Preab san Ól

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  • Teideal (Title): Preab san Ól.
  • Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): 850111.
  • Uimhir Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann (National Folklore of Ireland Number): none.
  • Uimhir Roud (Roud Number): none.
  • Uimhir Laws (Laws Number): none.
  • Uimhir Child (Child Number): none.
  • Cnuasach (Collection): Joe Heaney Collection, University of Washington, Seattle.
  • Teanga na Croímhíre (Core-Item Language): Irish.
  • Catagóir (Category): song.
  • Ainm an té a thug (Name of Informant): Joe Heaney.
  • Ainm an té a thóg (Name of Collector): James Cowdery.
  • Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): between 1979 and 1981.
  • Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States of America.
  • Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): private.
  • Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): unavailable.
  • Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.

Anyway, ‘Preab san Ól.’ A literal translation I give you now… what the song is all about. ‘Is iomadh slí sin- There’s a lot of ways of earning money,’ you know. There’s a lot of ways of enjoying yourself and entertaining yourself. But there’s- He found no better way than to be dipping your finger in the drink. Wherever you travel, all over the world – Spain, or anywhere – the first thing somebody’ll ask you: ‘Have a drink.’ Now. That’s what it’s all about. And it says, too, no matter how rich you are, no matter how good you are, you won’t get a penny into the grave with you, so you may as well drink it [unintelligible]. This is the way it goes:

Nach iomadh slí sin a bhíonns ag daoine
Ag cruinniú píosaí is ag déanamh stóir
Is a laghad a smaoiníonn ar ghiorra an tsaoil seo
Go mbeidh siad sínte faoi leic go fóill
Más tiarna tíre, diúc nó rí thú,
Ní chuirfear pingin leat is tú ag gabháil faoin bhfód
Mar sin is dhá bhrí sin, níl beart níos críonna
Ná bheith go síoraí ag cur preab san ól.

An loing thar sáile níl clúid ná cearda ann
Nach gcaithfidh spás ar fud an domhain mhóir
I gcríoch na Spáinne nó suas Gibraltar
Ins an áit a mbíonn an Grand Señor
Le gach cargo a líonfadh málaí
Ní choinneodh an bás uait uair nó dhó
Mar sin a chairde, níl beart is fearr dúinn
Ná bheith mar atá muid ag cur preab san ól.

Translation

There’s many a way that people have
of collecting stuff and making money;
And little they think of the shortness of this life,
or that they’ll be stretched out under a gravestone before long.
Be you a landlord, duke or king,
not a penny will go with you to the grave.
For that reason, the wisest plan
is to drink heartily!

The ship on the ocean will find a haven
somewhere in the world –
in Spain or Gibraltar
where the Grand Señor lives –
but every cargo that comes
won’t keep death from you for an hour or two.
So, friends, there’s no plan better
than to carry on as we’re doing and drink to our hearts’ content!

 

Notes

This lively drinking song was composed by Mayo poet Riocárd Bairéad (c. 1740-1819); for text and discussion see Nicholas Williams, Riocárd Bairéad: Amhráin (Dublin, 1978), 72 and notes. Note the thematic similarity between this song and An Buinneán Buí.