Smaoitiú ar an am a bhí - Seán Ó Conaglaigh
Thu, 10/11/2012 - 14:01 | by Eoghan
For the retained voiced fricative velar in this word cf. Alf Sommerfelt, The dialect of Torr, co. Donegal (Christiania, 1922), § 201. (Back)
= smaoineamh. Cf. Dónall Ó Baoill, An teanga bheo: Gaeilge Uladh (Dublin, 1996), 149. (Back)
Recording: [Download audio file]
[Download AIFF audio file (of processed ‘user’ version)]
[Download AIFF audio file (of archive version)]
Transcript
Is aoibhinn éaló suas an gleann
Agus suí ar bhruach na habhna
San tsamhradh bhuí nuair ' dul a luí
Atá an ghrian tráthnóna,
An t-éanlach[1] beag ar bharr na gcrann
Ag goil cheoil 'na suí go haerach,
Na bric ag léimnigh insa tsruthán
Go lúcháireach aerach meadhrach[2].
Is aoibhinn suí ar mhullach cnoic
Os cionn gort is coillte is corrán
Ag smaoiteamh[3] ar an am a bhí
Tá fad ó shoin in Éirinn
Nuair a chosain gaiscígh na hard-Chraobh Rua
Gach bean, seanfhear is páiste
Sular chuir ár námhaid ualach ar
Ár dtír, an marbhfáisc air!
Ar an scrios a níonn ár námhaid orainn
Is minic mise ag smaoiteamh
Ach tiocfaidh an lá le cuidiú Dé
A mbaintear astu cúiteamh.
Beannacht Dé ar Éire bhocht
Agus mallacht ar a námhaid
A d'fhág ár dtír faoi leatrom mhór,
A d'fhág sinn anois mar atámaid.
Translation
How lovely to slip away up the valley
And sit on the riverbank
In the golden summer when the sun goes down
In the evenings,
The little birds on top of the trees
Sitting gaily making music,
The fish leaping in the stream
Joyous, gay and merry.
How lovely to sit on the top of a hill
Above fields and woods and indents(?)
Thinking of times gone by
Long ago in Ireland
When the warriors of the noble Red Branch protected
Every woman, old man and child
Before our enemy burdened
Our country, bad cess to him!
Of the destruction our enemy wreaks upon us
I often find myself thinking
But the day will come with God's help
When we will be compensated for it.
God's blessing on poor Ireland
And a curse on its enemy
Who left our land under great oppression,
Who left us as we are now.
Footnotes
= éanach + éanlaith? (Back)For the retained voiced fricative velar in this word cf. Alf Sommerfelt, The dialect of Torr, co. Donegal (Christiania, 1922), § 201. (Back)
= smaoineamh. Cf. Dónall Ó Baoill, An teanga bheo: Gaeilge Uladh (Dublin, 1996), 149. (Back)
Commentary
A version of this song appears in Medhbh Fionnuala Nic Aodháin (ed.), Báitheadh iadsan agus tháinig mise (1993), 125.
Title in English: Thoughts of the past
Digital version published by: Doegen Records Web Project, Royal Irish Academy
Description of the Recording:
Speaker:
Seán
Ó Conaglaigh from Co.
Donegal
Person who made the recording:
Karl Tempel
Organizer and administrator of the recording scheme: The Royal Irish Academy
In collaboration with: Lautabteilung, Preußische Staatsbibliothek (now Lautarchiv,
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Recorded on 29-09-1931 at 12:00:00 in
Courthouse, Letterkenny. Recorded on 29-09-1931 at 12:00:00 in
Courthouse, Letterkenny.
Archive recording (ID LA_1228d3, from a shellac disk stored at the
Royal Irish Academy) is 01:26 minutes
long. Archive recording (ID LA_1228d3, from a shellac disk stored at the
Royal Irish Academy) is 01:26 minutes
long.
Second archive recording (ID LA_1228b3, from a shellac disc stored in
Belfast) is 01:25 minutes long. Second archive recording (ID LA_1228b3, from a shellac disc stored in
Belfast) is 01:25 minutes long.
User recording (ID LA_1228d3, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal
Irish Academy) is 01:24 minutes long. User recording (ID LA_1228d3, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal
Irish Academy) is 01:24 minutes long.
