A big thank you to all of you who participated in our contest. All of your submissions were wonderful and it was a privilege reading all of your heartwarming stories on how Orla's music has and continues to effect your lives. Thank you all for your continuing support for Orla and her music.

With this said, we now announce the winners!

CONGRATULATIONS to Charlie and Woody! Charlie submitted an exceptional write-up as well as Woody. Charlie has won the two tickets to see Orla in concert, and Woody has won the autographed t-shirt from Orla. We thank you both for your wonderful essays on how Orla's music has touched your hearts.

Read the winning essays below, and be sure to stop by soon for another contest! Thank you all for participating!


Dear Orla,
I'm not sure why I'm writing this. No one was cured, no great grief was relieved, and no horses were involved. I'm a forest ranger. Yeah, the job 90% of American men think is so great. We do search, rescue, wildland fire control, law enforcement, and try to educate the public. I work in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks in New York (near Lake Placid). We've had a few difficult rescues recently, one at night in minus 23 with two victims six miles back on the side of Gothics Mountain (this is where we lose the 90% who think it's a great job) , and I've noticed I now have background music.

I've been a ranger for 17 years and I've joked with people that there isn't background music on our missions. I'm not crazed, in fact I'm probably the most calm and level headed in my zone, the butterflies disappeared a long time ago. I now hear and can visualize a woman with auburn hair playing the harp and singing "Isle of Inisfree", "Carrickfergus", and even "Harry's Game". Backcountry patrols have gone by faster, I've probably smiled more with no one around, fortunately I haven't resorted to humming yet, but I am more prone to day dreaming. I want to thank you Orla for all you've done, your music is so peaceful and soothing.

Oh, the victims have all come out alive, banged up with assorted broken bones but alive. I haven't resorted to Orla therapy for the subjects yet, but it is always a possibility (I carry too much equipment now and I suspect a CD player would just be more weight but...)

Thank you
Charlie P.
Forest Ranger NYSDEC


The first impression that I had of Órla and her singing was the wonderful gift she has of making each song her own - taking the words, drawing from her own experience and bringing a story to life. Her harp and lovely voice blend in a most beautiful and ethereal manner conveying wisdom, joy, calmness and depth of emotion. While listening, it is like hearing a close friend share her deepest feelings as if no one else is there - one heart to another. When she sings, "I've met some folk who say that I'm a dreamer" (Isle of Inisfree), I am immediately convinced and aware that Órla, too, is a dreamer of dreams. As the song progresses, I think we all begin to realize that we're dreamers as well; thoughts of our own "lovely Isle" come to mind - those precious people and moments in life that we have known, experienced and will forever cherish. By application, it is a reminder to treasure our present moments, which will one day be part of our fond remembrances. Each song on her The Water Is Wide album has touched a particular season of my life/heart - from reassuring love of parent to child in "Gartan Mothers Lullaby" to the heartbreak of young love in "Down by the Sally Gardens". Whether they bring a tear or a smile - they all ring true. I know when a song really gets to me, I'm silent, almost stunned for a moment because the message has been made so real and personal; my feelings and imagination have been engaged and my heart is united in some wonderful and mysterious way to the singer and the song. This has been my experience while listening to Órla.

Love and Blessings,
Woody