Jimmy C., I have explanations of the names and other words in the song at this page:click here
The Green Man is another mythical character. Siabhra (Sheevra) are very mischievous, trouble making little people. Tearmann I already defined if you look earlier in this thread.

"The most famous Banshee of ancient times was that attached to the kingly house of O'Brien, Aibhill, who haunted the rock of Craglea above Killaloe, near the old palace of Kincora. In A.D. 1014 was fought the battle of Clontarf, from which the aged king, Brian Boru, knew that he would never come away alive, for the previous night Aibhill had appeared to him to tell him of his impending fate." The Green Man is another mythical character. Siabhra (Sheevra) are very mischievous, trouble making little people. Tearmann I already defined if you look earlier in this thread.

John McLaughlin sent me more information about the Green Man when he emailed the third verse:

AOIBHEALL OF CARRAIGH-LIATH

Commonly known as "Aoibhinn the Beautiful" is queen of the northern fairies, as Cliodhna of Tonn-Cliodhna is queen of the southern. For further information on this interesting lady see Douglas Hyde's "Literary History of Ireland", also, Dr Joyce's "Irish Names of Places".

THE GREEN MAN

Fear-glas is own brother to the Scottish Bodach-Glas, or Fetch. They say if you see him in the morning, "no ill follows", but if at night, death or some other terrible misfortune will surely overtake you. He is sometimes called Fear-Liath, or the Grey Man. There is a curious fissure in the cliff-face near Beann--mor (Fair Head) in the Co[unty] Aondruim [Antrim]. It is called Cosan-fhir-liath i.e. the Grey Man's Path and the fisher people dwelling about these coasts tell some wonderful stories of the Genius that is supposed to make it his highway to the sea in his daily journeys from Cuil-na-locha inland. Mrs. S.C. Hall has recorded a typical one. She writes;-

"The Grey Man's path most riveted our attention. 'Did you ever see the Grey Man?' we inquired of a boatman. 'God forbid it's not that sort I'd be liking to see. The likes of him only comes to the place for trouble. I heard say, before the great ship was wrecked off Port-na-Spania, he was known to have decoyed the vessel in and that when he 'ticed it on the rocks he flitted away to his own berth up there and clapped his hands, and the echo of that clap pitched yon rock out to sea from the headland, as you would pitch a marble.'

"And was he never seen since"?

'It was a year or two before the troubles that my father, dodging about in his boat, thinking to run to Baile-Mairge, for it was winter time, saw it between him and the setting sun, like a wreath of smoke passing over the water. As it drew near the coast it grew into the shape of a giant, folded in his cloak from head to foot. Then it went up the cliff and stopped where that fallen pillar rests. Above the path, there, it made a pause and turning round spread its arms forward either for a blessing or a curse. Too well it was proved to be a curse', added the boatman; and then he went on to tell of the ruin of the neighbouring colliery by the fall of part of the cliff above its works. 'And who knows' says he in conclusion, 'what might happen if the Grey man comes to pay us another visit?' The Fear-liath is cousin-once-removed to that gruesome joker Fear-Dearg [the Red Man], and some distant relation of Fear-Gorta, the Man of Hunger, or Famine Spirit:- "The Brown Man o' the moor, that stays

Beneath the heather-bell"

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All the best, as we say here,

John McLaughlin

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I invited John to join Mudcat, and he has attempted to get in when the site was busy. I am hoping he becomes a member and participates in the discussion.

Alice Flynn