A Scottish or Irish funeral song or dirge, typically a mournful lament sung for the dead.
From Scottish Gaelic coronach, from Old Irish córaigecht, ultimately from Old Irish cór (arrangement, order, lamentation). It's an ancient Celtic tradition of vocal mourning.
The coronach tradition preserved oral history and emotion in Highland communities for centuries—a single haunting song could tell the entire life story and virtues of the deceased, making it an ancient form of biography!
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