Amhráin Gaelach Tradisiúnta

"An Cailín Rua"

An Cailín Rua talks of a man who is smitten by a red-haired girl. He travels around all of Ireland with her, spending lots of money on butter, on ribbons, and on shoes for her. Then, in the last verse, we find out that she leaves him for a shop-boy in the west of Ireland. Maybe because he could get her a discount!

Nach doiligh domhsa mo chailín a mholadh,
Ní hé amháin mar bhí sí rua,
Bhí sí mar gha gréine ag dul in éadan na ngloiní,
Is bhí scéimh mhná na Finne le mo chailín rua.

Cúrfa
Thug mé lion í ó bhaile go baile,
Ó Gheaftaí Dhoire go Baile Átha Luain,
Chun fhuil aon mhíle dár shiúil mé ar an fad sin,
Nach dtug mé deoch leanna do mo chailín rua.

B'fhearr liom í ná bó is ná bearrach,
Nó a bhfuil de loingis ag tarraingt chun cuain,
B'fhearr liom arís na cíos Chluain Meala,
Go mbeinn is mo chailín i mBaile Átha Luain.

Cúrfa

Chuir mé mo chailín go margadh Shligigh,
Ba é sin féin an margadh bhí daor,
Bhí scilling agus punt ar an mheánpheicín ime,
Is go dtug mé sin le fuinneamh do mo chailín rua.

Cúrfa

Chuaigh sí siar agus bróga breac' uirthi,
Ribíní glasuaithne teannta ar a gruaig,
D'éalaigh sí uaimse le buachaill an tsiopa,
Is a Rí nár dheas í, mo chailín rua.

Cúrfa

Isn't it hard for me to praise my red-haired girl,
Not only because of her red hair,
She was like a ray of sun reflected through glass,
And she had the beauty of the Finne women.

Chorus
I took her from town to town,
From the gates of Derry to Athlone,
There's not a mile of the way I traveled,
That I didn't give my red-haired girl a drink of ale.

I prefer her to any cow or heifer,
Or all the long ships drawing into the harbor,
I would rather than have all the rent of Clonmel,
To be in Athlone with my red-haired girl.

Chorus

I sent my girl to the Sligo market,
That was the market that was expensive,
A weight of butter cost one guinea,
And I gave it willingly to my red-haired girl.

Chorus

She went west wearing striped shoes,
Her hair tied up with the greenest ribbons,
She left me for a shop-boy,
God, wasn't she lovely, my red-haired girl.

Chorus

And so here you can hear two versions of this lovely little song. Above is a very 1990s - and very cool - version by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh.

The other, below, is an infamous interpretation by Skara Brae, which was first recorded in 1971. Skara Brae is considered to be the first Irish traditional group to add homophonic harmonies in to single-line Irish melodies. Quite the reputation.