« A Stronger Thought of Love » is an indictment of war and violence. It emphasizes that in wars and other acts of violence there are really no winners or losers. Instead, all are victims. And, most often, it is the families, the wives and children, who suffer the most. The killing of the Donnelly family was not an isolated incident but was tied in with faction fighting taking place in Ireland at the time. This violence spread to Canada as people immigrated here. In this story a psychiatrist in London, Ontario, is treating a mysterious young woman who has been found wandering in the graveyard where the Donnellys had been buried. She has no identification and is unable, or unwilling, to reveal her name. Her story is that she was the wife of one of the group of people who took part in the killing of the Donnelly family, a man who was so traumatized by his actions that he later committed suicide. She says that she visits the graveyard in Lucan every year to commemorate his death. Her lonely grief spreads like a stain across the story. The psychiatrist may never know her true identity but he knows who she is. She is all of us. And only peace can provide us with a lasting cure. (Notes by librettist, Charles Mountford)