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Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain
In the morning glow, the world starts anew, whispers from the tide, calling out to you.
I walked where the tide left secrets,
where the dawn broke cold and thin.
I carried the weight of old nights,
and the silence I had lived within.
But the wind rose up around me,
like a voice I used to know.
The salty air, it lifts my heart,
reminds me of the tales we spun,
days of youth by the roaring sea,
tumbling laughter, wandering, one by one.
I am the spear for smiting foemen,
I am the god for forming fortune.
Whither wend by glen or mountain,
whither tend beneath the sunset’s flame?
Whither wander seeking safety —
I am the voice that calls your name.
I stood where the cliffs met morning,
where the sea spoke low and wild.
I had wandered long in shadow,
far from the man I was as a child.
But the wave rolled in before me,
and it whispered, rise again.
The ocean’s hymn, it stirs my spirit,
carved by storms and time’s embrace.
With every breath, I feel the healing,
a journey shared through sacred space.
I am the spear for smiting foemen,
I am the god for forming fortune.
Whither wend by glen or mountain,
whither tend beneath the sunset’s flame?
Whither wander seeking safety —
I am the voice that calls your name.
I listened to stones and water,
to the truth beneath their roar.
I had stumbled hard through darkness,
but I would not stumble anymore.
For the earth beneath my footsteps
said, your strength is not yet gone.
So gather ‘round, and sing together,
let the echoes carry high and free.
For in the heart of every Irish soul,
you’ll find the ocean’s memory.
With a final breath, I raise the banner,
and the tides will carry us along,
for every name upon the shoreline,
it’s a song of hope, our timeless song.
Lyrics written by Jason Bresnehan a Tasmanian songwriter. Jason is a direct descendant of John Bresnehan from Limerick, an Irish convict who was sentenced to life in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and his eldest son Michael Bresnehan. The line "Whither wend by mountain or glen?" comes from "The Lays of Amergin" (also known as the "Song of Amergin"), a foundational text of Irish mythology.
STORY BOARD
SONG OVERVIEW
Written by Tasmanian Songwriter Jason Bresnehan, Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain is a Celtic folk anthem inspired by Irish mythology, ancestral memory, coastal landscapes and the enduring connection between Ireland and Tasmania. Drawing upon The Lays of Amergin, one of the foundational texts of Irish mythology, the song follows a narrator walking a windswept shoreline while carrying the weight of difficult years. Through encounters with the sea, the wind, the land and the voices of the past, he gradually rediscovers strength, identity and purpose. Deeply influenced by Jason's own Irish ancestry and descent from John Bresnehan of Limerick, the song explores exile, resilience, belonging and the timeless call of home.
THE SCENE
The song unfolds along a rugged coastline at dawn where tide, wind, cliffs and memory converge. The narrator walks where the sea has left its secrets, carrying the weight of old nights and the silence that has accompanied him for years. The landscape is not passive scenery. The wind speaks, the waves whisper and the earth beneath his feet becomes a source of wisdom. As the song progresses, the shoreline transforms from a physical location into a meeting place between past and present, Ireland and Tasmania, ancestry and identity.
THE NARRATOR
The narrator is both wanderer and descendant. He carries personal burdens, regrets and questions, yet he is also deeply aware of the generations who came before him. Throughout the song the voice shifts between the personal and the mythic. At times he is simply a man standing beside the sea. At other moments he seems to channel something older and deeper, drawing strength from ancient stories and ancestral memory. The result is a narrator standing with one foot in the present and one foot in history.
PURPOSE
The purpose of Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain is to explore healing through ancestry, landscape and story. The song asks what happens when a person reconnects with the cultures, histories and places that shaped their forebears. It argues that identity can be strengthened through memory and that the natural world often speaks truths that modern life encourages us to ignore. Ultimately the song celebrates resilience, belonging and the power of remembering where we come from.
IDENTITY
The identity theme centres on heritage and belonging. The narrator begins the song disconnected from the person he once was. Through encounters with the sea, the wind and ancient language inherited from Irish tradition, he gradually remembers deeper truths about himself. The song suggests that identity is not something we manufacture. It is something we discover, recover and reconnect with. Family history, landscape, story and memory all contribute to the person's understanding of who they are.
MOVEMENT
Movement is expressed through restoration. The song begins with weariness and uncertainty as the narrator carries the weight of difficult seasons. As the journey unfolds, the natural world begins responding to him. The wind becomes encouragement. The waves become healing. The earth itself becomes reassurance. The progression moves from burden to memory, memory to healing and healing to renewed purpose. By the final verse the narrator is no longer searching for direction. He is raising a banner and inviting others to join the song.
MUSICAL DIRECTION
The song was written as a Celtic folk anthem featuring acoustic guitars, fiddle, whistles, traditional percussion and communal vocal energy. The arrangement should feel both intimate and expansive, beginning with the atmosphere of a solitary walk along a shoreline before gradually building into a powerful communal anthem. The objective is to create a song that feels timeless, as though it could be sung equally beside an Irish hearth, a Tasmanian coastline or within a crowded folk festival.
THE LAYS OF AMERGIN
The line "Whither wend by glen or mountain" draws inspiration from The Lays of Amergin, also known as the Song of Amergin. This ancient Irish text contains some of the most famous declarations in Celtic mythology, expressing identity through relationship with nature, creation and destiny. By incorporating this language into the chorus, the song connects modern personal reflection with a much older tradition of Irish storytelling and spiritual expression. The Amergin-inspired declarations transform the chorus from observation into invocation.
ANCESTRAL CONNECTION
The song carries a direct connection to Jason Bresnehan's own family history. As a descendant of John Bresnehan of the town of Brosna, County Kerry, Ireland which sits between Tipperary and Limerick, transported to Van Diemen's Land, the songwriter has long been fascinated by the experiences of exile, migration and adaptation. The ocean becomes a powerful symbol because it simultaneously represents separation and connection. It divided Ireland from Tasmania, yet it also carried families, histories and memories from one place to the other. The shoreline in the song therefore becomes a place where heritage remains alive.
THE SEA
The sea is the song's central symbol. It represents memory, movement, healing and continuity. Throughout the lyric the ocean acts almost as a character rather than a setting. It remembers, teaches, challenges and restores. The narrator hears wisdom within its rhythms and finds encouragement in its permanence. The sea becomes a living connection between generations, reminding the listener that while people come and go, stories and memory continue to flow forward.
COMMUNITY AND SONG
The final section of the song broadens from personal healing into communal identity. The narrator calls others to gather, sing together and allow the echoes to carry across generations. What begins as an individual journey ends as a collective celebration. The line "For in the heart of every Irish soul, you'll find the ocean's memory" captures this transition. The song becomes larger than one person's story and begins speaking about culture, community and shared inheritance.
THE ARTWORK
The artwork depicts a solitary figure standing upon a rugged coastline at dawn. Cliffs rise behind while waves crash below and sunlight breaks through distant clouds. The scene should feel both Irish and Tasmanian, reflecting the geographical and emotional connection that sits at the centre of the song. The narrator stands not as someone lost, but as someone remembering. The sea stretches toward the horizon as a symbol of ancestry, destiny and continuity.
SONG MESSAGE
We are shaped by more than our failures, our wounds and our regrets. We are also shaped by our stories, our ancestors, our communities and the places that formed us. Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain argues that healing often begins when we reconnect with those deeper foundations. The song celebrates resilience, heritage and the enduring power of memory while reminding listeners that strength can be rediscovered even after long periods of wandering.
SONGWRITER NOTES
Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain grew from my lifelong fascination with Irish history, mythology and my own family's journey from Limerick to Tasmania. The song was heavily influenced by The Lays of Amergin and by the enduring presence of the sea within Irish identity. The ocean has always represented something powerful to me. It is both barrier and bridge, separation and connection, loss and possibility.
What attracted me to the Amergin text was its confidence and its deep connection to nature. The declarations feel ancient yet surprisingly relevant. They remind us that identity is often discovered through our relationship with the world around us rather than through titles, possessions or achievements. By combining those ancient ideas with a modern story of struggle and renewal, I wanted to create something that felt both timeless and personal.
At its heart, Whither Wend by Glen or Mountain is a song about remembering who you are. It is about standing beside the ocean after difficult years and hearing something call you home. Whether that home is a place, a culture, a faith, a family history or a forgotten part of yourself is left for the listener to decide. The song simply suggests that the answer may already be waiting in the wind, the water and the stories that have travelled with us all along.