Transcript

Rachaidh mise inniu nó amárach go (Muileann an Ghearrsa thiar),
Agus bhéarfaidh mé (...) bheith sástaí ar ainnir (...),
In éis mo thurais bím sáraithe nuair a scaraim le grá mo chroí,
'Gus is náire nach mé a bhí in airde nach bpreabann (den bás) mo chroí.

**********

Tá mo stóirín póstaí, níl ógbhean mar í le baint,
' Thóigfeadh daom an brón seo, is í smóilín an bhrollaigh bháin,
Ní mhoithím torann a bróg ag goil an bóthar ná an machaire bán,
Agus fágaim le Rí an Domhnaigh gur leon sí an croí in mo lár.

Dá mbeadh... Dá mbeadh sé ina dhúch an fharraige is an talamh ina phaipéar bán,
Cleite mín ná garbh (...) atá ar loch ag snámh,
Cléircigh (cruinn le aoirigh) agus bíodh siad le fáil,
Caoithiúlacht mo mhéine ní scríobhfadh siad an dubh ar an mbán.

Ní fhanfaidh mé lá téarma ann nó go dté mé 'un an Oileáin Úir,
Mar a bhfagha mé mo hobáidh[1] gléastaí agus téadaí ar m'fhidil úr,
Bhuailfinn port le pléisiúr in Éire is gach baile cuain,
Agus (...).

Ach beag[2] go raibh mé fáltach gheobhfainn áras in mo thír bheag féin,
Ba agus caoirigh bána agus áit ina gcraithfinn síol ar chré,
Codladh fada samhraidh, greann mór dá dhéanamh dhúinn,
Ach beag go raibh mé... (...) gach lá breá ná bheith leatsa ag bruíon.

Translation

I will go today or tomorrow to Muileann (...) in the west (?),
And I will (...) to be happy (...) a young woman (...),
After my trip I am weary when I leave the love of my life,
And it is a shame that I was not above and(?) that my heart does not jump (...) (?).

**********

My darling is married, there is no young woman like her to be won,
Who would lift from me this sorrow, she is the white-breasted little darling,
I do not hear the sound of her shoe on the road or on the grassy plain,
And I leave it to the King of Sundays that she wounded the heart in my breast.

If the sea were ink and the land were white paper,
A smooth or rough feather (...) floating on a lake,
Clerks (...) and let them be available,
Of the pleasantness of my darling they would not write delusionally (?).

I will not stay a term day (?) there till I go the the New World,
Where I will have my oboe tuned and new strings on my new fiddle,
I would play a tune with pleasure in Ireland and every seaside village,
And (...).

If I were not feeble (?) I would get a house in my own little country,
Cows and white sheep and a place where I could throw seeds on the soil,
A long summer's sleep, great fun available for us,
If I were not... (...) every fine day than to be fighting with you.

Footnotes

Commentary

There are two different songs on the present recording. The first verse was given as 'Condae Mhuigh Eo' at the time of recording. This title is associated with different songs. Cf. Tomás Ó Dubhthaigh's version of 'Liostáil mé le sergeant' (al. 'Condae Mhaigh Eo') and Tomás Ó Lócháin's version of 'Condae Mhaigh Eo' (al. 'Cill Liadáin') which appear elsewhere in the Doegen collection.

Versions of the other verses appear as part of the song 'An Cailín Deas' in Tomás Ó Ceallaigh, Ceol na nOileán (Dublin, 1931), 61-2; new edition by William Mahon: Ceol na nOileán: amhráin (Indreabhán, 1990), 46, 133. Ó Ceallaigh includes an additional first verse, beginning: A Landlady na páirte, tá ’n bás ar mo chroí le tart. This verse is associated with other songs, including 'Bean an Leanna' and 'An Buachaillín Aerach'.