Over the last few months, a quiet joy has been unfolding. Some of my hymns have found their voice in churches.
Of course, I have usually suggested at least one already known tune, and that is part of my philosophy for hymns: use tunes that congregations can use easily.
However, there are opportunities for new tunes to come into being. And so it is that my hymn By the Shannon’s flowing waters has found its melody.
Composer Thurlow Weed has written a new tune — ST. MUNCHIN (87.87.D) — shaped with care, musicality, and a deep sense of place. It’s always a gift when words receive a tune that feels like home, and this one carries the river’s gentleness and the saint’s steadfastness with real grace.
The score is shared below, a glimpse of the collaboration that brought text and melody together:


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