Cúilín Triopallach na Gruaige Báine

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  • Teideal (Title): Cúilín Triopallach na Gruaige Báine.
  • Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): none.
  • 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): Bailiúchán Mháire Nic Fhinn.
  • 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): Liam Clancy.
  • Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): unavailable.
  • Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): unavailable.
  • Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): private.
  • Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): unavailable.
  • Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.

Is nach b’fhurast aithne dhom nach tú a bhí i ndán dom
Nuair a chuir tú amach mé ’s bhí an lá báisteach
Baineadh truisle asam i mbéal na bearna
’S níor dhúirt tú Dia linn liom a’s bhí tú i láthair.

Ó, déarfá Dia linn le mac do námhaid
Ní hé amháin an té a bhfuil a chroí istigh i ngrá leat
Fadó fadó an lá a dtug mé grá duit
A chúilín triopallach na gruaige báine.

’S is fada í anocht agus is fada í amárach
Is fada í an bhliain a’s is fada í an rátha
Ach fadó, fadó an lá a dtug mé grádh dhuit
A chúilín triopallach na gruaige báine.

Is dhá mbeadh a’msa glac billeógaí báidhte
Is rud beag eile a gcuirfinn spás ann1
Bhrúighfhinn is mhillfhinn iad le cúl mo láimhe
Is thabhairfinn cailín deas ó ghlúin a máthar.

’S is fada í inniu agus is fada í amárach
Is fada í an bhliain a’s is fada í an ráithe
Fadó, fadó an lá a dtug mé grá dhuit
A chúilín triopallach na gruaige báine.

Translation

Wasn’t it obvious to me that you weren’t destined for me
When you threw me out on a rainy day
When you saw me trip going through the gap,
You never even said ’God with us’.

Oh, you’d say ‘God with us’ to the son of your enemy
Let alone the one who’s in love with you
It was a long, long time ago that I fell in love with you
My fair-haired girl of the ringlets.

It’s long tonight and it’s long tomorrow
It’s a long year and a long season
But it’s long, long ago that I fell in love with you
My fair-haired girl of the ringlets.

And if I had a handful of wet leaves
Or anything else that I’d have room for
I’d crush and grind them with the back of my hand
And I’d take a nice young girl from her mother’s knee.

It’s long tonight and it’s long tomorrow
It’s a long year and a long season
But it’s long, long ago that I fell in love with you
My fair-haired girl of the ringlets.

Joe Éinniú’s transcription (original handwritten document)

Bileog scríofa, i láimh Joe, i leabhar quarto.
An láimhscríbhinn bhunaidh (lch 441).
Bileog scríofa, i láimh Joe, i leabhar quarto.
An láimhscríbhinn bhunaidh (lch 442).

Notes

1. Joe’s manuscript gives this line as nó rud beag eile nach bhféadaim trácht air (or any other small, worthless thing).

It appears that Joe recorded this song on no other occasion, yet it was one of the first he learned at home in Carna. He in fact contributed the words to Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann (the Irish Folklore Commission) sometime in the 1930s. He didn’t name his informant on that occasion but his older brother Seán contributed material to the Commission in 1932, naming their father as the source.

Words and air were also collected by Séamas Ennis from Joe’s cousin Colm Ó Caoidheáin in Glinsce in the 1940s (CBÉ 1280: 729–30 and CC 018.049). Interestingly, Colm’s version doesn’t resemble Joe’s all that closely, suggesting that they each got the song from different singers.

The CBÉ manuscript presented on this page is Joe’s one and the Cartlanna are grateful to Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann for permission to reproduce the document (CBÉ manuscript 1275: 419–29) here.