Looking for lyrics to "Mo Mhuirnín Bán"

Hey all,

I’m a strong believer in knowing how to sing slow airs before playing them (makes for better phrasing and interpretation, as most of them are actually song airs). This is one favorite of mine for which I’ve been unable to find lyrics at all. I’m wondering if it also goes under a different name, and that’s why I’m not having any luck?

Tá cuid Gaeilge agam, so Irish lyrics aren’t a problem. I’m also learning sean-nós singing.

Anyway, if anyone can point me to the lyrics that go with this lovely air, I’d be much obliged.

Hope there’s not a problem asking this sort of thing on the trad forum, but sean-nós is a traditional style (and it does say ANY instrument!).

Redwolf

MO MHUIRNIN BAN. Irish, Slow Air (4/4 time). G Major. Standard. One part. Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland), 1995; No. 75, pg. 66.
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/MNA_MOL.htm

Unfortunately this was all I could find. I doubt this book has the words—it may just be the air. Since it is copyrighted, this book isn’t on line. It is a big problem. I understand what you are trying to do. Good luck.

Somewhere I read it was a Munster song. I saw it translated as “My Fair Darling” on some CD, but googling that didn’t help.

This seems like a very reasonable question for this forum.

Hi, there seems to be some conflict in the various places I checked. Some sources say that Mo Mhuinín Bán is a different song, sung in Munster, as opposed to Fath Mo Bhuartha, sung in the west of Ireland. The tunes are acknowledged to be similar, however. This is what I pulled off of Mudcat:


MO MHUIRNIN BAN ('Sé fath mo bhuartha)

'Sé fath mo bhuardhartha, nach bhfaighim cead suaimhnis
Ins an ghleanntán uaigneach seo a mbíonn mo ghrádh.
Tig im ar uachtar ann 's mil ar luachair
'S le méith na huaire 'bíos na tortha ’ fás.
Ní bhíonn gaoth tuaidh ann ná sneachta buan;
Tá caladh is cuan ann ag loing ‘s ag bád.
Tá tuilleadh buaidh’ air, níl doirse cruaidhe ann,
Dá ndéantá suas le do Mhuirnín Bán

Ní ar shliabh na ar fhraochlach atá mo mhian-sa
Ach ar thalta mine, a dtig meas is bláth.
Tá an chuach ag glaoidh ann i mbárra craobh ann;
Tá an eorna bhuidhe ann ‘s a’ coirce bán;
Tá an loch is aoibhne ann, a dtig bric 'na scaoith ann;
Tá an fiadh 'na luighe ann ‘s an eala a’ snámh;
Tá an bheach is críonna ann 's a háras díonta
'S tá mil 'a taomadh ar mo Mhuirnín Bán

Agus shíl mé, ’ stóirín tá aoibhiúil óg deas,
Go déanfá foghluim ar éalódh liom;
'S nach bhfuil tráthnóna nó maidin reoite
Nach tú an réalt eolais a bhí 'gabhail romham,
Ag siúl na mboíthre 's na gcoillte ró-ghlas,
Ní bheadh orm brón ná tuirse croidhe;
Ach mé bheith pósta ar bhláth na hóige
'S í ’ siúl go státúil le mo thaoibh.

Summary translation

The cause of my sorrow is that I get no quietude in this lonely hollow where my love dwells. It is fertile and temperate [There is butter, cream , honey and fruit there, no north wind or lasting snow, there’s a port and harbour for ships,] and it would be better yet if you were reconciled with your fair-haired darling.

My love’s not on the hillside but in the fertile plain. There one finds the cuckoo calling at the top of the branches, barley, oats, a fine lough full of trout, deer, the swan, the wise bee and honey in abundance for my fair-haired darling.

I thought, lovely young sweetheart, you’d learn to elope with me and that you’d be my star of knowledge morning and eve. Were I married to the flower of youth and she stately by my side, I’d never be sorrowful.

============================================

X:1
T:MO MHUIRNIN BAN
N:From the book P Mac Seáin, Ceolta Theilinn (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s Univerity, 1973)
N:A version of 'S é fath mo bhuartha collected in Teelin, Co Donegal by Pádraig Mac Seáin
I:abc2nwc
M:3/4
L:1/8
K: D
z2(A G) F E|D2F A d e/2 c/2|(d B) A2F/2 G/2 A G/2 F/2|
w:'Sé_ fath mo bhuardhar-tha, nach bhfaighim cead_ suaimh_-nis In-sa ghleann-tán_
F3/2 E/2 D E D D|D4(A G) F E|D D F A d (d/2 B/2)|
w:uaig-neach seo a mbíonn mo ghrádh.Tig_ im ar uach-tar ann is mil ar_
(d B) A2F/2 G/2 A F/2 E/2|F3/2 E/2 D E D/2 D3/2|D4A A B c|
w:lua_-chair’S le méith na_ huai-re 'bíos na tor-tha 'fás. Ní bhíonn gaoth_
d2e d (3cAB|(=c2d2)e (3ddc|A2G E D D|
w:Tá ca-ladh is cuan ann ag loing ‘s~ag
E4A G F E|D2F A d e/2 c/2|(d B) A2|
w:bád. Tá_ tui-lleadh buaidh’ air, níl doir-se_ cruaidhe_ ann,
F/2 G/2 A F E|F E D E D D|D4z2
w:Dá_ ndéan-tá_ su-as le do Mhuir-nín Bán

==================================

'SÉ FATH MO BHUARTHA

Sé fáth mo bhuartha nach bhfaighaim cead cuarta
Sa ngleanntán uaigneach ina mbíonn mo ghrá;
Bíonn mil ar luachair ann is im ar uachtar
Is i dtús an fhómhair a bhíonn na crainn faoi bhláth.
Níl gaoith aduaidh ann, níl sneachta buan ann;
Tá caladh is cuan ann ag loing 's ag bád;
Tá tuilleadh bua ann, 's níl tuaras na Cruaiche ann,
An té a dhéanfá suas lena mhuirnín bán.

Agus shíl mé a stóirín, nuair a bhí tú óg deas,
Go ndéanfá foghlaim ar éalú liom;
Is nach bhfuil tráthnóna ná maidin Domhnaigh,
Nach tú an réalt eolais a bhí ag gabháil romham.
Ag siúl na móinte is na coillte clómhar,
Ach mé bheith pósta le mo mhíle stóirín,
Is mo lámh go bródúil ar a brollach mín.

===================================

X:2
T:IS É FATH MO BHUARTHA
Q:1/4=80
I:abc2nwc
M:3/4
L:1/8
K: D
A/2G/2F ED- DF|Ad ed AF-|F2GA FE|EF ED DD-|
DA/2G/2 FE D2|FA de dA|F3G AF|E2FE DD|
D2FG AB/2c/2|d2ed c/2A/2B|=c2de d^c|A2GE DD|
E2A/2G/2F ED-|DF Ad ed|AF- F2GA|FE- EF ED|DD- D zz2|]

===============================

X:1
T:S E FATH MO BHUARTHA
N:'S é Fáth mo Bhuartha: “Ar Ceól Féinig” (published by Longman, Brown and
N:Nolan); Mrs Eibhlín Costello, “Amhráin Mhuighe Seola” (different tune, words
N:titled ‘A Mhuirnín Bán’); “Abair Amhrán” (lyrics only, published by
N:Comhaltas Uladh)
I:Cuisie an Cheoil Dublin Dept of Educ. 1976
L:1/8
K: D
z4A/2 G/2 F3/2 E/2|D2F3/2 A/2 d e|
w:Sé fáth mo bhuar-tha nach bhfaighaim cead
(d/2 A/2) F2G/2 G/2 A F|E2F3/2 E/2 D3/2 D/2|
w:cuart-a_Ar an ngleann-tán uaig-neach na mbíonn mo
E3(A/2 G/2) F E|D2F A d3/2 e/2|
w:ghrá;Bíonn mil_ ar lua-chair ann im is
(d A) F3/2 G/2 A F|E2F3/2 E/2 D3/2 D/2|
w:uach-tar_'Sgo tús an fhuaicht bíonn na crainn faoi
D3A (3(AB)c|d (e e) d (3(=cA)B|
w:bhláth.Níl gaoith a_-duaidh ann, níl_ sneacht-a_
=c (d d) e d ^c|A2G E D3/2 D/2|
w:crua ann;Tá_ caladh’s cuan ann ag loing 'sag
E3(A/2 G/2) F E|D2F A d/2 d e/2|
w: bád;Tá tuill-eadh_ bua ann, 's níl tu-ras na
(d A) F3/2 G/2 A F|E2F3/2 E/2 D D|D3
w:Cruai-che_ ann,Da ndéan-fá suas le do mhui-rnín bán.

=======================================

Ceolta Gael gives the last four lines of the second verse as

Ag siul na mbanta is na gcoillte cnomhar
ni bheadh orm bron no duibheagan croi
ach me bheith posta ar mo mhile stoirin
is mo lamh go broduil ar a brollach min

=======================================

This lot ought to keep you off the streets for a few hours. :wink:

Hope that helps,

djm

Well I am just totally DEVASTATED!!!

I looked very hard. When I have time I will see if I can at least find what djm found. I am a poor loser when it comes to web-searching! :laughing:

Cynth, its more about remembering where the good stuff is. Mudcat Cafe has a lot of stuff on song lyrics. I also have a lot of books on Irish song lyrics, so finding CDs on-line that I have at home allows me to check the liner notes for alternate titles.

Neil Mulligan’s Barr na Cúille CD has the tune as an instrumental, so the CD came up in Google. The liner notes to that told me the alternate title. A little more searching on the two titles lead me to Mudcat and all the stuff above. As well, I have both Ceolta Gael books, so even if the lyrics weren’t posted on the web, I could have copied them from the book.

Hope that helps,

djm

Well, I should have gotten led to Mudcat Cafe as well. But I will go check out the song lyrics there, because I do have a folder for sites that are good for those. I have been there, but apparently for other reasons. :laughing: So, thank you, it does help although I’m still rather annoyed at myself.

Sadly, those appear to be a different tune than the one I know.

I’m afraid I have no idea how to write out ABC, and I haven’t gotten around to recording the tune, but if it’s any help, it’s the first tune of this set Sandy Jasper has on her website:

http://www.elfsongwhistles.com/Mortin_Bahn_Blarney_Pilgrim..MP3

Redwolf

On the Irish Rovers album “Emigrate Emigrate” the first song on side 1 uses that melody, and Will recites a poem. They spelled “gael” as “gale” on the cover, so that’s what I put here:

THE PASSING OF THE GALE [sic]

They’re going away
The shy-eyed colleens
And the lads so straight and tall
From the purple peaks of Kerry
And from the crags of wild Demal *
From the greening plains of Antrim
And the hills of Donegal
They carry with them
A teardrop in the eye
And their days will go uncomforted
Their nights an endless sigh.

Then right after “Farewell to Carlingford”
Oh kindly, generous, Irish land
So leal and fair and loving
No wonder the wandering Celt should think
And dream of you in his roving.
The alien home may have
Gems and gold
Shadows may never have gloomed it
But the heart will sigh for the absent land
Where the love-light first illumed it.


  • I’m not sure if that is spelled right.

Then I found this poem on the web here: http://www.geocities.com/willboyne/nosurrender/Poetry.html that sure sounds like it could be where Will got most of his poem from:

The Passing of the Gael


They are going, going, going from the valleys and the hills
They are leaving far behind them heathery moor and mountain rills,
All the wealth of hawthorn hedges where the brown thrush sways and thrills
They are going, shy-eyed cailins, and lads so straight and tall
From the purple peaks of Kerry, from the crags of wild Imaal,
From the greening plains of Mayo, and the glens of Dangle

They are leaving pleasant places,shores with snowy sands outspread;
Blue and lonely lakes a-stirring when the wind stirs overhead;
Tender living hearts that love them, and the graves of kindred dead.

They shall carry to the distant land a tear-drop in the eye
And some shall go uncomforted, their days an endless sigh
For Kathalen No Houlihan’s sad face until they die.

Oh,Kathaleen No Houlihan, your road’s a thorny way,
And 'tis a faithful soul would walk on the flints with you for aye,
Would walk the sharp and cruel flints until his locks grew grey,

So some must wander to the East, and some must wander West;
Some seek the white wastes of the North and some a Southern nest;
Yet never shall they sleep so sweet as on your mother breast.

Within the city streets, hot hurried full of care
A sudden dream shall bring them a whiff of Irish air –
A cool air, faintly-scented, blown soft from otherwhere

Oh, the cabins long-deserted! Olden memories awake.
Oh, the pleasant, pleasant places! Hush! the blackbird in the brake!
Oh, the dear and kindly voices! Now their hearts are fain to ache.

The may win a golden store–sure the whins were golden too;
And no foreign skies hold beauty like the rainy skies they knew;
Nor any night-wind cool the brow as did the foggy dew.

They are going, going, going and we cannot bid them stay:
Their fields are now the stranger’s,where the stranger’s cattle stray,
Oh! Kathaleen No Houlihan, your way’s a thorny way!

  • From Ethna Carbery’s “The Four Winds of Eirinn”

Ah, Charlene, you caught me out! That’s exactly where I learned the tune, back when I was about 15 or so! In fact, I called it “The Passing of the Gael” for years, until I ran into it in “Ireland’s Best Slow Airs” and found out it has its own name!

I just finished recording it (hoping my recording will be workable for Tin Whistle Tunes…I’m still fighting with my mic), and gave Will Millar’s playing full credit for inspiration. :wink:

Redwolf

When I was much, much much younger I used to think he wrote all the songs himself - until I learned what “arranged and adapted by” means! :laughing:

The Passing of the Gale is much better title than the title The Passing of Wind :laughing:

I search much like djm does, gleaning info from all kinds of sources to track something down, much like my tune request in another thread.

MarkB