Transcript

Tá táilliúir ' chroí mhóir ar an dtaobh so ' Shliabh gCua
Agus gearrann sé mórchuid éadaigh;
Do dh'éalaigh sé uainn, ó, le scaoinse mnaoi[1] rua
A raibh bobs ina cluasa agus péarlaí;
Tá ceo daingean buan ar a intinn anuas
Agus beidh go Lá ' Luain is baol liom.
Mara dtagair go luath agus a thabhairt di siúd fuath
Mhuise is dealbh do chuaird in Éirinn.

A Shéamais na páirte, ó chasais id shláinte,
Ó, cuirfimid fáilte agus céad romhat
Go Buí-Chnoc na sár(bhfir) ba mhinic tú ag gáire
Agus ainnir chiúin mhánla taobh leat;
Nín[2] aon bhean tábhairne dá bhfuil ar an áit
Nár dhíolais an táille léithe;
Seasfaidh an tráill, ó, nach maith í do cháil
(Tusa ag imeacht) go brách le Mary.

A Shéamais Uí Chaorainn, nach dealbh an scéal é
Tú a bheith ag imeacht id réic tar teorainn;
Go dtí an Bhreatain má théir, óra, meathfaidh do cheird
Agus imeoir id réic gan feoirling;
Tiocfaidh an t-éad ar an bhfear eile id thaobh
Agus gearrfaidh, is baol é, do scórnach;
Ní bheidh Aifrinn Dé, ó, le t'anam dá léamh,
Is b'fhearr a bheith in Éirinn, ba dhóigh liom.

A bhuachaillí chroí, más imeacht is cuí dhom,
Ó, cuirigí bhur míle slán liom;
Nach minic a shuínnse seal in úr dtimpeall,
Fí[3] chaithis is meidhir orm ag gáire;
Ní fheiceoidh sibh choíche mise sa tír seo,
Ó, rachaidh mé anonn don stáir úd;
Leanfad mo mhaoin a dtugas taitneamh dá gnnaoi;
San Bhreatain a bheidh mo luí agus m'áras.

Translation

There's a big-hearted tailor on this side of Slieve Gua
And he cuts a great amount of cloth;
He slipped away from us, oh, with a tall strong red-haired woman
Who had 'bobs' in her ears and pearls;
A permanent cloud has descended on his mind
And will remain until Judgement Day I fear.
If you don't come soon and pour hatred on her
Your trip in Ireland will be bleak.

My dear Séamas, since you returned in good health,
Oh, we welcome you a hundred and one times over
To Knockboy of the fine men(?) [where] you often came laughing
Accompanied by a quiet gentle young woman;
There is no tavern-woman in the place
To whom you have not paid her bill;
The trollop will survive, oh, what a reputation you have
As you (?) go away forever with Mary.

Séamais Ó 'Chaorainn[4], what terrible news it is
That you are going abroad as a rake;
To Wales if you go, oro, your trade will fail
And you'll end up as a rake without a farthing;
The other man will become jealous of you
And he will, I fear, cut your throat;
God's Mass won't be read, oh, for your soul,
And it's better to be in Ireland, I would think.

"Dearest boys, if it is proper that I go,
Oh, give me your thousand goodbyes;
How often I used to sit a while in your presence,
I used to laugh with pleasure and joy;
You will never see me in this country again,
Oh, I will go over in one go;
I will follow my treasure whose countenance I have loved;
In Wales I'll sleep and live."

Footnotes

Commentary

Another recording of this song by the present informant, made in the 1940s, appears on Labhrás Ó Cadhla: amhráin ó Shliabh gCua (RTÉ, 2000), where Ó Cadhla gives the following account of the song's composition by a number of different poets: 'A tailor once lived in Slieve Gua, and his name was Séamas Ó ’Chaorainn. He fell in love with a girl, and they were preparing to elope to Wales. The night before he left, four or five poets from the locality visited him to bid him farewell. His mother locked the door and said that she would not allow any of them to leave until they composed a verse of poetry for him. One of the poets by the name of Mac Craith began to compose verses for him.' For an account of the verses attributed to each poet see Pádraig Ó Miléadha, 'Seanchas Sliabh gCua', Béaloideas 6 (1936), 179-81. Another rendition of the song by Ó Cadhla, transcribed in the 1940s, was published in Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Binneas thar meon 1: a collection of songs and airs made by Liam de Noraidh in east Munster (Dublin, 1994), 120-2.

The air has long been a popular one: 'The Girl of Bruree' as published in Patrick Weston Joyce, Old Irish folk music and song (Dublin, 1909), 120, no. 249, is similar to the air sung by Ó Cadhla here. The song immediately after it, entitled 'Felix', was used by Joyce to highlight the extensive use of the same air by lyricists throughout the country. This air, according to Joyce, 'was a favourite theme', as he identified many versions and derivatives of it, a fact which is evident, for example, in the Forde Pigott collections (Royal Irish Academy Library). The air is also remarkably similar to the Donegal version of 'The Blackbird' as recorded, for example, by the travelling fiddle player John Doherty (1900-80). Two versions of the air appear also in Richard Henebry, A handbook of Irish music (Cork, 1928), 92, 292.