the the Belfast launch, 01.08.25. Photo by Stuart Bailie
The pair were arrested, along with six other members of Mothers Against Genocide, during a Mother’s Day vigil outside Leinster House, Dublin. It was further proof that MAG are courageous when others are timid or indifferent.
“They’re fierce warrior women,” says Suzanne. “I felt quite alone going to protests in the early days so I joined two amazing solidarity groups, Pals for Palestine and North Wicklow Against Genocide, but then I decided to join Mothers Against Genocide too. Whether I’m fierce or a warrior, I’ll never know. What I do know is that I couldn’t stand back and do nothing. I needed to find a way where I could lend support and make a difference.
“It is worth saying MAG is not just for mothers – but all allies are welcome. It has a soft power and at protests it’s a banner that people choose to walk behind, because of what they do. They make shit happen.”
Since last year’s Belfast session, there have been extra recording dates in Kinvara and Dublin. The track now includes Mary Black, Ríoghnach Connolly, Áine Tyrrell, Sailhymn and kanun player, Aziz Abushark. Two of the artists, Róisín El Cherif and Leen (from Lebanon, now based in Cork) sing a verse in Arabic.
Róisín El Cherif and Leen from the Woman’s Heart video.
Meantime, Mothers Against Genocide are trying to build an alternative community online. Their social media presence had been subject to shadow banning and suspect algorithms. So they are installing themselves at mychannl, where you can access the video and purchase the music and the merch.
“Let’s say it was a long pregnancy,” Suzanne explained at the Belfast launch on August 1. “But the birth was fabulous.”
Fionnuala also stresses the positive.
“There were times when there were frustrations about how long it was taking us but we just kept the faith – everything that’s happening is supposed to happen. I really feel that today, we’re seeing more and more people speaking up for Palestine than ever before. We’ve been screaming from the rafters for 22 months now, trying to get people to stand with us. Sometimes you felt like it was falling on deaf ears. But I don’t feel that today. I feel like people want an opportunity to speak about Palestine and it really hope that this song will give them the opportunity to have those conversations.”
Stuart Bailie
(Register with Mothers Against Genocide on mychannl)
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