Ho Ro Mo Nighean Donn Bhoidheach

[thewindthatshakesbar]

hey! I play this on the great highland bagpipes! never heared it like this before! very nice

[TheSharelife]

Cape Bretoner - true a caper will always say their from cape breton...never from Nova Scotia.. I should know I am a caper

[RubyHazeChick]

From the North Country album, track 6 from 1993

[kjell240]

I love this song,love from Norway

[Athleticsfan958]

Mary and Frances Black sing a nice version of this too.

[culagharraidh]

Tha seo cho breagha.

[iceman168888]

so beautiful...... just like angle!

[perthling2]

It would be more accurately translated as "Ho Ro My Pretty Brown-haired Maiden"

[jamesbondaygee]

One of my favorites. Thanks for posting.

[shaeso]

This music is big in my family :) We sing these songs around the campfire!

[wwnixon]

Makes me homesick . Bill Nix

[bb3ca201]

Normally it's a lot faster than this...but beautiful version anyhow!

[young95]

@bb3ca201 not necessarily. It's true that the The Corries did a version that was much faster, but theirs is just one of god knows how many ways it has been performed over the centuries.

[bb3ca201]

@young95

You're right -- but every native Gael that I've spoken to recently insists that the rhythm should be faster (given the message of the song).

[young95]

@bb3ca201, this song may be over four hundred years old. It wasnt even translated into English until the late 1800's and the sheet music made at the time it was translated shows a much slower tempo than the Corries version. So unless some of those friends you reference were around back when it was first sung, give or take a century two, then maybe you might want to be more careful in citing your sources. But don't believe me---check it out yourself.

[bb3ca201]

@young95

Point taken! The only reason that I 'cited those sources', however, is because these people are native Gaelic speakers from the Hebrides of Scotland who are well aware of the song's age and history, and who have grown up singing this song. I don't mean there to be any arguments here -- I was only trying to illustrate a point.

Take care of yourself -- and enjoy singing the song (no matter how fast or slow you prefer)! Tapadh leibh agus beannachdan leibh!

[Angus01ful]

@bb3ca201 The Rankin family come from Nova Scotia .Canada ...the song is normally song a little faster in Nova Scotia ...they just chose to sing it like this ...beautiful..

[bb3ca201]

@Angus01ful

Tha mi ag aontachadh riut, mo charaid! (I agree with you, my friend).

[Angus01ful]

@bb3ca201 Tha mi gad thuigsinn a charaid ,math gu bheil thu ag aontachadh rium:)

[caperaircadet]

@Angus01ful they aren't from Nova Scotia, they're from CAPE BRETON! [there's a difference, ya know:) ]

[Angus01ful]

@caperaircadet HaHa..Stay off the sauce..your wrong ,I thought maybe last week when I was away that Cape Breton might have separated or cut the causeway in half .but shes still with us...There are no more people alike then an Invernesser and an Antigonisher..so lets cut Sydney off and bring these twins together and call it Invergonis.All i'm saying is yes I'm a mainlander ,,I know this song from stem to stern..and I sing it faster...Cum lan do ghloine .a charaid.

[caperaircadet]

@Angus01ful no need to get cocky. all I meant was, if you ask a Cape Bretoner where they're from, they won't say Nova Scotia, they'll say Cape Breton.

[Angus01ful]

@caperaircadet NO NO .not getting cocky .just being crazy...I understand that ..Well they can say either I guess.

[young95]

@bb3ca201 I just came across an interesting "find". The website Am Baile dot org has a text written in 1888 called "The Songs and Hymns of the Scottish Highlands", and this is the first song in section 2. What is especially interesting about it is the sheet music has six verses in both Gaelic and English, and not one of them is what we "generally" associate with this song. It also shows it to be 2/2, but it doesn't call out an actual tempo. Regardless of preferences, this book is a treasure.

[bb3ca201]

@young95

With great anticipation, I just looked it up on am Baile. If you search "Donald MacRae" on Youtube, you'll find this song -- sung with the exact same Gaelic verses as are written in the Am Baile text (except verses four and five from the book; the Rankins sing verse 5 and Donald sings one of the verses that the Rankins do). Great song...a joy to discover the text...tapadh leibh

[twillick]

@young95 I bought an old book (Roycroft) titled Love Ballads of the 16th Century. In it was a tune called The Nut Brown Maid. It scans perfectly (except no chorus) to a tune called Star of the County Down. Can you imagine how many tunes and altered lyrics being played today that more than likely are from hundreds of years ago. Pretty neat.

[suibhne80]

The Irish version of this goes"An Cailin deas gloireach ni postim ach tu"

Well roughly anyway -nil mo Gaeilge go maith.

[Gillmeister2465]

There is a quicker version on you tube

its called Nut Brown Maiden sung in English by the Corries,if this helps anyone

[Gillmeister2465]

Horo My Nut Brown Maiden, is the English version

[Gillmeister2465]

i like this song, its a nice slow version, im trying to learn it as a 4/4 on the bagpipes

[colmich959]

Yes the song in english is called Nut Brown Maiden if you do a google search for lyrics. you will find them no problem.

[cndspazz]

my grandfather used to sing this to me . i sang it to my kids and now my kids sing it to theirs . traditional cape breton song

[Kilgarvan01]

Such a beautiful song. Really tugs at the celtic heart strings.

[Evee1909]

They are my cousins and I have listened to their music since I was little... I don't always understand the words but they are awesome :)

[amethyst48]

I am solid Scots decent, and this brings tears to my eyes every time. It goes straight to a Celts soul.

[chiburui6]

beautiful

[junopiper]

Lovely... just like my gran used to sing to me.

[vmfan89]

My choir is singing this.  It's such a pretty piece of music!

[jas3100]

my great- grand mother sang this song to my father when he was a child. I would play it for my daughter as a lullabye to help her sleep

[jamesbondaygee]

I totally loved the Rankins!! Saw them twice. Once at Canada Day in Victoria!! Was awesome. I loved Jimmy Rankin's Mull River Shuffle Intro!!

[devinandnikki]

ok this is a pretty song but who calls something "Nut Brown Maiden"? lol she sounds like a turd! okok jk this is really a nice tune!

[thorplands9]

This was my favourite song at school I have very happy memories of it

[angu31a]

Nighean Donn Bhoidheach, when translated exactly is Beautiful Brown Girl, meaning "beautiful brown haired girl".

[hoyvenmavin]

try the version by Mary Jane Lamond

[donnajeanapril17]

This is so beautiful, I especially love the lyric " Cha phòs mi ach thu". So sweet! I'm definitely adding this to my "must know" list of Gaelic songs! Thanks!

[calysar]

The Seekers sang a song in English to this tune, it's called "The Shores of Avalon".

[All4Seasons]

It was thrilling to sing this song,in Gaelic once upon a time,when I was a member of The Teenaires,a girls' choral group. It is my favourite Gaelic song.The Rankin sisters have the voices of angels...

[bb3ca201]

This song is not only popular on Harris, but also throughout the Hebrides. Many Gaels know it.

[colmich959]

could have been the name of this song in English is The Nut Brown Maiden.

[pwk22]

I so love this song. Do you know the english translation of the lyrics? I've listened to the Seekers version, but it is clearly not an anglicized version of what the Rankins are singing.

[bb3ca201]

Here are the Gaelic lyrics, if anyone is interested (perhaps to sing along?):

[bb3ca201]

Ho ro, mo nighean donn bhòidheach,

Hi ri, mo nighean donn bhòidheach,

Mo chaileag laghach, bhòidheach,

Cha phòs mi ach thu

A Pheigi dhonn nam blàth-shùil

Gur trom a thug mi gràdh dhuit

Tha d'iomhaigh ghaoil a's d'àilleachd

A-ghnàth tigh'n fo m'ùidh

[bb3ca201]

'S ann tha mo rùn sna beanntaibh,

Far bheil mo ribhinn ghreannar

Mar ràs am fàsach Shamhraidh

An gleann fad 'o shùil.

[bb3ca201]

Ach 'n uair a thig an Samradh

Bheir mise sgrìob don ghleann ud

'S gun tog mi leam don Ghalldachd

Gu h-annsail am flùr

[bradpich44]

I can't even understand what they are saying, but this song still makes me cry!!! Absolutely beautiful!

[needafraser]

i use to sing this sing to my son as lullaby .. still beautiful after all these years thanks posting it .. cheers anita

[bb3ca201]

Originally, the song is sung a lot faster than this; the Rankins are the only ones (as far as I know) to sing it in this way

[subfusc8]

They should play this to our boys before they go out to fight, remind them what they're fighting for and it's beauty.

[sebpenning]

Beautifull song and voices