Menu
Ireland's political and cultural magazine
VILLAGEApril/May
A
NEW landmark appeared in my corner of the
woods recently. Half way up a telegraph pole, in
a fetching shade of mossy green, a wooden plac-
ard proclaims “Be sure your sin will find you out”.
The motif manifested itself overnight during Lent, but
it is not clear if the timing is deliberate. The first time it
passed judgement I checked my rear view mirror to iden-
tify the sinner in the car behind, but I was alone on the
narrow lane. In the following days I reflected on how “it”
would find me out and even contemplated spilling the
beans in this column by way of a purging, but circum-
stances saved me. I realised in time, and with a modicum
of relief, that the message is not meant for me. After all, I
hug trees. What could be less sinful than that?
Clearly, the sign and its prophetic message
is for the people who, without mercy, grubbed
out the hedges in the fields below, beyond the
st March deadline for hedge cutting. It is a
real hatchet job and the green placard lends
at least some of its moral certainty to the for-
lorn devastation.
The pole slogan is punchy and direct but it
lacks some of the marketing panache required
to evangelise biodiversity and eco-progres-
sive behaviour.
The Branding Biodiversity communica-
tions tool developed by Futerra and used by
conservation charities like WWF and the RSPB would
hardly embrace it. They have taken a critical look at what
motivates us to conserve nature. Most of us – they real-
ise – are hedonists or at best humanists, most of us don’t
recognise nature’s intrinsic value, never will; moreover
we are probably a little selfish. Simpsons not Waltons,
perhaps. In order to motivate the majority of people in
their stressed complexity then, public messages must
emphasise love not loss.
There can’t be a hedgehog left in acres of the afflicted
area, and it is a sorry tale for any bird that was eyeing up
those hedges for nesting or dining. Lots of loss. Silence
has fallen on those fields. But, were I to put a placard
on the pole, I might write back “The blackbird sings for
you too”.
Soundscapes, the auditory equivalent of landscapes
can have a profound psychological impact on our lives.
They can be the noisy chatter in pubs, the drone of traf-
fic, wind howling up the mountain, rooks returning to
roost or birds breaking the dawn. We come to associate
‘soundmarks’ with places, like landmarks, identifying a
sense of place or a feeling or a memory. When we arrive
somewhere familiar that is unusually silent, we feel as
though something vital is missing.
Japanese gardens funnel these principles into their
gardening philosophy, Sakuteiki, which promotes spaces
that capture the natural beauties of nature itself includ-
ing the sounds. As well as borrowing distant landscapes
for incorporation into the setting and views from the gar-
dens, attempts are made to harness the music of nature.
The rustle of grasses, the tinkling of willow catkins and
the breeze bowing over a branch are all considered
important elements of the soundscape.
Surrey Wildlife Trust and the National Trust are now
ex ploring t he impac t of birdsong on creativ ity and hu ma n
well-being. The natural song track study is led by a psy-
chologist in the University of Surrey, Eleanor Ratcliffe,
who also maintains that listening to five minutes of bird-
song daily reduces stress and the winter blues.
Charles Darwin thought that language might have had
its origins in singing and new research shows that he
may have been onto something. Professor of Linguistics
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shigeru
Miyagawa, shows that two communication forms – the
elaborate singing of birds and the information-bear-
ing types of expression of other animals – combined to
trigger the origins of human language. This study appar-
ently builds on linguistic work done by Noam Chomsky,
which examined the ‘lexical plane’ where we commu-
nicate content and the ‘expressive plane’
where grammatical construction and sen-
tence structure occur.
Birdsong is expressive but contains almost
no lexical content and animals like primates
use simple words. Birds respond to birdsong
much like humans do to music. The New York
group, Antony and the Johnsons, often tap
into that emotional response, their songs
written and played like soundscapes for the
ear, and the heart. ‘Another World’ grafts the
lexical on to the expressive:
I’m gonna miss the birds
Singing all their songs
I’m gonna miss the wind
Been kissing me so long.
I would like to import them, in all their exotica, to sing
these lyrics at the mysterious placard on a country road
after a long period of environmental dereliction, in Lent,
in the sticks. •
Nature sings
morality
Lenten
silence
Birds respond
to birdsong
much like
humans do
to music
“
Shirley Clerkin
CULTURE
IN THE STICKS
declamatory
pole
!
!"#$%&'()*'+,)-$,'./"#0123'0%'#42'
2/*)52$%'5$*,0$62%#'2,21#0)%"'
!"#$%&'#(#)*+$&,#--&*-*'(&!"#$%&.*/0*"$&12&(%*&34"15*6+&
76"-#6/*+(&8.37$9&(1&$#(&#+&(%*&+*🙁&34"15*6+&76"-#6/*+(&
;<=>?;<=@&1+&A"#B6C&(%*&;D
"B
&12&.6C&;<=>E&F%*&+*,&
56"-#6/*+(&,#--&(6G*&122#'*&6(&6&(#/*&12&H-106-&45%*6I6-&6+B&
("6+$#(#1+&+*'*$$#(6(#+H&6'(#1+&1+&6&%1$(&12&'%6--*+H#+H&
#$$4*$&12&'1+'*"+&(1&'#(#)*+$&01(%&,#(%#+&(%*&3J&6+B&#+&
B*I*-15#+H&'14+("#*$E&&
"#$%&'(!)*+!,*%-.)/,'(!&%0),*!,11.%1!2#'3!4,'3,*!'3%!56!)*+!
)7!'3%!4#&/+8!93%1%!)&%!*#'!)77,+%*'1!#:!:)'%8!93%(!)&%!
#:'%*!'3%!&%1./'1!#:!1;%7,:,7!;#4%&!&%/)',#*1!)*+!;#/,7(!
+%7,1,#*1!43,73!)&%!.*<.1'8!=#&!%>)0;/%?!%$%*!'3#.@3!'3%(!
3)$%!+#*%!'3%!/%)1'!'#!7#*'&,2.'%!'#!'3%!7/,0)'%!73)*@%!7&,1,1?!
;%#;/%!/,$,*@!,*!;#$%&'(!,*!+%$%/#;,*@!7#.*'&,%1!)&%!1.::%&,*@!
0#1'!1%$%&%/(!2%7).1%!#:!#$%&7#*1.0;',#*!#:!&%1#.&7%1!)*+!
;#/,',7)/!,*)7',#*!,*!'3%!@/#2)/!*#&'38!
93%!%*#&0,'(!#:!'3%!@/#2)/!73)//%*@%1!4%!:)7%!,1!1,@*,:,7)*'?!
2.'!4,'3!7&,1,1!'3%&%!)/1#!7#0%1!#;;#&'.*,'(8!!A*!'3%!0,+1'!#:!
'3,1!@/#2)/!*%7%11,'(!:#&!73)*@%?!'3%!56!3)1!)!B%(!&#/%!'#!;/)(!
,*!1')*+,*@!:#&!3.0)*!&,@3'1C2)1%+?!1.1'),*)2/%!+%$%/#;0%*'?!
)*+!13#4,*@!/%)+%&13,;!#*!'3%!7&,',7)/!73)//%*@%1!4%!)&%!
:)7,*@8!
!
D3%)+!#:!'3%!56!5/%7',#*1!EFGH?!9&I7),&%!3)1!;.2/,13%+!)!
;#/,7(!2&,%:,*@?!7)//,*@!#*!J5"1!7)*+,+)'%1!'#!KL')*+!:#&!
M/#2)/!N.1',7%O!2(!73)0;,#*,*@!)7',#*!#*!'3%!:#//#4,*@!:#.&!
)&%)1!)1!)!0)''%&!#:!;&,#&,'(!+.&,*@!'3%,&!',0%!,*!#::,7%!,*!'3%!
5.&#;%)*!")&/,)0%*'P!
!
=9 K*$5*'(L&5"1(*'(&6+B&24-2#--&%4/6+&"#H%($&&
!
J5"1!0.1'!4#&B!'#!%*1.&%!'3)'!'3%&%!,1!@&%)'%&!'&)*1😉&%*7(!
)*+!)77#.*')2,/,'(!#:!5.&#;%)*!7#0;)*,%1!#;%&)',*@!,*!
+%$%/#;,*@!7#.*'&,%1?!'#!)$#,+!,*1')*7%1!#:!3.0)*!&,@3'1!
)2.1%1?!')>!%$)1,#*!)*+!)$#,+)*7%?!7#&&.;',#*?!7#*:/,7'!)*+!
%*$,&#*0%*')/!+%@&)+)',#*8!!6*/%11!3.0)*!&,@3'1!)&%!;.'!)'!
'3%!3%)&'!#:!)//!56!;#/,7,%1?!;)&',7./)&/(!'3#1%!@#$%&*,*@!
%7#*#0,7!&%/)',#*13,;1?!3.0)*!&,@3'1!4,//!&%0),*!)!0)&@,*)/!
7#*7%&*8!!!
!
;9 F6G*&6'(#1+&1+&'-#/6(*&M4$(#'*&
!
J5"1!0.1'!%*1.&%!5.&#;%!0#$%1!:#&4)&+!4,'3!)+%-.)'%!
7/,0)'%!)*+!%*%&@(!;#/,7,%1!'3)'!1%'!5.&#;%!#*!😉'34)(!'#!)!
0#&%!%-.,')2/%!)*+!1.1'),*)2/%!:.'.&%!:#&!)//8!A*!;)&',7./)&?!
'3%!+%$%/#;0%*'!#:!'3%!56Q1!EFRF!7/,0)'%!)*+!%*%&@(!;#/,7(!
:&)0%4#&B!4,//!;/)(!)*!,0;#&')*'!&#/%!,*!13);,*@!2#'3!'3%!
:.'.&%!#:!5.&#;%!)*+!'3)'!#:!'3%!&%1'!#:!'3%!4#&/+8!D1!)*!
3,1'#&,7!/%)+%&!,*!'3%!@/#2)/!7/,0)'%!7#00.*,'(?!1'&#*@!56!
7/,0)'%!)02,',#*!4,//!3%/;!1;.&!:.&'3%&!;&#@&%11!,*!'3%!
*%@#',)',#*1!#*!)!*%4!7/,0)'%!'&%)'(!.*+%&!'3%!6*,'%+!
S)',#*1!=&)0%4#&B!T#*$%*',#*!#*!T/,0)'%!T3)*@%!U6S=TTTV8!
!
D9 7"1/1(*&H*+B*"&*N46-#(C&#+&6+&4+*N46-&,1"-B&
!
93%!56!0.1'!1.;;#&'!4#0%*!'#!2%!;&%1%*'!,*!;%)7%!
*%@#',)',#*1!)*+!;#1'!7#*:/,7'!@#$%&*)*7%?!'#!%*1.&%!'3)'!
@%*+%&!+,::%&%*7%1!)&%!$,1,2/%!)*+!,*7#&;#&)'%+8!=#&!%>)0;/%?!
%*1.&,*@!4#0%*Q1!/%)+%&13,;?!2#'3!,*!'3%!2.,/+,*@!#:!;%)7%?!
)*+!,*!+%7,1,#*C0)B,*@!)7!WXT!)1!;%)7%!%0%&@%1?!,1!
7&,',7)/!'#!)!1.1'),*)2/%!;%)7%8!!
!
>9 O(6+B&,#(%&(%*&I4-+*"60-*&#+&(#/*$&12&%4/6+#(6"#6+&
'"#$#$E&&
!
J5"1!0.1'!4#&B!'#!;&#'%7'!'3%!,*+%;%*+%*7%?!7#*',*.,'(!)*+!
%::%7',$%*%11!#:!5.&#;%)*!3.0)*,')&,)*!)11,1')*7%!2(!
4#&B,*@!'#!%*1.&%!'3)'!'3%!*%%+1!#:!;%#;/%!,*!7&,1,1!)&%!'3%!
0),*!+&,$%&1!#:!)*!%::%7',$%!56!&%1;#*1%8!Y.0)*,')&,)*!),+!
2.+@%'1!0.1'!2%!;&#'%7'%+!)*+!&%0),*!,*+%;%*+%*'!#:!#'3%&!
5.&#;%)*!%>'%&*)/!)7',#*1?!'3&#.@3!.;3#/+,*@!'3%!
3.0)*,')&,)*!;&,*7,;/%1!#:!3.0)*,'(?!,0;)&',)/,'(?!*%.'&)/,'(!
)*+!,*+%;%*+%*7%8!
!
!
=#&!0#&%!,*:#&0)',#*!;/%)1%!7#*')7'!L%/,*)!W#**%//(!)'!
LW#**%//(Z'),&%8,%!
9#!&%)+!'3%!:.//!2&,%:,*@!;);%&!;/%)1%!@#!'#!4448'),&%8#&@
!
