Transcript

Tá bairéad gorm orm.

Tá mo chraiceann (tirim).

**********

Tá loch ins an abhainn is an t-uisce ag dul fúithi,
Tá na coraíochaí líontaí, na daoine ag ól,
Tá an breac ann, tá an perch ann, tá an eascann 'na luigheamh ann,
Tá an tslat (...).
Tá chuile shórt eile dhá bhféadfá a chur síos ann,
Tá sycamore, beech ann, crann giúsadh, fuinseog,
Tá ceoltaí na ngadhar ann is na marcaigh dhá (bhféadais)
Le héirí na gréine go n-éireodh do chroí.

Tá an smóilín, tá an dreoilín, ag freagairt a chéilí,
Tá an lon dubh, tá an chéirseach, ag guibhe is ag gol,
Dhá mbeifeá i do shuidheamh le taobh (Thobar Bhréanaigh),
Maise, chloisfeá chuile éan acu ag seinm is ag gleo.
Tá chuile shórt eile dhá bhféadfá a chur síos ann,
Tá sméarú is subh craobh ann is measú go leor,
Tá (eiltí) is tá muiltí ag obair gan scíth ann
Is ní íoctar pínn chíosa ann ná tada dhon tsórt.

Translation

I am wearing a blue hat.

My skin is dry(?).

**********

There is a (...) in the river and the water flows under it,
The nets(?) are filled, the people are drinking,
The trout is there, the perch is there, the eel is lying there,
The rod(?) is (...).
Everything else you could describe is there,
The sycamore and beech are there, the pine and the ash,
The sounds of the hounds are there and the riders (...)
At the rising of the sun your heart would leap.

The little thrush and the wren are answering each other,
The blackbird and the hen blackbird beseeching and wailing,
If you were sitting beside Tobar Bhréanaigh(?),
Musha, you would hear every bird singing and making noise.
Everything else you could describe is there,
There are blackberries and raspberries on branches there and plenty of fruit,
There are (...) and mills working continuously there
And not a penny of tax is paid there or anything of the sort.

Commentary

These verses are from the song 'Cill Liadáin', which was composed by Antaine Raiftearaí (Antoine Ó Reachtabhra, Anthony Raftery) (1799–1835). Raiftearaí was born in Cill Liadáin (Killedan) near Kiltimagh, county Mayo, and the song was composed in its praise. Dubhglas de hÍde provides folklore relating to its composition, along with nine verses of the song, in Abhráin agus dánta an Reachtabhraigh (Dublin, 1933; repr. 1935, 1969), 46-52. De hÍde gives two titles for the song: 'Cill-Aodáin' and 'Condae Mhuigh-Eó'. It is not to be confused with the song 'Liostáil mé le sergeant' (al. 'Contae Mhaigh Eo') as sung by Tomás Ó Dubhthaigh (Mayo) elsewhere in the Doegen collection. An edition of 'Cill Liadáin' is included in Ciarán Ó Coigligh, Raiftearaí: amhráin agus dánta (BÁC, 1987), 44-6, 172, 215. Ó Coigligh provides musical notation of the song which closely relates to the melody sung on the present recording. This is a popular melody and is used in other songs such as 'Caoirigh na Japs', a version of which is included on Darach Ó Catháin (Gael-Linn, 1975, re-issued on CD 2004).