Bill Whelan - Caoineadh Cú Chulainn (Lament) 

It is the sadness, grief, loss of over one million Irish souls during the Great Famine, the suppression of our culture, language and religion for 700 hundred years, all rolled into this one piece of music. It is Ireland.

In my heart, one of the most beautiful songs in the world. If grief had a voice of its own, this is it.

This makes me feel proud to be Irish every time I hear it.

My father was very sick and I would drive 45 minutes to visit him in the hospital for several weeks. I listened to the Riverdance soundtrack every time I traveled to see him. This song so beautifully expressed my sadness. He died March 18, 2010. This song has and always will capture my grief. I miss him everyday.

I first heard this song when I was around 4 years old in 1999 (I remember it like it was yesterday) and have not heard it since. For the last 18 years, I've been looking for it! Today is a very very good day! Such a beautiful piece.

The Lament .... universal expression of feelings too deep for words. Of the exile for the homeland; of the bereaved for the lost ones; of the old for their youth; of the dying for life.

Years ago, my dad asked me to make sure that whenever he passed away, this song was played at his funeral. I remember watching Riverdance with him when I was four years old, and learning all about my Irish and Scottish roots--Clans Morgan and Lochridge respectively. This music is as woven in my childhood as any imaginary friend, or happy daydream--but I dread the day when I can't bear its melody for grief.

2:37-2:44 sounds like the instrument is filled with emotion in grief or sadness for some reason and it is absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful.

28th May 1999 my grandad RIP, my dad , my brother and I carried our mothers coffin out of the church to this wonderfully sad and moving piece of music , it will forever stay in my heart . Thank you Bill for giving us such a great great departing call to our mum Nikki

Am I the only one that gets reduced to tears from this piece? It's soooo heartbreaking for some reason.

Never heard a Lament that was so full of Lamentation. So full of grief, so bereft. No words can match the tears in the drone of the pipes.

This song, and the way Davy plays it, perfectly express abject, inconsolable sorrow and grief.

Definitely want this played at my funeral... I love it and the emotion it brings out

Such a rare emotion this song brings. Uniquely breathtaking. Dark. Sad. Hopeful. Beautiful. Perfect.

This song makes me think of all those i have lost. And the hope that one day i will see then again. Miss you pap.

I love u Ireland ..my and the wife ..Cavehill... Catholic & protestant.. together in love , 6kids together

As an Italian, I love Ireland and the Irish folk. Proud of their roots like we are, almost the same flag like us. When listening to this it makes me want to have Irish friends and learn about your traditions and history. No words, just absolutely beautiful! 🇮🇹 🤝 🇮🇪

1997 is the most important year of my life, because I fulfilled my dream of being able to live for a year on the wonderful island of Ireland. Irish people are fantastic people, I love their culture, and traditional Irish music is absolutely fantastic. I am Spanish, but since my experience in 1997, I carry Ireland in my heart.

Found my old DVD of the Best of Riverdance last night and watched it. This lament transported me far, far, far way back in time and left me in an ecstasy of tears feeling totally renewed. Listening to this lament again this morning I feel that nothing will ever overcome me or separate me from the eternal . . .

This is just devastatingly beautiful. Although it says Bill Whelan, he may have written it, but it's the genius of Davy Spillane's playing of the pipes that make it so incredible.

We played this after communion at my father’s funeral Mass.

Yesterday, I lost a DnD character I had been playing for 8 years. I had this song laying ready for whenever that would happen, and it was everything it needed to be. It was like saying goodbye to a really old friend.

If this does not bring you to tears then you are dead....

This is a truly outstanding piece of music

You chose a perfect video to go along with this song. I've been viewing this every year since you released it 12 years ago. Thanks!

Formidable amazing Wonderfull. Bless you thanks ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Koliko je ovo moćno i čarobno...25god.ne mogu da se naslušam ove genijalne muzike. Genijalni kompozitor👏👏👏

Words cannot express how beautiful this song is... it's just full of different emotions

Magical and exquisitely beautiful. There is no sound quite like the Uilleann pipes for taking us to thin places.

Ten years Patrick, I miss you very deeply my friend x

This brings me to tears each time I listen.

I love this song. It almost stops my heart and makes me catch my breath. I want this played at my funeral

Love this tune. Heard it at funerals a few times growing up. Now it reminds me of my good friend and brother from the army. A proud son of Massachusetts who recently lost his battle within his own mind. The world hurt him a lot. He’ll never grow old now. But he’s at peace now.

this brings me to tears every time I listen to it its beautiful

Amazing, unforgettable piece so glad to hear it here

This is the Soul waiting on God... soaring to met Him. In the twinkling of music of choirs in the upper reaches of Heaven, Seraphs music playing to meet Christ the Lord of Heaven and Earth..... He holds the world together... He holds me together... He has prepared a place for me in Heaven... He told me so... He hangs on the Cross and bleeds to death...for me........me! His Word is Truth....

My heart moves and cries when I listen to this...why? I'm Japanese by the way

I first heard this song live at the Riverdance performance in Berlin in the 1990s. I had never heard anything so beautiful before and never again after that. It touched me so deeply that it brought tears to my eyes. There is probably hardly anyone who plays such beautiful songs on the hurdy-gurdy. Thank you for this wonderful song, which every time touches me emotionally so deeply that I feel sadness and joy at the same time.

When I was just discovered that masterpiece .. that's a piece of art through music connects with my heart and soul. Breathtaking. ❤

People talk of heartsongs, and I think this one is mine. This Irish song about the lament of being exiled from one's homeland is often how I feel, being forced to leave home before I was really ready to and ending up lost and drifting from place to place, merely existing one day to the next. I know the day will come where I'll have my home, not just a place to sleep and store my things but a place to call mine-but I'm still lost searching for it. It's painful and exhausting, but I won't give up...not yet.

This song is a Lament (the keening) of the mythical Cúchulainn, who unintentionally kills his estranged son. Connla, who has returned to his father's house seeking reunion, refuses to identify himself, and is mistaken for an enemy intruder.

Magical to listen to, it speaks to my soul 😍

Such a great piece...

Just love this song. Powerful!

I was so moved by this. I feel so remorseful. It will be played at my wake.

Undescriptible feelings makes me feel this song..i wish i can download all the songs of this genius :)

He's a musical genius

Every time, tears, overwhelmed so dam haunting yet so comforting.

I so needed a good cry so I put this on, oh, being Irish, great humor, deep melancholy

This is the original version, I was looking for it for 20 years! Thank you so much!🌞

Just saw this in Milwaukee at Riverdance last week and was balling my eyes out!

I watched the Riverdance 25th anniversary performance yesterday and it was amazing so I sought out this song so that I could listen to it more.

😢 Amazing. Is maith liom é. Go raibh mile maith agat ☺️ (✍️🧔🏼 from Isle Rügen, NE-Germany)

The Story behind this song is sad = This song is a Lament (the keening) of the mythical Cúchulainn, who unintentionally kills his estranged son, Connla, who has returned to his father's house seeking reunion, refuses to identify himself, and is mistaken for an enemy intruder. G

My hair is standing on end and I'm crying. I don't know why.

Music shows you emotions you never knew you had...... WE=mc2

I love this beautiful music. Amo ❤ esta hermosa música.

Perfect landscapes :)

This music, it does something

I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet whose music captures the feel, the heart and the emotion of Ireland in the way that Bill Whelan’s does. Anyone who has come here and who perhaps hasn’t heard the Riverdance music from the 1995 Eurovision interval performance needs to sit down, go on to RU-vid and be blown away by the spectacular of the musical score - and phenomenal dancing from all involved. I’ll guarantee you’ll want to hear & see it another 2 or 3 times before you stand up…..entirely gob-smacked. ( The only slight drawback is the rather poor sound and picture quality of the original show as it now appears on RU-vid . It’s a great pity this can’t be digitally improved. )

this almost made me cry

I want this song played at my memorial service. Husband wants "Into the West" from "Lord of the Rings" for his.

I want this song to be played as I am delivered from this place, this place that I can not stand. This place where I'm a slave to money. This place where without money, your dreams can not come true. When I am free from this place, I want to hear this Song..

sooo beautiful

I cried the tears of a chicken nuggerless child.

Gotta visit Ireland

This is one of my favorite pieces from Riverdance. The beautiful video images and haunting music complement one another well. Thanks for posting this!

This is just such a lovely melody!

Le genre de musique qui me donne des frissons. Ah le son du Uillean pipe...

This was so great that I got the chills and goosebumps

For you mum ❤💔💖

I have read many comments on here. The reason the pipes are sad : b/c they lament to Gaels and Celts of Scotland and Ireland lost to famine, poverty, to the English overlords, loss of the clan systems, loss of their identities. Yeah, that is why the pipes cry. Love from your blood son lost now in America!

So beautiful and sad at once.

My given name is Cuillen An alteration of the Cuillin Hills of Skye, which, (I'm damn sure) are named aft the mythical hero Cú Chulainn. I am not sure what alteration of translation occurred, from Irish Gaelic to Scottish Gaelic... but regardless - I have since identified with Cú Chulainn, or Cú, - spirit animal wise. Please enlighten not only myself but whomever reads this, if you have insight into the eventual transliteration of the name from Culain - Cú Chulainn to Cuillin. I recognize the bond of Hibernia and Caledonia in times of yore, though profess bewilderingly bombastic levels of layman insight toward the generalities forth-mentioned. Side note, recognized Bill Whelan's name instantly because of Some Mother's Son.... AMAZING MOVIE and especially fantastic soundtrack.

Oh yes, this is a sad sad story. Poor Chulainn.

Thakes you to your core!

Only my wife knows. This song is to be played at funeral.bthe first 90 seconds is incredibly sad. The remainder vis The most uplifting song ever played

I feel like anyone with a Celtic or Gaelic ancestry gets obliterated by this song even if they have no cultural connection to the region. This is an experience stored in primal memory

Irish Masterpiece

Beautiful

ireland. best lil country on the planet

this is so heart felt My Emotions

I'm usually not into this type of music, but damn this sounds beautiful...

The truest call

I played this when I heard about the death of Stan Lee. I cried for an hour then drowned in ice cream.

this song is too short...needs to at least 10 hours long.

I want my casket carried out to this.

Celtic People from Erin, Alba, Kernow, Cymru, Breizh, Mannin and Galiza will be Free !! Go Ahead Brothers !!

Fabulous piece. Thanks fort posting

Agreed. It's probably my favorite, but every song is just as good. Thanks for watching!

Is that Martin Brennan playing? KISS MY FACE!

Bravo!

This will be played at my memorial when I die.

Agurrak euskal herritik!

I just wanted to listen to this after Lancer's death in UBW 2014 ;_;

Played by Davy Spillane, legend!

Many have tried to steel this sound., they never could.

December 14, 2016. I'm out walking my dog Fletch when all of a sudden my phone starts ringing. It's not a local number, not even in the U.S. I answer the phone, and I hear in a somewhat hard-to-understand Irish accent, "Hello, are you Sean?" I reply, "Yes, who is speaking?" It was the mother of my ex-girlfriend Reilley. She was a neighbor of mine who had moved to my neighborhood all the way from Dublin. We'd been dating for four months before she had to move back. "Sean," she says through voice breaks. "Reilley's dead." I drop my dog's leash. I couldn't believe my shock. "When? How?" I try to say. Apparently, the month before, she'd been listening to some music on her iPod and, while crossing a pathway, didn't notice a delivery truck rounding the corner at 15 kilometres over the speed limit. She had died upon impact, and never saw it coming. Almost a year later and the pains till courses through my heart. This song is what reminds me of the good times I had with her, even if it was just four months. Rest in Peace, my darling Reilley. I will see you soon, and I know you're watching me; I just hope you're proud of the man I'm becoming.

thank you!

❤