Transcript

Tá cailín óg deas ar mhalaidh an tsléibhe
Nár chumhartha an féirín í le mealladh,
Maith a chaith mé an oíche aréir léithe,
Agus níor éirigh liom a tabhairt abhaile.

Rinne muid achuile shórt réitigh
Go dtéamais le chéilí go teach an tsagairt,
An t-airgead póstaí ní rabh ag mo chéad grá
Agus b'éigean dúinní filleadh abhaile.

Nach mise atá lag brónach
Ó caitheadh an Domhnach seo a fuaigh tharainn,
Ag smaoineamh ar mo mhíle stóirín,
A bhíodh i gcónaí liom 'un Aifrinn.

Ba mhilse liomsa blas a póige
Ná mil isa bhfómhar a bhíonns in éis na meachan[1],
Ní léir dhomsa a ghoil an bóthar,
Tá na deoraí dho mo dhalladh.

Ní dhon fhíodóir ná dhon táilliúr
A thug mé grá ar bith ná taitneamh
Ach dho bhuachaillín na gruaige báine
A mbíonn aoibh an gháirí faoina hata.

Ó fuaigh mo ghrá thar sáile
Ins an áit seo ní rabh ach samhail,
(Faoi aoibhín) dheas agus a gháirí,
A d'fhágaí[2] an fonn orm agus mé i bhfad ó bhaile.

Dílleachtaí bocht mise a fágadh
Gan máthair gan athair,
Agus dhá mbeith mo chliú-sa tarrthaithe,
Nár lúide an cás dhom a bheith falamh.

Níl aon fhear in Éirinn
Chuirfeadh (toghradh)[3] ar mo mhacsamhail
Nár dhoiligh dhó-san a leas a dhéanamh
Ná (...) a ghoil go Flaitheas.

Nuair a bhí mise beag baoideach
Ag mo mháthair agus ag m'athair
Maith a ghoidinn na deich bpínne
Agus achuile ní beag eile ('á mbíodh 'un maithis).

Chuirinnse é i dtaiscí
Ins an áit nach bhfaigheadh aon nduine amach é
Nó go n-ólainn é agus mo mhíle stóirín
Seal go spóirtiúil i dteach an leanna.

Is trua nach bhfuil mise i Luighne Uí Eaghra
Nó go hard as cionn an bhaile
An áit a bhfeicfinn mo mhíle stóirín
Achaon tráthnóna agus aríst ar maidin.

Ní thóigfeadh firibh Éirinn orm
Dhá bhféadfainn mo mhian a mhealladh,
Agus más í a mháithrín atá ina dhéidh orm
Flaitheas Dé nár fhaighe an chailleach.

Translation

There's a young pretty girl on the brow of the mountain
What a pretty gift she is to charm,
Well I spent last night with her,
But I didn't succeed in bringing her home.

We made every kind of arrangement
That we would go together to the priest's house,
My darling did not have the marriage stipend
And we had to return home.

I am weak and sad
Since last Sunday,
Thinking of my love,
Who always went to Mass with me.

The taste of her kiss was sweeter to me
Than honey from the bees in the autumn,
I can't see well enough to travel the road,
The tears blind me.

It wasn't upon the weaver or the tailor
That I bestowed my love or affection
But upon the fair-haired boy
Who smiles and laughs under his hat.

Since my love went overseas
In this place there is only a spectre,
Beaming and smiling (?),
Which left me longing while I was far away from home.

I am a poor orphan who was left
Without a mother or father,
And if my reputation were saved
Wouldn't being destitute be less of a concern for me.

There is no man in Ireland
Who would (...) on the like of me,
Wouldn't it be harder for him to do what would be good for himself (?)
Than (...) go to Heaven. (?)

When I was very small
With my father and mother
How well I would steal the tenpence
And every other valuable(?) little thing.

I would keep it safe
Where nobody would find it
Until I drank it with my love
For a playful while in the drinking house.

A pity I am not in Leyney
Or high above the town
Where I would see my love
Every evening and again in the morning.

The men of Ireland would not blame me
If I could entice my desire,
And if his mother who begrudges it to me
May the hag never reach Heaven.

Footnotes

Commentary

This song of love, frustration and sadness is generally known under the title 'An Cailín Óg Deas'. The poet and his beloved young woman are intent on marrying each other. When they arrive at the priest's house, they do not possess sufficient money to pay the marriage stipend and therefore return home unwed. Despite being very much in love, they fail to stay together. In some versions of the song emigration, parental interference and trickery combine to keep the couple apart. Micheál Ó Tiománaidhe collected another version from Antoine Sírín, Belmullet, county Mayo, which he published as 'Cailín Óg Deas ar Bhruach an tSléibhe' in Abhráin Ghaedhilge an Iarthair (Dublin, 1906). See new edition by William Mahon: Amhráin Ghaeilge an Iarthair (Indreabhán, 1992), 46. A version of the song, along with staff notation of the melody as transcribed by Séamus Mac Mathúna, was published in Treoir 35:3 (2003). The Conamara singer Máire Áine Ní Dhonnchadha recorded a version on Deora aille: Irish songs from Connemara (Claddagh Records, 1970). It is not to be confused with the song 'Cailín Deas Óg' as published, for example, in Amhráin Ghaeilge an Iarthair, 59.