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River without pity In the Upper Ottawa Valley, after the ice broke up on the rivers, young men would go out on the spring drive - they would drive the cut timber down the Ottawa to the lumber mills. It was extremely dangerous work, and many men died trying to break up jams. In this song, a young woman keens her lover who had died during a drive. This song took third place at the All-Irelands last year, in the "Newly Composed Song in Irish" category. A good friend of mine and Toronto sean-nós singer, Shannonbrooke Murphy, sang the song in the competition, for which I am very grateful.