An Chailín Álainn : The Lovely Girl

[croinaheireann1]

The 1st song is probably scottish! I know for a fact that the 2nd one is from Conemara because ive been there manys a time being from the west meself!

[UISTMAN59]

@croinaheireann1 What's all this "probably" nonsense? "Two songs, one in Irish Gaelic the other in Scottish Gaelic (translated from Irish). " Is that somehow not clear enough for you? !!!!!!!!!!!!

[croinaheireann1]

@UISTMAN59 im just saying that it sound alot like the Conemara dialect of Irish in the second song and that I learned this song siar i Ros a Mhil blianta ó shin!No need to fly off the handle at me in just saying what i think!

[UISTMAN59]

@croinaheireann1 I'm not flying off the handle. The first song is not "probably Scottish!" , it is in "Irish". The second is in "Scottish Gaelic" and has been translated from "Irish" into "Scottish Gaelic." Something far wrong when you don't recognise your own language. Maybe you need to go back to Ros a Mhil for refresher. :(

[DasHearach]

bye the bye, Uisteach - you have a fine eye for a bonny lass.

[DasHearach]

I see a lot of discussion re Gaelic here. Some attempts at scientific crap. This sounds to me like it is sung by an Irishman who actually speaks Gaelic as opposed to school-taught nonsense. I like this and a good pairing of songs by the man from Uist. (I'm half Uist myself!)

[UISTMAN59]

@DasHearach The first is sung by Tomas Jimmy , an Irishman singing in Gaelige. The second is sung by a man from Uist singing in Gaidhlig. I'm pretty sure neither learned the language in the classroom. Thanks for the final comment. :)

[DasHearach]

@UISTMAN59 Yes, I knew the second song was Tom Sloss. Just nice to hear an Irishman singing fluently in his native tongue - the way it should be. Not made-up words like BBC Esperanta!

[Yelpy1]

Hey I have 'Tomás Jimmy' on MP3, I restored it a few years ago for a friend, if anyone needs a copy of this just throw me an email alan@yelpy.net :)

[TDMcG26]

@Yelpy1 Could you send me a copy of the mp3of Tomas Jimmy. tdmcg26@gmail.com

[muisire]

Yes, it is Tomás 'Jimmy' Mac Eoin, one of the best but least appreciated voices of Ireland for at least 30 years. He has great voice for a song but is also a masterful reciter. What a pity no one locked him into a studio somewhere to record him reading the top hundred Irish poems in both English and Irish.

What a treasure for all of us that would have been. I have lost my copy of his only cassette 'Tomás Jimmy'. It has a recording of 'An Bonnan Bui' / 'The Yellow Bittern' - the best ever made

[UISTMAN59]

@muisire Thanks.



[Solstisol]

.

There's a nice version here on Youtube; sung in Joyce Country Gaelic; if you search under 'An Cailín Alainn'.

[UISTMAN59]

@Solstisol If you mean the one by cathalirwin entitled "An Cailin Alainn" it is a fine rendition and it is interesting that the words he uses are "A Chailin Alainn" Thanks for the note :-)

[Solstisol]

@UISTMAN59 Hi UISTMAN59. No, I meant the one put up by eamondestaic. Cathailirwin's is similar, but sung in Donegal Gaelic. Gaelic is a fairly highly inflected language, so the shape of the noun varies according to its grammatical function within the phrase. Therefore: 'An cailín álainn' = 'The lovely girl' (nominative case). 'A chailín álainn' = 'Oh lovely girl' (vocative case). '...an chailín álainn' = '...of the lovely girl' (genitive case), etcetera. Best wishes, Solsti.

[UISTMAN59]

@Solstisol Thanks for that,. If its Donegal Gaelic its bound to be right since its nearer the Scottish :-) There is one Gaelic Language but many dialects , as some people used to say. I didn't like the name "Joyce Country" when I first heard it as I likened it to "Burns Country" & "Shakespeare Country" at tourist nonsense like that , but apparently it is called "Joyce Country" after the colony of Joyce who came to live in the barony of Ross. Thomas Joyce who came to Ireland early in the 14thc.

[Solstisol]

@UISTMAN59

It's called Joyce Country because almost half of the people who live there have the surname 'Joyce'.

And nearly all the rest are either 'Coyne', 'Henehan' or 'Keane'.

Actually, Joyce Country Gaelic and Scotch Gaelic sound fairly similar, pronunciation-wise.

But I'd say the closest Irish dialect to Scotch Gaelic is the almost extinct Achill variety, as the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary have much in common.

[seonidh]

@Solstisol achill where is that?

[DanDgl01]

Does anyone have the lyrics of teh first song, i.e. A Chailin Uasal ?

The book which is suggested earlier, seems to be quite difficult to get, at this stage.

[DanDgl01]

Does anyone have the lyrics of teh first song, i.e. A Chailin Uasal ?

The book which is suggested earlier, seems to be quite difficult to get, at this stage.



[Solstisol]

Tenerife, Spain.

Hi.

I have the Thomas Mckeown tape.

I bought it maybe 15 years ago when I lived in Carraroe, his home town, where I often met him.

You've got the songs mixed up.

The first one you've put here is 'An Cailín Uasal'.

It's similar to 'An Cailín Älainn' (there's no 'h' in the title), but it's definitely not the same song.

Youtube it and you'll see a good recently-posted version sung in County Mayo (Ireland).

The Scotch one is obviously a version of the correct 'An Cailín Álainn'.

[UISTMAN59]

@Solstisol I am aware that there are two different songs. . If you read the info on the right I think you will agree that that's the point I am making in my notes on the song. Both Mudcat and Navan dot org websites have the title as "An Chailín Álainn" so if I am wrong I'm in good company.

[nsctcs]

Beautiful song! But the audio quality gives me the creeps.

[UISTMAN59]

@nsctcs There are two songs - does this comment refer to both songs or just to one :-)

[thorplands9]

Beautiful singing

[cathalaran]

It's not Tomas as it not the connemara irish that used in any of the two versions. His version also dosent have a girl singing the chorus. He also sing cailin alainn not cailin uasal

[UISTMAN59]

@cathalaran He definitely composed the song "A Chailin Uasal" according to "Up Seanamhach" a book by Micheál Ó Conghaile published in 1990. The first line is " A Nach Iomai Amhran Ariamh A Duirt Me" and the chorus begins "A Chailin Uasal, Fan Go Foill Liom." The second song I have quite clearly stated is a "Scottish version , sung here by Tom Sloss" in Scottish Gaelic. If you have Tomas singing without a girl singing the chorus then please post it as I would like to hear it.

[LindsayCurran]

Remarkable - superlative - composer Tomas Mac Eoin singing this exquisite composition, followed by Tom Sloss -

and lass after lovely lass - beautifully put together! Thank you, Iain!

[UISTMAN59]

You are most welcome my friend, thanks for your kind comments Lindsay. :-)

[michealomainin]

It is thomas alright, i have this song on tape.

[satellax]

My bets is that it is Tomás Mac Eoin. I just heard this version on TG4, and they introduced it as him.

[UISTMAN59]

@satellax Thanks for that confirmation satellax.  :-)

[hill1916]

Tomás Mac Eoin is NOT singing here at all. First lad is from south of the country and the second lad is from donegal i'd say. But NO Tomas Mac Eoin.

[UISTMAN59]

Just to make it harder I tweaked the recording a wee bit so the key in which he is singing is higher than the original tape had it. I'm pretty sure it is Tomas but if you can go so far as to say the second lad is "from the south of the country" can you say who it is or where he is from. Second lad is from South Uist which is not any part of Donegal but since some Kerry folk once thought I was from Donegal I can understand why you would think that. :-)

[gaffertetley]

Uistman, I think this is my favourite gealic song by my father, . . . .sadly he never saw fit to educate me in my mother tongue. . . .. Thank you.

[UISTMAN59]

Thanks for the note gaffertetley, this song is one of his best. Aye its sad when young folk don't get brought up with both languages when there is the chance. Tom was a gent , sadly missed. The last time I saw him he gave me a lift from Iochdar to Stoneybridge when he was on his was to Polacharra to play one summer night, I was wishing I could have gone up south with him. Thanks for the note and your videos too.

[gaffertetley]

Thanks Uistman, the mention of summer, and trips south bring back many memories.

The two of us ( usually half canned, well me anyway, dad seemed to have hollow legs! ) travelling north to Benbecula after a dance, with the sun on the horizon, and the amps rattling in the back.

Special memories, thank you for your efforts at keeping what clips exist alive.

Barry

[damiankeating]

@gaffertetley

is trua mór é sin

[pictishsapien]

I always intend to subscribe Uistman : I always forget but Iwill do it now!

[UISTMAN59]

Ah I see that you're one of the people who likes the Green Colour as well :-) Thanks for subscribing.pictishsapien  :-)

[pictishsapien]

Apparently my great grand father sang this song every new years day for forty or so years! Lovely song uistman! But I see that lovely people like odirean have got the predictive text on again!

[UISTMAN59]

Didn't realise it was that old, thanks for the note :-)

[00JTM]

Love the photos haha if you know what I mean. Good song thanks for posting.

[lewis1936]

Best thing on You Tube.

[UISTMAN59]

Thanks Murdoch. I take that as a great compliment when I see some of the great stuff that you have in your favourites. :-)

[wisnaemeinCoventry]

sma sinn.

... and I had a look in lewis1936's favourites.

...and borrowed a few for to put in my favourites. Ta very much.

.

[UISTMAN59]

You're very welcome. Thanks for your kind comments. :-)

[wisnaemeinCoventry]

Absolutely lovely.

Right, I'm off to Uistman59's site to sate myself on some more of the gems he's contributed to You Tube.

.

[UISTMAN59]

HI there, my friend thanks for your kind comments. All the best, Iain :-)

[odirean]

an am dhomh dùsgadh is mi nam aonar

's e fhein an uair as moth' mo bhròn.

bidh mo smuaintean air a' chailin uasail

a dh'imich bhuam-sa 's a rinn mo leòn.

nach tig thu leam-sa, a chailin uasail

gu sìorruidh bràth cha bhith ort bròn;

gu sheinninn ceòl dhut mar cheòl na clàrsaich

's mar ghuth na smeòraich an driùchd an fheòir.

this should be close to what tom's singing....agus go raibh maith agat as do phost. is maith sin

[UISTMAN59]

Moran taing airson an deagh obair seo. :-)

[odirean]

a chailin àluinn gun tug mi gràdh dhut,

thig na mo chòmhnaidh mo luaidh 's mo stòr

's abair rium-sa gur tu mo ghràdh geal

's bidh mise àghmhor gun aobhar cràidh.

a chailin àluinn dha'n tug mi'n gràdh-sa

's i fhèin as àille na blàths ' nan ròs.

gun i bhith làimh rium, 's ann tursach tha mi;

a chailin àluinn 's tu fàth mo bhròin.

[RidseardMhicCoinnich]

Many thanks for this, please keep em coming

[UISTMAN59]

Thanks Richard. :-)