Play recording: Fáilte Romhat, a Chaiptín
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- Teideal (Title): Fáilte Romhat, a Chaiptín.
- Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): 843901.
- 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): Jill Linzee.
- Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): between 1982 and 1984.
- Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): unavailable.
- Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): unavailable.
- Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): unavailable.
- Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.
This is about a man who used to be captain of a boat, and he’d go away and come back and go away, and his children would be down at the quayside asking him where was he now, and sometimes he’d tell them he was in Africa and all over the world, you know. And the kids asking him, ‘What did you b- Did you bring us anything back, now? Did you bring us any keepsakes?’ – féirín, which is the Irish for ‘keepsake.’
Bhí mé lá breá aoibhinn thíos i nGarraí Árd
Ag fosaíocht mo chuid budógaí is ag breathnú ar na báid
An chéad bhád a tháinig bhí brat dearg ar a crann
Is chuaigh sí anonn go Meiriocá is tháinig aríst anall.
‘Fáilte romhat, a chaiptín, is fáilte roimh do bhád!
An dtug tú féirín agamsa ón tír a raibh tú ann?’
‘Thug mé tae is siúcra liom ó na hIndiachaí anall
Thug mé piaróid ghlas ón Africa is monkey beag ón Spáinn.’
Translation
One fine day I was down in Garryard,
herding my heifers and watching the boats.
The first boat that came along had a red flag flying from its mast;
she went to America and came back.
‘Welcome to you, Captain, and welcome to your boat!
Did you bring me a keepsake back from the country where you went?’
‘I brought tea and sugar with me from the Indies,
a green parrot from Africa and a little monkey from Spain.’
Notes
Joe sang this song for Jill Linzee, who was making a collection of his children’s songs. The air is a close relative of the one Joe uses for ‘Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship,’ except that it has a more regular, swinging rhythm.