Commissioned by the Louth Contempory Music Society, Pärt's The Deer's Cry had its world premiere in February 2008 in Louth, Ireland, performed by the State Choir Latvija and conducted by Fergus Sheil. Based on a setting of the poem "St. Patrick's Breastplate" (Christ with me, Christ before me), this five-minute a cappella work evokes peaceful contemplation in both choirs and audiences alike.