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Conference tallis::celt

Title:Celt Notefile
Moderator:TALLIS::DARCY
Created:Wed Feb 19 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1632
Total number of notes:20523

390.0. "Scottish Music" by CSC32::MA_BAKER () Wed Jun 08 1988 13:04

This is excerpted from a Brittish magazine - "Cream", September, 1973, p 12.

"The difficult thing now is knowing where to start when trying to turn someone
on to Scottish music.  You see there are dozens of different types of Scottish
music.  And different parts of Scotland produce different cultures.  For
example, there's a tradition of worksongs on the West Coast and particularly
in the islands, while on the East coast, there's a wealth of after work songs,
dirty drinking songs.

Still on the West Coast, there's another form of singing - mouth music.  And the
weirdness of the sound of it should freak you out.  The singers have a strange
technique of imitating the pipes by emitting the sound in gulps from the back
of the throat.

Pibrochs are one of the most beautiful mournful forms of the Scottish tradition.
Although they're more often played on the pipes, they can be sung with the 
singer imitating the pipe sound.  Basically, you can think of pibrochs as being
Scottish blues.  They're slow, melodic laments with a formalised progression...
The theme, or Urlar, is stated and there are ten or more set variations.  The 
catchy thing is the use of grace notes.  They give the slow drawn-out pibrochs
another dimension.

Pibrochs and laments comprise the piper's Ceol Mor (big music) and dance tunes
the Ceol beag (little music).  In the old days, pipers who were really into
it, wouldn't touch the Ceol beag, and they would concentrate on the big music.

The piping governors used to be the MacCrimmons of Boreaig, in Skye, who were
heriditary pipers to the MacLeods of Dunvegan.  Composing pibrochs and playing
them were their gig, and they specialised in it...

The funny thing about pipe music is that the older you get, the more respected
you seem to be.  In jazz, players seem to reach their peak when they're about
30 to 40 years old.  But pipers appear to hit it much later.

In the little music, there's a lot of swing.  No matter what tempo they're
playing, pipers - and this goes for Scottish musicians in general - consistently
sprinkle triplets throughout their music.  The result is that all tunes have
a feeling of excitement about them.

And when you get pipers and drummers together in a pipe band you just can't stop
them swinging....They're so crisp and continually they lift the music into the
air, and keep it bouncing there with grace notes, triplets, pressed rolls and
booming accents.

Scottish fiddlers ... have a jaw-dropping facility. Their command of the
fiddle is staggering, and once again you just can't help stomping your foot
the moment they begin to play.

Music of ... the North East ...  Here, in the country districts, there's a
tradition that's different from the gaelic one.  Sure, it's derived from
it - and constantly you'll hear older gaelic songs in a North East setting -
but it has come up with it's own identity.

For a start the language is different.  It's a mixture of  words derived
from gaelic and corrupted English.

A good example is the chorus of the most famous song from the North East -
The Mucking of Geordie's Byre.

	For the graip was tint,
	the besom was deen.
	The barra widna row
	its leen
	An siccan a soss it
	never was seen
	At the muckin o'
	Geordie's byre.

These songs are grouped under the heading of Bothy Ballads.  They're the
songs that were sung in the bothies - that's where the farm labourers
used to live - after the work was done.

These ... lads had a hard time of it.  The money was very bad and the
food was mainly oatmeal in various forms.  So to get away from it all,
the would gather round, get pissed and sing dirty songs, funny songs,
and play.  There were pipers, fiddlers and concertina players. Any cheap
instrument they could get their hands on was brought in ...

The music reflects the mood they must have been in.  It's swaying,
staggering, stirring stuff.  The high points of the songs are accented by
people hoochin' - shouting yelps.  ...the same sort of thing goes on [in
South Africa] when people get together for a kneesup.

There's a East coast equivalent of West Coast music ... diddling. It's a
wee bit like scat singing.  Imagine trying to sing a tune to somebody who's
never heard it before.  You want him to get the rhythm of the tihing, as
well as the melody, so you throw yourself into it with da's and dee's and
diddledum's.  That's diddling.

Now there are more sub-forms of Scottish music ... for example all those
plaintive gaelic lullabies ....

I'm telling you this to persuade you that you don't have to be Scottish to 
appreciate Scottish music."

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
390.1TSC01::MAILLARDDenis MAILLARDThu Jun 09 1988 02:464
    Re .0: Not to mention the incredible wealth of love and historical
    ballads (or combination of both), and many, many different kinds
    of dance music, and... (we could go on for hours).
    			Denis.
390.2Contemporary Scottish artists?MTWAIN::WARDPizzaholicFri Sep 30 1988 16:468
I've got my Jean Redpath album, and my Tannerhill Weavers album...but
what other contemporary Scottish artists are out there and where is their
stuff available in S. NH?

Also, where can I get some good bagpipe music?  (I realize that all pipe music
is good, but I need more for my car stereo!  It keeps my blood runnin' warm!)

Randy 8*)
390.3Some Scottish artistsDUB01::FARRELLMon Oct 03 1988 07:4511
    I dont kow where in your part of the world you can get these but
    some really good Scottish bands are
    
    Silly Wizard and The Battlefield Band. Battlefield have an excellent
    bagpipe player who makes the bagpipes sound really good (I meself
    am into the uileann pipes being Irish)
    The Boys of the Lough do a wide range of Irish and Scottish music
    and are well worth listening to. Also, the Corries do a lot of very
    nice Scottish ballads.
    
    - Joe 
390.4The Seige of Guinness a.k.a. Burns' favorite ReelSTEREO::BURNSClare will be fine in 89'Mon Oct 03 1988 09:4116
    
    
    
    	re: .3 
    
    	Joe: Speaking of the Uileann Pipes, we went to see Liam Og'
    	     and Donal Lunny in Boston on Saturday night.
    
    
    		A true Master of the pipes.
    
    
    
    
    
    	keVin
390.5bagpipe music on tapeCSC32::MA_BAKERMon Oct 03 1988 13:0921
    Your local tape and record store should be able to get bagpipe tapes for
    you. Have them look at the Lismor label. A couple of recent good
    ones, "Grace Notes", "6 In a Row", "The 78th Fraser Highlanders
    Irish Tour"--all of these are bagpipes, some traditional band, some really
    modern stuff. There is a place called "Unicorn Tapes and Records"
    that is associated with the "Scottish American" publications folks,
    I don't have the address off hand but I can look it up.  Also if
    you ever are interested in attending any highland gatherings, the
    vendors, including the Unicorn, are always there with their tapes
    and records (and some cds too).  When I got the above tapes, they were
    $10. each.
    If you like piobaireachd (pibroch) solo classical bagpipe, on Lismor
    are a couple of tapes by Donald MacLeod, a noted premier piper of
    strictly pibroch.
    And if you want solo light bagpipe music, locally (Colorado Springs)
    there is a World Class piper named Gordon Speirs who has made a
    tape. It is unusual in that he introduces each set on the tape.
    Since I take lessons from Gordon, I can get you a copy if you would
    like. I think he is still charging $7.50 for the tape, I would have
    to double check that price, though, in case it has changed lately.
                    
390.6Thanks!MTWAIN::WARDPizzaholicTue Oct 04 1988 13:403
Thanks for many good suggestions!  I'll be tryin' some of them soon!

Randy
390.7Some more suggestionsWELSWS::MANNIONA' for the girdin' o' it!Tue Oct 11 1988 06:3418
    Some other Scots you might try-
    
    Dick Gaughan
    Archie Fisher
     any of Archie Fisher's sisters:
    	Cilla (who sings with her husband Artie Tresize)
    	Ray
    	the whole family of six on an old Topic alum called The Fisher
    	Family
    Ewan MacColl
    Five Hand Reel (for Scottish "folk rock")
    The Easy Club
    Jock Tamson's Bairns (from whom the Easy Club developed)
    Rod Patterson (who sang with both the above)
    Hamish Moore (who plays the Scottish small pipes)
    
    
    Phillip
390.8EGAV01::DKEATINGRoamin' Cadillac Church SAVESTue Oct 11 1988 10:379
.7�    Ewan MacColl

    Whose daughter Kirsty Mc Coll had the hit with The Pouges last
    christmas doing the 'Fairy Tale of New York' and who also sang
    another hit song called 'Theres a Guy works down the chip-shop
    swears hes Elvis' some years back....and while I'm at it what
    about the Pride of Scotland himself John Martyn... ;-)
    
    - Dave K.
390.9Eric Bogle... Hamish Imlach...AYOV12::ASCOTTAlan Scott, FMIC, Ayr, ScotlandTue Oct 11 1988 11:271
    
390.10Hamish MooreCSC32::MA_BAKERTue Oct 11 1988 13:565
    Try Hamish Moore.
    I have  CAULD WIND PIPES and OPEN ENDED ...  these tapes
    are on the Dunkeld label.. these are lowland pipes, alone and in
    conjunction with other traditional and modern instruments, on
    traditional and modern tunes.
390.11CapercaillieRICKS::ANDERSONFri Oct 14 1988 13:374
Another great band is "Capercaillie" (sp?).  A bunch of youngsters but I saw
them in Cambridge and they were hot.  They have a couple albums/tapes out.

Walker
390.12MUSIC SOURCEBTO::BERGERON_MThu Oct 27 1988 11:247
    <ONE SOURCE OF CELTIC MUSIC IS ALCAZAR, A RECORD DISTRIBUTER FROM
    WATERBURY, VT.  I DON'T HAVE THE ADDRESS HERE BUT I THINK IF YOU
    JUST WRITE TO ALCAZAR, WATERBURY, VT IT SHOULD GET THERE.  THEY'LL
    SEND YOU A CATALOG WITH A WONDERFUL SELECTION OF CELTIC MUSIC.
    ANOTHER GOOD GROUP IS RELATIVITY.
                                                  KATHY
    
390.13HELPBOSOX::PLEVINEFri Sep 14 1990 11:223
    Can anybody give me any info on the PROCLAIMERS. Is their next album
    due soon. 
    Peter
390.14Chi mi'n Geamhradh: Traditional Scottish Gaelic albumSYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnTue Jul 23 1991 06:5744
All,
    I saw this excellent review for a Gaelic based album in last 
Saturday's "Scotsman" (20-Jul) in the folk section (P26 of the Weekend
supplement).

Shades of Gaeldom

Currently causing a big stir among Gaels and non-Gaels alike is a disc by
Catherine-Ann MacPhee "Chi mi'n Geamhradh" (=I see the winter -CC), 
published by Greentrax. The attention is well justified, for this is
contemporary Gaelic singing of a very high order indeed, with the added
appeal of top-quality instrumental backing from Savourna Stevenson, Jim
Sutherland, Jack Evans, Allan MacDonald, Neil Hay and Charlie McKerron.

The choice of a Runrig song (from their first album - Play Gaelic -CC)
as both opener and title track should do no harm at the sales counter;
it's a particularly bewitching number, with Savourna's harp in attractive
form. The bulk of the material is traditional, but Miss MacPhee's voice 
of many shades - intriguingly shadowy in many tracks but pouring out pure,
spring sunshine in "Tha na h-uain ain an tulaich" (The lambs are on the
hills)  - brings an intensely personal feeling across, as if these were
all her own songs.

The "Seathan" waulking song is taken as a slow solo - a sure sign that
Miss MacPhee is both capable and confident. Other delights include the
spinning song "O Hi Ri Lean", set to an irresistibly catchy jig by Jim
Sutherland and "'S Muladach mi's mi air m'aineol", where whistle, harp
and backing vocals are handsomely employed.


-- Does anyone know the address for Greentrax, I quite fancy writing
   off for a copy of their catalogue?

-- I also particularly enjoy the song "Chi mi'n Geamhradh", although
   I have only heard the Runrig version. It is a lovely ballad, and
   tells of "the return to insular island life in the winter after a
   summer of tourism". It is easily my favourite track on that album,
   and was played by the band for many years at their concerts long 
   after they became well known and started doing more rock-like 
   numbers. The song also appears on the band's live album "Once in
   a lifetime" and is the only track on that album to come from 
   the days of "Play Gaelic".

Craig
390.15SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnWed Nov 27 1991 15:085
I have a couple of free spare Lismor music catalogues if anyone
would like one - they have quite a strong bias towards traditional
Scottish and Irish music and I have at least three albums from the catalogue.

Craig
390.16Capercaillie fan club infoMAJORS::COCKBURNCraig CockburnWed May 20 1992 11:2343
All,
    Here's the info on Capercaillie from the organisation which will become
their fan club:

Capercaillie "Rock achievement of the year"  - The Times

Radio 1 continues to support Capercaillie, their latest EP is already
recieiving air play.

The band's recent concert at the Mean Fiddler in London was described
by the Times as "Unique and Stirring"

Subscription:

If you would like to receive regular news on Capercaillie you can officially
join the mailing list for a subscription fee of �6.50 for 1 year's
membership.

When applicable, this service will provide you with details of tours, new
releases, TV and radio programmes, plus general news and press for interest.
One or two promotional items will even be thrown in!

You will receive a newsheet every 2 months i.e. 6 times a year. If you
decide to join, the first official mail will be for the beginning of June,
the second for August and so on. If of course you have any questions 
inbetween, you can contact Paula at the address below, but please
enclose a SAE.

Please direct all correspondence to:

Capercaillie Info
P.O. Box 5011 
London
W12 7ZD

Please make cheques payable to "Etive Records" and write your name
and address on the back

From: Paula Moore

 The above info was send to me via Capercaillie's record company,
Survival Records (Based in Ealing, West London)

390.17SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnFri Sep 18 1992 14:51306
Traditional Scottish Gaelic song, with translation and extensive notes for
learners.

 ------- Forwarded mail received on 18-Sep-1992 at 01:57:44 -------

From:	VBORMC::"GAELIC-L%[email protected]" 
	"GAELIC Language Bulletin Board"
To:	Multiple recipients of <GAELIC-L%[email protected]>
Subj:	Amhran [SG]: Togail curs air Le�dhas


Craig Cockburn asked me to use this song as my next SG reading, so here it
is. The song is by Donald Morrison of Fivepenny Ness, Lewis.

Translation interspersed with text, some notes follow the text,
a vocabulary list is at the end.

-----------------------------------------------------

Togail c�rs air Le�dhas

Tiugainn leamsa 's d�an cabhaig 's th�id sinn thairis a null
Dh' eilean uasal na G�idhlig rinn ar n-�rach 'nar cloinn;
T�r  nan treun-fhear is calma choisinn ainm a measg Ghall,
'S th�id sinn comhla a leannain th�r an rainich a null.

Come [1] along with me, make haste, and we'll go across over there
To the proud Gaelic island where [2] we were raised as children;
The land of the bravest [3] heroes who won a reputation amongst foreigners,
And we'll go together, my darling, over to the land of bracken [4].

N� sinn gluasad gu d�na suas na br�ighean 's na caoil;
Gheibh sinn aiseag gu s�bhailt null gu �ite mo ghaoil;
'S nuair a bhuaileas i 'm b�gh ann chluinn thu G�idhlig gach taobh
'S gheibh sinn aoigh agus f�ilt 'n eilean b�igheil an fhraoich.

We'll go [5] boldly westwards [6] over the hills and the straits;
We'll get a ferry safely over to the place I love;
And when it lands at the harbour [7] there you'll hear Gaelic all round
And we'll get a welcome and a hospitable greeting [8] in the friendly
heather island. [9]

Ch� thu muir, ch� thu m�inteach, chi thu mh�ine mu'n cuairt,
Ch� thu cnuic ghlas is le�idean air am b' e�lach sinn uair;
Ch� thu machraichean c�mhnard 's tha gu le�r dhiubh air tuath
Ann an Nis, �ite b�idheach, 's thogadh �g ann mi suas.

You'll see sea, you'll see moorland, you'll see peat mosses round about,
You'll see green hills and slopes that we once knew well;
You'll see level coastal plains and plenty of them are under cultivation
In Ness, a beautiful place, where I was brought up when young.

Nuair thig s�imheachd an t-samhraidh 's e 'n taobh thall �it as b�idhch',
Bidh gach struth�n le sunnd air 's aig gach allt�n bidh ce�l;
Bidh gach ne�inean is fl�r�n ri d�sgadh 'nan gl�ir,
'S thig am feasgar 'gan cr�nadh le �r-dheal is ce�.

When the mildness of summer comes the other side [10] is a most beautiful place
Each streamlet is joyful and each little brook has its music
all the daisies and little flowers waken [11] into their glory
and evening comes to crown [12] them with fresh dew and mist.

Ch� thu Si�mpan tha aosmhor air aodann nan stuagh,
'S tric tha solus toirt saorsainn do na laoich tha air chuan;
'S iomadh b�t' bh' air a sgi�rsadh 's i gun ch�rs ri droch uair
Rinn an soills' ud a sti�ireadh steach an c�iltean Loch-a-Tuath.

You'll see ancient Tiumpan [13] defying [14] the waves,
Its light [15] often gives deliverance to brave seamen;
It's many a boat that had been driven off couse and had lost its way [16]
at a bad time
that that light guided into the security of Broad Bay [17].

Ch� thu iasgairean t�rail 's fhe�rr air sti�ireadh 's cur l�on,
Mach � cladach Phort-nan-Gi�ran, b' e sud cli� bh' ac' a riamh;
Sud am baile rinn d' �rach 's fhuair thu gr�dh ann is d�on,
'S ch� thu 'n dachaidh a dh'fh�g thu mar a bha i bho chian.

You'll see skillful fishermen, the best at sailing and at casting nets,
Out from the shore at Port-nan-Giuran, that's what they were always famous
for;
That's the town where you were brought up, and you got love and protection
there,
And you'll see the home that you left, unchanged since long ago.

'S nis aontaich thu r�in leam 's d�an co-dhunadh air ball,
Leig do shoraidh gun smuairean le d�thaich nan Gall,
Dol gu fearann ar s�nnsir bha cho str�theil 'na cheann,
'S n� sinn t�mhachd 's an t�r sin gus an s�near sinn ann.

Now agree with me, love, and make and end straight away,
Make your goodbyes, with no regrets, to the foreigners' land,
To go to the land of our ancestors which was such an ardent one [18]
And we'll stay in that country as long as we live [19].

Notes
-----

1. Tiugainn isn't historically a verb, but a personal preposition
   (delenited palatalised from of thugainn, towards us); however, so
   far as current Gaelic is concerned it behaves just like an indeclinable
   defective verb (1st person plural and 2nd person singular & plural
   imperative); it hass displaced rachamaid (1p pl. ipv of rach) to some
   extent, but not completely. (I wonder if that's how irregular verbs come
   to exist in a language: are we seeing a step in the evolution of rach
   from irregular to even more irregular?)
2. literally: " the island which raised us", but that's just poetic
   license, not a normal Gaelic idiom.
3. "is calma"; as usual the superlative has to be buried in a relative
   clause; usually the relative copula is written "as" instead of "is".
4. Places in the western isles are often known by some descriptive phrase
   as an alternative to their name; t�r an rainich (the land of bracken)
   is the northern half of Lewis; other examples include eilean s' che�
   (the isle of mist, = Skye), t�r a' mhurain (the land of maram grass,
   = North Uist), t�r an e�rna (the land of barley, = Tiree), and
   eilean fhraoich (the isle of heather, = Harris and Lewis)
5. N� sinn gluasad: literally we shall make a movement.
6. Suas: Westwards; usually suas means up (away from the speaker) but
   "up the hills and the kyles" wouldn't make sense.
7. The most common meaning of buail is strike, but "bhuail an aiseag am
   bagh" means "the ferry landed at the harbour" rather than "the ferry
   crashed into the dock" which is what translating it as "strike" here
   would suggest. Also "bagh" means either harbour or bay according to
   context, here it's where the ferry touches land so it's harbour.
8. aoigh: either a guest, or a stranger, or the welcome given to one.
9. Isle of heather here means the whole Island (Harris & Lewis) as opposed
   to N. Lewis (tir an rainich)
10.the other side - - the other side of the water, ie the island. Or
   perhaps it means the other side of the island, the Tolstas, Stornaway,
   and the Eye instead of Ness.
11.ri dusgadh is Lewis Gaelic, standard Gaelic is a' dusgadh; in
   standard gaelic the use of "ri" in the indicative forms a sort of
   infinitive of intent, or an imperative: they are to wake, rather than
   they wake.
12.I've taken 'gan as meaning gu + an rather than ag + an; if it's ag it
   means "comes crowning them" instead of "comes to crown them".
13.Tiumpan rather than Siumpan in English presumably comes from some phrase
   like "Solus an t-Siumpan" (Tiumpan Light) where there's a T sound in the 
   Gaelic. Quite often Ti�mpan in Gaelic too.
14.literally "on the face of the waves"
15.this is the light at the NE end of the Eye peninsula, not the Butt
   of Lewis light near Ness.
16."air a sgiursadh" = driven off course; "gun curs" = without a course,
   ie lost.
17.Loch-a-Tuath (The North Loch) is called Broad Bay in English; it's
   impossible to translate names like this unless you just happen to know
   what the place is called, there's no point in learners trying to
   remember name equivalences unless they intend to go to the places (and
   then they'll need them; although a seaman will understand Broad Bay
   because that's what's on the charts, a land-lubber may well use
   Loch-a-Tuath even when speaking English.
18.bha cho stritheil 'na cheann: my translation is a guess, anyone
   got a better one? the subject of the relative clause is singular
   ('na not 'nan) so it's the land not the ancestors, or is that a
   misprint in my copy of the song (our ancestors who were so
   hard-working) or a transcription error caused by the Lewis accent
   ([na~ h'auN] mistaken for [na h'auN]; in standard gaelic that
   mistake can't arise because [nan~ g'auN] isn't going to be heard
   as [na x'auN]).
19.literally: until we are stretched out in it.

vocabulary
----------

ainm            a name
aiseag          a ferry
�it            a place (often written �it', as abbreviation for �ite)
�ite           a place (alternative spelling and pronunciation)
allt�n         small mountain stream (diminutive of allt)
aodann          a face; defiance
aoigh           a guest, a stranger; a welcome
aontaich        agree
aosmhor         ancient
�rach          upbringing
b�gh           bay; harbour
b�igheil       friendly, kind, affectionate
baile           town
ball            air ball: on the spot, immediately
b�t'           b�ta: boat, ship
b�idhch'       comparative of b�idheach
b�idheach      beautiful
br�ighean      plural of br�igh, a hill, an upper part of something.
bhuaileas       relative future of buail, strike, touch, land
cabhaig         a hurry
calma           brave, resolute
caoil           strait, narrows
cheann          head; state; one of something (cf head of cattle)
ce�            mist
ce�l           music
chian           long time
cladach         shore
cli�           fame, reputation
cloinn          plural of clann, collective noun for children
chluinn         heard. past independent of cluinn, hear
cnuic           plural of cnoc, small hill
co-dhunadh      finishing, ending. also written comh-dhunadh
choisinn        win, earn
comhla          together with
c�mhnard       flat, plain, even
cr�nadh        crowning; verbal noun from cr�n, crown.
cuairt          mu'n cuairt: around
chuan           cuan: ocean
c�iltean       plural of c�il, a corner, a safe place, a private place
cur             putting; verbal noun from cuir
c�rs           course (usually c�rsa)
dachaidh        home
d�na           daring, resolute, bold
d�an           do, make
dh'fh�g        went away, left; past independent of f�g.
d�on           shelter
dhiubh          of them, prepositional pronoun de+iad
dol             going; verbal noun from rach (very irregular verb)
droch           bad (very)
d�sgadh        waking; verbal noun from d�isg
d�thaich       country
eilean          island
e�lach         acquainted, aware
f�ilt          f�ilte: welcome, salutation, greeting
fearann         country, land
fhe�rr         better, best. comparative of math (good)
feasgar         evening; afternoon
fl�ran         small flower; diminutive of fl�r
fraoich         of heather (genetive of fraoch)
fhuair          found, got; past independent tense of faigh
gach            each, every
gall            foreigner (non-gael)
ghaoil          love; vocative of gaol
gheibh          will find, will get; future independent of faigh
ghlas           green; grey
gl�ir          glory
gluasad         movement
gr�dh          love
iasgairean      plural of iasgair, fisher
iomadh          many
laoich          plural of laoch, brave person, hero
leam            with me; prepositional pronoun le+mi
leamsa          leam+sa. with me (so-called "emphatic" form)
leannain        sweetheart, spouse (vocative case of leannan)
leig            leave
le�idean       plural of leathad: slope, hillside (think of it as
                sloping downwards rather than upwards)
le�r           gu le�r: enough, plenty
l�on           a net
mach            out
machraichean    plural of machair
measg           a measg: amongst
m�ine          a moss, a peat-bog; peat
m�inteach      a moor, a marsh
muir            sea
ne�inean       daisy
nuair           when (conjunction; when interrogative is c'uine)
rainich         bracken
riamh           ever before
rinn            did, made; past of d�an
r�in           vocative of r�n, darling, dear
s�bhailt       safe
samhraidh       summer
saorsainn       freedom; deliverance
s�imheachd     softness, mildness
sgi�rsadh      verbal noun from sgi�rs, whip out, drive away
s�near         future passive independent of s\in, stretch
s�nnsir        ancestors
smuairean       grief, anxiety
soills'         soillse, light
solus           a light
soraidh         farewell
steach          into
sti�ireadh     steering, guiding. verbal noun from sti�ir. (also sti�radh)
str�theil      quarrelsome; hard-working
struthan        little stream; Lewis spelling and pronunciation of
                sruthan, diminutive of sruth
stuagh          a wave; usually stuadh
suas            upwards (from speaker). Westwards
sunnd           joy
thairis         across
thall           beyond, over there
t�mhachd       staying, resting; verbal noun from t�mh
taobh           side
th�id          will go; future independent of rach
thig            came; past of tig
t�r            land, country
tiugainn        let's go, come along
thogadh         past passive of tog; was raised
togail          raising; verbal noun from tog
toirt           taking, giving; verbal noun from thoir
treun-fhear     brave man, hero
tric            often
tuath           peasantry, land, smallholding, people, farm, cultivation
t�rail         skillful; clever; sensible
uair            once
�r-dheal       �r: fresh, new. deal: Lewis for dealt, dew, raindrops
                (in standard gaelic deal is a leech, bloodsucker)

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390.18SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnFri Sep 18 1992 19:38267
And another....

Craig

 ------- Forwarded mail received on 26-Aug-1992 at 09:37:54 -------

From:	VBORMC::"GAELIC-L%[email protected]" 
	"GAELIC Language Bulletin Board"
To:	Multiple recipients of <GAELIC-L%[email protected]>
Subj:	Saoil an till mi chaoidh - -



Vocabulary follows song. Translation follows vocabulary.
If any of our SG learners out there have problems matching the
text to the translation, shout for help.

Another transatlantic song, this time from the USA; makes a
change from Canada. Written by Malcolm MacLeod, who was born in
Garenin and emigrated to Detroit. A couple of years after he wrote
this song (1925?) he became ill and returned to Lewis; buried
at Dalmore, as verse 5 says he wanted to be.

        �ran eile bho thall thairis, a rinn Calum Fox (�s na
        Gearannan) nuair bha e ann an Detroit. Phill e ri
        Le�dhais 's e tinn beagan bliadhna an deidh dha an
        �ran so a dh�anamh, 's tha e amhluigte ann an Dail
        M�r far an l�ig e (5mh rann) a bhith 'ga chur s�os.

    Saoil an till mi chaoidh  (le Calum Fox, na Gaireannain)
    --------------------------------------------------------

Saoil an till mi chaoidh dha na glinn 'san robh mi �g,
Far 'm bu chridheil aoibhneach sinn gun uallach inntinn oirnn,
A' buachailleachd crodh-laoigh agus gamhna mar bu n�s,
An till mise chaoidh dha na glinn 'san robh mi �g?

'S minig mi a' beachdachadh air na h-achaibh 's iad fo ph�r,
Fraoch gu b�rr nam beannaibh is na machraichean fo r�s;
Eathraichean ag iasgach is cuid sgiamhach ruith fo she�l,
'S a ghrian ri dol s�os taobh an Iar Loch a R�g.

Cha d�an mise d�-chuimhn' air feasgar f�athach re�it'
An eala bh�n 'na sgiamha ri sgiathalaich 'san �s;
A' ghealach cho ion-mhiannaichte ri riaghladh anns na ne�il,
Is fuaim Tr�igh Uig is Shanndaig - O b' annsa leam an ce�l.

Ged a ruiginn cr�ochan air fad 's air leud nan st�it'
M' aigne-sa bidh 'g iarraidh do 'n �it 'san d�anainn t�mh
Far bheil na beanntan fianaich 's an sliabh fo chaoraich bhl�r
'S far an cluinn thu 'n Cuan a Siar tighinn gu h-iarganach gu tr�igh.

Ged is fhada thall mi 's gun ghanntachd air mo st�r
Tha mo dh�rachd-sa measg ghleanntan is bheanntan Eilean Le�dhais,
Ach tha s�il agam bhith ann roimh feasgar fann mo l�
Is l�iginn a bhith adhlaichte aig Ceann Tr�igh Dhaile M�ir.

Mo bheannachd leis gach mathair tha 's na l�ithean so ri br�n
Airson dealachadh ri p�isdean, is p�irt nach tachair be�.
'S eagal leam gum f�saichear �it' mo ghr�idh rinn m' �rach �g:
Na dh' fh�g am Metag�ma ac' tha 'm Marloch le� fo she�l.

Vocabulary
----------

achaibh         fields (dative pl. of achadh, a field)
�it'           (�ite) place.
�rach          upbringing, nursing
adhlaichte      interred, buried (adhlaich, also spelt amhluich,
                bury; the standard spelling is with dh, the
                normal pronunciation [aulix] matches the
                nonstandard spelling).
aigne           mind, thoughts
airson          because
annsa           dearer, better liked (is annsa leam: I would
                rather). Comparative of toigh, but often used
                as if not a comparative.
aoibhneach      pleasant, cheerful
beachdachadh    verbal noun from beachdaich, consider,
                contemplate.
beannaibh       dative plural of beann, hills.
beanntan        nominativ�accusative plural of beann, hills.
                (beanntaichean is used as well as beanntan).
beannachd       blessing
bl�r           white-faced. caoraich bhl�r are lowland sheep,
                as opposed to caoraich dhubh-cheannach (mountain
                sheep)
br�n           sorrow
buachailleachd  verbal noun from buachaillich, herd
chaoidh         ever (often spelt choidhche)
chaoraich       sheep (nom. pl. of caora, a sheep)
cridheil        kind, cheerful, hearty
cluinn          hear
cr�ochan       ends, limits (cr�och end, boundary, limit)
crodh-laoigh    calves (less than 6 months old?)
d�an           do, make
d�anainn       1st pers singular active dependent incomplete tense of
                d�an.
dealachadh      separating, parting (vbl noun from dealaich)
d�rachd        a wish
d�-chuimhn'    forgetfullness, neglect
dol             going (vbl noun; irregular verb rach = go)
eagal           fear
eala            a swan
eathraichean    small boats, pl. of eathar  (spelt eithir in Tiree and
                places south).
f�saichear     will beome deserted (future impersonal/passive
                of f�saich, make empty, make into a desert)
air fad         throughout, all
air fad 's air leud     throughout the length and breadth
fann            weak, infirm
f�athach       calm
feasgar         evening, afternoon
fianaich        (fianach) covered with grassy moor
fraoch          heather
fuaim           sound, noise
gamhna          calf (more than 6 months old?)
ganntachd       shortage
gealach         moon
grian           sun
glinn           gen sing of gleann, valley (glen)
iarganach       Lewis for iarguineach: uneasy, restless, troubled
iarraidh        (vbl noun from iarr) wanting, desiring
iasgach         fishing
inntinn         mind, will, intent
ion-mhiannaichte desirable (ion- prefix meaning "fit to be" plus
                miannaichte, passive participle of miannaich,
                desire: so "fit to be desired")
l�ithean       days. pl. of l� (or latha) a day.
leud            breadth; but see (air) fad above.
l�             nonstandard spelling of l�, used as pl as well
                as sing, day or days.
l�iginn        1st pers active independent incomplete of l�ig,
                wish/desire.
                the dependent is spelt the same, but the sense
                clearly requires the independent. The
                pronunciation has lenited l, the dependent would
                have an unlenited l (almost a back vowel instead
                of the consonant).
machraichean    pl. of machair.  I don't think there's an English
                word for machair, the Gaelic word is used in
                Scots English but is not understood in England.
                Roughly it's a sandy plain covered in grass and
                wildflowers bordering on beach/sea.
                (In older times it had other meanings, but this
                was the only meaning in the West and Gaelic is
                now spoken only in the West.)
minig           often
ne�il          pl. of neul, cloud.but often just means the sky.
n�s            custom, habit. mar bu n�s = as we used to
�s             estuary, river mouth, delta
p�isdean       children
p�r            grain, crop (corn in English, but NOT corn
                in American)
re�it'         (weird spelling of re�dhte) frozen (pp of
                re�dh, freeze), frosty.
riaghladh       governing, ruling (vbl n. from riaghail, rule)
rinn            active independant/relative past of d�an
r�s            rose; red or pink flower or colour;
        fo r�s in bloom.
ruiginn         1st person active independent incomplete of ruig,
                reach, arrive, come to
ruith           run
saoil           think, wonder
sgiamha         beauty (gen sing) (alternative form sg�imh)
sgiamhach       beautiful (alternate form sg�imheach)
                (these last two words are a nice example of the
                changes over the last century; the ia forms are
                now normal, a hundred years ago they were
                bizarre as spellings.)
sgiathalaich    flap (wings), flutter
sliabh          hillside, mountain slope
st�r           worth, treasure, goods
s�il           eye, glance; but used figuratively for hope,
                expectation, intent/desire
t�mh           rest
tachair         meet, happen
tighinn         coming
till            return
tr�igh         shore, beach
uallach         burden, oppression (but watch out for other
                meanings in other contexts)
                uallach can also be used as an adjective, and
                then means something completely different. also
                it can be used as a noun to refer to a person:
                as you might expect, calling someone "an oppression"
                is pretty unpleasant - roughly means overearing
                conceited ass.

Translation
-----------

I wonder if I'll ever return to the valley where I was young,
Where we were cheerful and happy withouta care in the world,
Herding the cattle and calves as we used to;
Will I go back to the valley glen where I was young?

I often think about the fields full of corn,
Heather up to the hilltops and the machair in bloom,
Boats fishing and some of them running beautifully under sail,
And the sun going down by West Loch Roag.

I will not forget the white swan in its beauty
waggling its wings at the rivermouth on a calm frosty evening
the moon so desirable dominating the sky
and the sound of Uig beach and Sanndaig - oh I long for their music.

Although I may get to every place in the length and breadth of the States
My thoughts will be wishing for the place where I would rest,
Where the hills are dressed in moor-grass and the slopes are
                                    covered with white-faced sheep
And where you will hear the Western Sea (Atlantic) coming restlessly ashore.

Although I'm far away and although I've no shortage of worldly goods
My desire is amongst the valleys and hills of the Isle of Lewis,
But I expect to be there before the feeble evening of my life
And I want to be laid to rest in Dalmore by the top of the beach.

My blessing to each mother who is sorrowing these days
On account of separation from her children and from kin she'll never meet.
I'm afraid that the place I love, where I was raised when young,
                                                will beome deserted:
Those the Metagama left of them, the Marloch is sailing for them.

A bit of "celtic gloom" in the last verse there.
The last two lines are a reference to two of the three ships
that carried a mass emigration from Lewis to NA in the years
following the 14-18 war; there were smaller boats involved too,
of course, but each of Marloch, Metagama, and Canada could carry
a significant proportion of the Island's young men who survived
the war. In 1925 things looked black for the Island, the soap
wallah's schemes had collapsed and the population was going down
as fast as the population of N Sutherland had during the duke's
attempt to make the county racially pure (Anglo-Saxons only, no
Gaels) a few decades previously, since the economic pressures and
assorted dirty tricks employed by the other landowners (other
than Bodach an t-Siabuinn that is) were proving to be at least as
efficaceous as the duke's fire raising, murder, and wholesale
violence had been. The "clearances" (the 18th century attempt at
genocide, the rather more successful 19th century attempts to
elimate all gaelic culture, gaelic communities, and the Gaels
themselves from large parts of the country by violently enforced
mass emigration, and the attempts  in the first four decades of
this century to achieve the same ends by less violent means) are
the source of a lot of "gloom" in SG poetry. Sometimes it leads
to beautiful fierce poetry (MacPherson's Eilean a Cheo, Whyte's
Fuadach nan Gaidheal, MacLeod's Thoir mo Shoraidh, MacLean's
Manitoba, and countless more) but at other times it just doesn't
really fit in with the rest of a poem on some pretty much
unrelated subject. My feeling is that the last verse here is just
tacked on because the writer felt he had to have some "gloom",
and rather spoils the poem; others may react differently to it.

Tom   [ tom%[email protected] ]

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% Subject:      Saoil an till mi chaoidh - -
% To: Multiple recipients of <GAELIC-L%[email protected]>
390.19TOPDOC::AHERNDennis the MenaceTue Apr 05 1994 14:0813
    
                         Jean Redpath in Concert
    
    
                    Saturday, April 16th at 8:00 p.m.
                                    at
                  Franklin Unitarian Universalist Church
    
    
    Tickets:  $12 in advance (by April 10)                    $15 at the door
    
    From: Franklin UU Church, PO Box 562, 206 Central St., Franklin, NH 03235
    
390.20Song named "Snowgoose"?STAR::YURYANFri Dec 08 1995 09:426
    Does anyone know where I might find the words to a song named 
    "Snowgoose" ? I heard it on a Jean Redpath album named "Leaving
    the Land" and it's written by Ralph McNeill. 
    
    thanks...
    
390.21BIS1::MENZIESUncle Blinkey!Fri Dec 08 1995 10:411
    Perhapps Ralph McNeill might have it......
390.22sorrySIOG::KEYESDECADMIRE Engineering DTN 827-5556Fri Dec 08 1995 10:488
    
    
    ..sorry haven't heard of it...Maybe try the MUSIC conference..might get
    a better chance of an answer
    
    rgs,
    
    mick
390.23Ralph McNeill ?STAR::YURYANFri Dec 08 1995 11:067
    re .21
    
    Ok, I've never heard of Ralph McNeill.  Where might I find anything by
    him ?  Is he on a specific record label ? or maybe writes for someone, 
    or sings with a group ? 
    
    thanks .... 
390.24It's gotta be Canajun, eh!POLAR::RUSHTONտ�Mon Dec 11 1995 15:305
    Anne Murray (from Springhill, Nova Scotia) sings a song by that name. 
    You might want to try a newsgroup with "music" and "canada" in the
    title.
    
    Pat
390.25thanksSTAR::YURYANTue Dec 12 1995 10:002
    re .24
    Thanks I will give that a try... 
390.26POLAR::FERGUSONRPROFESSORIWed Dec 13 1995 12:115
    Patty,
    
    I believe Ann Murray's song is titled "Snowbird" not Snowgoose...
    
    R.M.F.
390.27A fowl comment...POLAR::RUSHTONտ�Thu Dec 14 1995 14:0212
    >>I believe Ann Murray's song is titled "Snowbird" not Snowgoose...
    
    Gee, Bob, they're both about snowfowl, ain't they?
    
    Nit picking, etc, etc, ...
    
    I suppose now you're going to say I spelt her name incorrectly too, eh?
    Like, it's supposed to be Ann, not Anne.  Hell, the 'e' is silent anyway.
    
    Right, that does it then!  I'm going back into my snowdrift...
    
    Pat (from Ballyknockmedown)
390.28not the one STAR::YURYANFri Dec 15 1995 15:133
    I know the song "Snowbird" that you're referring to, and it's
    definitely not the song in question....  thanks anyway....
    
390.29"By the Wells of Weary"?STAR::YURYANThu Jan 25 1996 10:277
    Ok, here's another one.... 
    PBS (within the last 4 months or so) did a show with the Scottish 
    Fiddle Orchestra and one of the songs they did was called "By the 
    Wells of Weary" (I think).  Does anyone know where the words might 
    be found ? 
    
    tnx
390.30TAGART::EDDIEEasy doesn&#039;t do itThu Jan 25 1996 11:508
    Re -.1
    
    I think the song title you're looking for is "The Bonnie Wells O'
    Wearie"
    
    I can't help with the words though.
    
    Ed.