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Micilín Muc
Full version:
Chuaigh Micilín Muc
ar an aonach lá
ar an aonach lá
ar an aonach lá
Chuaigh Micilín Muc
ar an aonach lá
Haigh! Hó! Micilín Muc!
(Micilín Muc went to the market one day, to the market one day…)
Cheannaigh sé hata le
cur ar a cheann
cur ar a cheann,
cur ar a cheann.
Cheannaigh sé hata le
cur ar a cheann,
Haigh! Hó! Micilín Muc!
(He bought a hat to put on his head, put on his head….)
Tháinig sé abhaile
le port na habhann,
le port na habhann,
le port na habhann,
Tháinig sé abhaile
le port na habhann
Haigh! Hó! Micilín Muc!
(He came home, along the river, along the river…)
Sciorr a chos is
thit sé isteach,
thit sé isteach,
thit sé isteach.
Sciorr a chos is
thit sé isteach.
Haigh! Hó! Micilín Muc!
(His foot skidded(i.e. he slipped) and he fell in, he fell in …)
Beir ar a chluas is
tarraing é amach
tarraing é amach
tarraing é amach
Beir ar a chluas is
tarraing é amach
Haigh! Hó! Micilín Muc!
(Grab him by the ear and pull him out, pull him out…)
Dilín Ó Deamhas
As we mention in the book notes, Dilín Ó Deamhas was a well-known cartoon on RTÉ during the 1980s. More info from here https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0304/684233-seachtain-na-gaeilge-dilin-o-deamhas/ quote below:
Irish-language programme for children with a story about Nóra and her pet fish.
The 1980s children’s programme ‘Dilín Ó Deamhas’ took its name from the traditional Irish song sung in the opening titles. In this extract, Cathal Póirtéir consoles his co-presenter Máire Ní Bhric for not being able to fly like him. She can after all tell stories, like this one about Nóra and the pet fish who want to swim.
Gerald Victory created a composition based on the traditional song. Jan Mitchell created the collage-effect artwork for the cartoon – note the famous butterfly in the original and in ours! The band The Speks produced another version – see https://www.thespeks.com/nursery-rhymes/dilin-o-deamhas.php for more. They say:
“Dilín ó Deamhas is a traditional Irish nursery rhyme for kids. Our elders sang an English version of this sing-along song to us when we were children. It was called “She Didn’t Dance”. We have combined parts of both the Irish and English versions into one song with a Celtic theme…
Sit on a couch and hold your baby facing you in your lap. Gently bounce her on your knee and sing along to “She didn’t dance at all…” While singing “Throw her uppity up…” lift her up to your face and bring her back to your lap three times. On the third time gently lower her to the floor in time for “she will come down nearby…”
A rough translation of the verse in our book is:
We’ll throw her up and up,
We’ll throw the child up
Throw her up and up and up
And she’ll come down tomorrow.
Seán Ó Loinn
One of two Waterford songs in the book, this translates as:
Seán Ó Loinn lives over there in the valley
He and his family have nice house
He doesn’t care for hard work
But he lives happily
Oró, you are my darling
Stay there Séan love
Oró, you are my darling
Stay there happily
More info here https://storoidhreachta.com/2020/03/23/sean-o-loinn/
Thanks to Aodán Ó Ceallaigh for this song.
A Nóra Bheag
This is the second of two Waterford songs in the book, thanks again to Aodán.
Little Nóra, where were you last night
My Mammy said to me
At the back of the house at the water well
Learning dancing steps
And iomba Nóra, Nóra, Nóra
And iomba you are my sweetheart
And ioma Nóra you are my love
I’m so in love with you
iomba (‘umba’ – a non-lexical musical vocable)
Hup hup amach
This is a well-known children’s rhyme with lots of regional variants. This is a version that we half-adapted and sing with our children at home. Nicholas Williams’ wonderful collection of rhymes, Cniogaide Cnagaide, has some of them. The music came to us somewhat naturally!
Rough translation:
Hup hup, go out, oh you clumsy-footed pony
We’ll be in An Daingean (Dingle) this time tomorrow
Mamaí will put your shoe on, Daidi the nail,
And we’ll be in An Daingean this time tomorrow.
Huisín
This is definitely the most unusual of all of the songs in the book. I first came across the lullaby on itma.ie – Irish Traditional Music Archive — Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann – William Campbell sings it at the Dublin Oireachtas of 1908 (here: https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/sound/husheen-william-campbell)). I haven’t heard any other recordings of it but have seen variations of it written in Cniogaide Cnagaide (Williams) among other collections.
Rough translation
Oh who is this lying down
So soundly at the door of my heart
From east or west come the shadow of night
Lithely and quietly
Husheen, Hush-oh, Hush is la-la lo-o-o…
Véarsa 1
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Véarsa 2
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Véarsa 3
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Véarsa 4
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Véarsa 5
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Véarsa 6
Stór focal (vocabulary):
Stór focal (vocabulary)
Lch 1-4
Lch 5-8
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