Tá Dhá Ghabhairín Bhuí Agam - SIAMSA TÍRE

God be with you, Kerry! was a phrase I often heard as I grew up in Cork City over sixty golden years ago...

This recording is an example of traditional music and song that justifies a repeat of that blessing...


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Tá dhá ghabhairín bhuí agam
Is minseach bainne, minseach bainne!
Briseann siad mo chroí dhom
Á dtabhairt abhaile, dtabhairt abhaile

Níl agam go stiúrfainn leis**
Ach stumpa bata, stumpa bata,
Siúd ar feadh an chlaí iad,
I bhfad ó bhaile!
I bhfad ó bhaile!

** this line is pure guesswork on my part!

(I have two yellow little goats
And one for milking, one for milking!
They break the very heart in me
As we go home, as we go home

All I have to guide them with
A stumpy stick, a stumpy stick,
Way down the road they go from me
Now far from home!
Now far from home!)

Performed by:

SIAMSA TÍRE (http://www.siamsatire.com/about.html)

'Siamsa', pronounced 'shee-am-sah', comes from the Irish language.

The word itself expresses amusement, mirth, music, a friendly gathering. In a gaelic-speaking Ireland, in times gone by. It described an evening's impromptu entertainment when farming folk would ramble to a neighbour's cottage, to sit and talk a while, and listen to a storyteller or maybe join in a night of music, song and dance around a flagstone kitchen floor. Nowadays it would be a session in a pub!

'Tíre', pronounced 'tee-ra' means 'of or pertaining to the country both in a local as well as in a national sense.

Rev Fr Pat Ahern:

His first appointment was to a curacy in St. Johns parish, Tralee in 1957. During those early years he founded St. Johns Gregorian Choir which is still going strong and he produced two major Religious Pageants 'Massabielle', the story of Lourdes and 'Golgotha', a Passion Play.

A series created by Father Pat Ahern in Tralee and performed by Siamsóirí na Ríochta in 1968 evoked such a positive public response that he was encouraged to put an entire show together. This was the birth of Siamsa Tíre.

More about Father Pat: www.ittralee.ie/en/InformationAbout/InstituteandDepartments/ITTraleeHonoraryFell­ows/

Since those early days the company has performed their unique brand of Folk Theatre at venues all over Ireland North & South, in Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain, Hungary, America, Canada and Australia.

As it says in the Bible somewhere: "Out of the strong came forth sweetness..."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Siamsa Tíre
• Tá Dhá Ghabhairín Bhuí Agam
• Irish music
• choral music
• The Dingle Regatta
• Tralee
• Dingle
• Father Pat Ahern

[AustinPowers108]

Thanks Youtube for removing all my formatting and thereby making me look retarded :(

[AustinPowers108]

Cuirim i dteannta an chlai iad

le stumpa mhaide, stumpa mhaide

(so I rounded them up with

a stumpy stick, a stumpy stick)

Siúd thar bharr an chlai iad

I bhfad ó bhaile, bhfad ó bhaile

(Way down the road they go from me

now far from town, now far from town)

[AustinPowers108]

Ligeann mo hata tríd é ar fud an bhaile, fud an bhaile (my hat jumped off and went round the town, round the town) Tá dhá ghabhar sa choill agam (I have two goats in the woods) 's caoirigh geala, caoirigh geala (and the moon is coming, the moon is coming) Ní íosfaidh siad aon ní dom ach barr an aitinn, barr an aitinn (they didnt leave anything to eat, except the root of the furze bush, root of the furze bush)

[AustinPowers108]

My friend Rachel from Kildare, says she learned this song when she was at school, and has a book with the words in. There's more verses after the two in this version - Nell Ní Chróinín sings this with a beautiful animation on a TG4 programme - see their webpage under Anam An Amhrain - Youtube won't let me post the link :(

I have some of the words here (next post), with a rough translation by us (with help from the one above :) Any additions, suggestions or corrections welcome :o)

[TG4gaeilge]

Iontach ! An bfhuil fhios ag einne ca bfhuil me in ann cd Siamsa Tire a cheannach? Sheol me chuig ST, ach gan freagra