Transcript

Tá bó agam ar an sliabh
'Gus táim le seal 'na diaidh
Ó chailleas-sa mo chiall (go harda),
Dá seol(adh) soir is siar
Gach áit dá ngabhann an ghrian
Ó mhaidin go dtí buí an tráthnóna;
Ach nuair a fhéachaim féin anonn
San áit go mbíonn mo rún[1]
Ó, sileann óm shúile deora;
Ó, is a Dhia mhór na ngrást,
Ó, nach trua é mo chás
Is an bhean dubh a d'fhág fí[2] bhrón mé.

Translation

I have a cow on the mountain
And I have been after her for a while
Since I lost my sense on high (?),
Driving her east and west
Wherever the sun shines
From morning till the golden evening;
But when I look over
To where my love is
Oh, the tears fall from my eyes;
Oh, and mighty merciful God,
Oh, how pitiful is my case
And the dark-haired woman who left me in sorrow.

Footnotes

Commentary

Two distinct songs share the title 'Bean Dubh an Ghleanna'. The lyrics of the present recording are similar to the opening verse of the song as published in John O'Daly, The poets and poetry of Munster (Dublin, 1849), 220-5. It is sometimes referred to as 'Moll Dubh an Ghleanna'. O'Daly could not ascertain the authorship of the air but stated that the words are attributed to the famous rapparee Éamann an Chnoic ('Ned of the Hills') who flourished in the early eighteenth century. Breandán Ó Buachalla notes that verses from the song 'Éamann an Chnoic' appear in some versions of 'Bean Dubh an Ghleanna'. See Nua-dhuanaire I (Dublin, 1971), 128. Edward Bunting included a version of the melody in A general collection of the ancient Irish music (London, 1796), 22. Thomas Moore based his song 'Go Where Glory Waits Thee' on Bunting's 'Bean Dubh an Ghleanna' or 'The Maid of the Valley'. George Petrie found fault with Bunting's setting and felt compelled to print his own setting of the air which can be examined in David Cooper, The Petrie collection of the ancient music of Ireland (Cork, 2002), 239-41. Petrie's lyrics are very similar to those sung by Pádraig Ó Ceallaigh on this recording. However, Ó Ceallaigh's highly ornate and stylistic rendition of the song differs melodically from those found in printed sources. For an example of two different melodies set to this popular song see Nóirín Ní Riain, Stór amhrán (Cork and Dublin, 1988), 38-41. Examples of other recorded versions of the song appear on Séamus Ennis's Ceol, scéalta agus amhráin (Gael Linn, 1961; reissued 2006), and on Seán de hÓra's self-titled album (Gael Linn, 1977). The other song also entitled 'Bean Dubh an Ghleanna' can be found in Charlotte Brooke, Reliques of Irish poetry (Dublin, 1789), and Edward Walsh, Irish popular songs (Dublin, 1847). For a discussion of it see David Cooper, The Petrie collection of the ancient music of Ireland, 241-3. Petrie gives the opening four lines as: An bhfaca tú nó an gcuala tú / An stuaire dob áille gnaoi / I ngleannta dubha, is mé in uaigneas / Gan suaimhneas de ló ná d’oíche. A claim that the poem was composed by Nioclás Ó Cearnaigh is made in Seán Ó Dufaigh and Diarmuid Ó Doibhlin, Nioclás Ó Cearnaigh: beatha agus saothar (Dublin, 1989), 105.