AMHRÁN NA CRAOIBHE

'S í mo chraobhsa craobh na mban uasal
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di
Craobh na gcailín is craobh na mbuachaill;
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di
Craobh na ngirseach a rinneadh le huabhar,
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di
Maise hóigh, a chaillíní, cá bhfaigh' muinn di nuachar?
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di
Gheobh' muinn buachaill sa mbaile don bhanóig;
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di
Buachaill urrúnta , lúdasach, láidir,
Haigh dó a bheir i' bhaile í 's a haigh di

translation
THE GARLAND SONG
My branch is the branch of the noble women,
Hey to him who takes her home, hey to her;
The branch of the lasses and the branch of the lads;
The branch of the maidens made with pride;
Hey, young girls, where will we get her a spouse?
We will get a lad in the town for the bride,
A dauntless, swift, strong lad,
Hey to him who takes her home, hey to her;

this is a May day song unique to south-east Ulster, Ireland. It has been recorded by Páidraigín Ní Uallacháin in the Gael-Linn album An Dealg Óir and in her new book,Songs of a Hidden Ulster, published by Four Courts Press. The lyrics above are but a portion of the song, but enough to give you the flavour of it.

From the album notes:
"A processional chant-like song from Killeavy in Co. Armagh sung by women carrying the May Garland or a branch of blackthorn blossom as part of the fertility ritual celebrations of the May festival of Bealtaine. In this song the branch is being carried up to where the young men are gathered with the horses in their golden bridles. It is most likely that the singing of the refrain was originally accompanied by collective dancing as in a Long Dance. In this arrangement the women carrying the branch are heading uphill followed by a troupe of fiddlers, drummers and other musicians. The song ... was collected from Sarah Humphreys who lived in Lislea in the vicinity of Mullagban in Co. Armagh. The air of the song from Cooley in Co. Louth surved in the oral tradition from my father Pádraig. It was mistakenly called 'Lá Fhéile Blinne' (The Feast of St Blinne) by one collector. Though it was sung as part of the celebrations of Killeavy Pattern it had no connection with Blinne of Moninne, a native saint of South Armagh, but rather the old surviving pre-Christian traditons had been incorporated into Christian celebrations. The district of 'Bealtaine' is to be found within a fe miles of Killeavy where this song was traditionally sung, though the placename had been forgotten since Irish ceased to be the vernacular of the community within this last century. Other place names nearby associated with May festiviites are Gróbh na Carraibhe: The Grove of the Branch/Garland (now Carrive Grove); Cnoc a' Damhsa: the Hill of Dancing (now Crockadownsa)"