Info on 'Slieve Na Mban'

Subject: Info on
From: David
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:35 PM

Greetings! I was wondering if anyone could supply the lyrics and possible some info on the subject matter or background of this grand Irish tune.

Subject: RE: Info on
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:53 PM

What's that in English? Closest I can come is a tune that I don't have a song for:

Perla deas o'n tsliab ban (Pearl of Slieve Ban. O'Neill's MS, 1787.)

My Gaelic is practically non-existant, but I come out with something like 'mountain of my white'. Is this in the ballpark? (M'ban?)

Subject: RE: Info on
From: Teru
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 07:00 PM

Try to set your filter for Slievenamon and the time for 365 days, or click the "new forum search" and set the body or subject for Slievenamon and the user for Virginia. You can find the short story of this song (Slievenamon and Slaib Na Mban).

Regards

Subject: RE: Info on
From: belter
Date: 05 Feb 98 - 04:01 PM

I have music that is listed with the title Slaib Na Mban, wich I reconized as The Star Of The county down. I looked back at the earlyer thread, and still don't know wich of the two songs described this melody is from, and what if any conection there might by between the diferent songs.

Subject: RE: Info on
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Feb 98 - 03:29 AM

Here's a link to the Slievenamon and sliab na ban threads.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: SLIEVENAMON
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 07 Feb 98 - 12:34 AM

SLIEVENAMON

Alone, all alone, by the wave-washed strand
All alone in the crowded hall
The hall it is gay, and the waves they are grand
But my heart is not here at all.
It flies far away, by night and by day
To the times and the joys that are gone.
But I never will forget the sweet maiden I met
In the valley of Slievenamon.

It was not the grace of her queenly air
Nor her cheek of the rose's glow
Nor her soft black eyes, not her flowing hair
Nor was it her lily-white brow,
'Twas the soul of truth, and of melting ruth
And the smile like a summer dawn
That sold my heart away on a soft summer day
In the valley of Slievenamon.

In the festival hall, by the star-washed shore,
Ever my restless spirit cries.
"My love, oh, my love, shall I ne'er see you more.
And my land, will you never uprise?"
By night and by day, I ever, ever pray
While lonely my life flows on
To see our flag unfurled and my true love to enfold
In the valley of Slievenamon.

Subject: RE: Info on
From: Teru
Date: 09 Feb 98 - 05:36 AM

The last part of the 3rd verse is sometimes sung as:

"To see our flag unrolled and my true love to enfold...", because "unrolled" rhymes with "enfold".

Subject: Lyr Add: SLIAB NA MBAN
From:
Date: 09 Feb 98 - 11:10 PM

I got it out of a book called Ireland Sings by Dominic Behan.

SLIAB NA MBAN

My heart is broken in sorrow, a token of regret for jeers now spoken by the English lords.
They knew we could do no harm for they knew we possessed no arms,
But forks and pikes and but a handful of rusted swords
We had no major no hero leader,
No man to order us, we drifted on
Like cows to a drover e'er the fair is over
We scattered on the sunny shoulders of Sliab Na Mban

But the French are waiting their masts are straining and people they are saying they sail the sea
With their ships in serried lines and their order is grand and fine
And they race against the wind to set old Ireland free
Now if I knew this tale was true, I'd sing like the blackbird for you a happy song
To see broken ranks swinging and hear French trumpets ringing
As Freedom they come bringing to Sliab Na Mban

"Sliab na mban" he says, means "the white mountains." He attributes the translation to Wolfe Stephens.

With the very long lines, it is difficult to figure how it was supposed to be broken up. I hope this helps.

Slainte
Rick

Subject: RE: Info on
From:
Date: 10 Feb 98 - 02:13 PM

Slieve na mBan (Sliabh na mBan) means Mountain of the Women, and is the name of a mountain in Tipperary.

Subject: RE: Info on
From:
Date: 21 May 98 - 04:33 PM

Note, The translation in Ireland Sings was by my father, Wolfe stephens is a pen name used by him as was Fintan Connoly

regards Stephen Behan

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MAID OF SLIEVENAMON
From: Frank McGrath
Date: 21 May 98 - 07:45 PM

This I cannot resist!!

UP TIPP! Come on TIPPERARY, watch the puck-out!!

"Slievenamon" is the Tipperary Anthem and is roared with gusto at every Tipp hurling match. Hurling is our national game and our national religion. We are Catholics by accident and Hurlers by choice. Tipp is one of the foremost and most famous hurling counties and this song is our sacred song.

Dominic Behan was a great man but he also liked to put his own personal touch to "facts". Slievenamon comes from the Irish language; Sliabh-na-mBan or to give it it's proper full title "Sliabh na mBan Feimhenn" or "the mountain of the women of Feimheann"
"Sliabh"; pronounced shleeve means "Mountain"
"na"; pronounced na (believe it or not) means "of the"
"mBan"; pronounced mon means "Women"

White Mountain would be "Silabh Bán" or "An Silabh Bán" and Behan may have been genuinely mistaken as the "Whith Mountain" myth has been fooling people for some time. In fact Sliabh-na-mBan and the surrounding area figures prominently in the many of the legends of "Finn McCool" which predate Christianity and in fact the highest point of the mountain is known as "Suí Finn" or "Finn's Seat".

Here the words of Slievenamon as written by Charles J. Kickham. Local legend has it that the song was inspired by his cousin Catherine Carew. The line "To see our flag unrolled"... is very significant this year as it is the 150th anniversary of the flying of the Irish Tricolour, our national flag. It was unrolled for the first time on Slievenamon on the 16th July in 1848 by Thomas Francis Meagher at an enormus protest/rebellion meeting. The flag was inspired by the French Tricolour and signifies peace "White" between the "Green" nationalists and "Orange" the followers of William of Orange or Unionists.

THE MAID OF SLIEVENAMON

Alone, all alone, by the wave-washed strand
All alone in the crowded hall;
The hall it is gay, and the waves they are grand,
But my heart is not here at all.
It flies far away, by night and by day
To the times and the joys that are gone-
Ah! I never can forget, the maiden I met,
In the valley of Slievenamon.

It was not the grace of her queenly air,
Nor her cheek of the rose's glow,
Nor her soft black eyes, not her flowing hair
Nor was it her lily white brow; 'Twas the soul of truth, and of melting ruth,
And the smile like a summer dawn,
That sold my heart away one mild May day,
In the valley of Slievenamon.

In the festive hall - by the star watched store -
My restless spirit cries -
"My love - Oh, my love - shall I never see you more?
And my land - will you ever uprise?"
By night and by day, I ever, ever pray -
While lonely my life flows on -
To see our flag unrolled, and my true love to unfold
In the valley of Slievenamon.

Charles J. Kickham

Sing and enjoy and once again: UP TIPP!

Frank McGrath
Nenagh Singers Circle (Nenagh is in Tipperary)

Subject: RE: Info on
From: Frank McGrath
Date: 21 May 98 - 07:54 PM

Sorry!!!

"That sold my heart away"... should read
"That stole my heart away...

UP TIPP!

Subject: RE: Info on
From:
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 05:19 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 11 - 10:11 PM

This song is called The Vally of Slieve Na Mban.
There is another tune Called Slieve Na Mban

Subject: RE: Info on
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 04:25 AM

The original title of Kickham's poem was, as Frank McGrath gave, The Maid of Slievenamon.

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 05:33 AM

BTW, for latecomers.

The most comprehensive thread on the Sliabh na mBan family of songs is the first on the list at the top of this page.

Regards

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 06:22 AM

Charles J. Kickham was a resident of Mulinahome, Co Tipperary, which has a great view of Slievenamon, and there used to be a small museum dedicated to him in the village. The local park and hurling field is dedicated to him, so the village team is known as the Kickhams.

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 06:28 AM

PS. We were in the village the day the team won the South Tipp Junior Championship for the first time (I think), so they said we must bring the instruments down the pub. We got there and played 'Slievenamon', then started to do our normal set. Managed one set of tunes, then gave up, as they were still singing 'Slievenamon' when we went home to bed several hours later.

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 07:26 AM

The English spelling is Slievenamon and generally used in Ireland now so use that in searches. I grew up with a fine view of Slieve, it's a hill on tyhe border of my home county Kilkenny and neighbouring Tipperary, indeed Slievenamon is the country anthem of Tipperary, much as I'm a Kilkenny man, when we played Tipp at hurling I always remember Slievenamon bing played than our own anthem Rosse Of Mooncoin! It's one of the nicest Irish tunes. The Song was written by Charles T Kickham in the 1840's, he was a revolutionary, and I've heard he wrote the song while jailed in England as a political prisiner, his crime, writing his views in the newspapers. You can find full words and Chords on Martin Dardis's site www.unitedirelandtripod.ie

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na mBan"
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 11:25 AM

two different songs, different lyrics and tunes
same mountain
Kickham's song is usually spelled "Slievenamon"
Dominic Behan's verses are translation of an Irish Gaelic song, also sometimes known as "Is oth liom féinig". Look up Slievenamon" on Mudcat for more discussion and for the Irish language lyrics as well; there's a clickable link near the top of this page (Lyr req: Slievenamon)

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 30 Jan 11 - 11:06 AM

Anybody interested in the the folklore of the area should try to get hold of two fascinating books; 'The Burning of Brigid Cleary', and 'The Cooper's Wife is Missing'; factual accounts of the killing of a local woman in the late 19th century, who, it was believed, had been 'taken by the fairies and replaced by a changeling'. The case is ifren (erroniously) referred to as 'The Clonmel Witch Trial'.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Sep 13 - 03:50 PM

Surely its not the white mountain, but Sliabh na Mban, the Womens mountain.

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Sep 13 - 06:42 PM

GUEST

Yes

Regards

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 10 Sep 13 - 06:58 AM

Is oth liom féinig bualadh an lé úd
Do dhul ar Ghaeil bhochta is na céadta slad
Mar tá na méirligh ag déanamh game dinn
á rá nach aon ní leo pike nó sleá
Níor tháinig ár major i dtús an lae chugainn
Is ní rabhamar féin ann i gcóir ná i gceart
Ach mar sheolfaí aoireacht bó gan aoire
Ar thaoth na gréine de Shliabh na mBan

Mo léan léir ar an dream gan éifeacht
Nár fhan le héirim is d'oíche stad
Go mhéadh dúiche Déiseach is Iarthar éireann
Ag triall le chéile ón tír aneas
Bhéadh ár gcampaí déanta le fórsaí tréana
Bhéadh cúnamh Dé linn is an saol ar fad
Is ní dhíolfadh meirleach darbh ainm Néill sinn
Is bhuafaí an réim linn ar Shliabh na mBan

Is tá an Francach faobhrach is an loingeas gléasta
Le cranna géara acu ar muir le seal
'Sé an síorscéal go bhfuil a dtriall ar éirinn
Is go gcuirfid Gaeil bhocht arís 'na gceart
Dá mba dhóigh liom féineach go mb'fhíor an scéal úd
Bheadh mo chroí chomh héadrom le lon an sceach
Go mbeadh cloí ar mheirligh, is an adharc á séideadh
Ar thaobh na gréine de Shliabh na mBan

The lyrics in Irish are about the slaughter of Irish Volunteers on the slopes of this mountain during the 1798 Rising.

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 10 Sep 13 - 07:06 AM

A nice sung version by Tadhg Maher from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or-f3JSJtYA

Subject: RE: Info on "Slieve Na Mban"
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 21 - 02:06 PM

The song is believed to have been composed by Mícheál Óg Ó Longáin, who is known to have composed Maidin Luan Cincíse, another beautiful song about the 1798 Rising. At this time most Gaelic nationalist intellectuals seem to have been supporters of Jacobinism but Ó Longáin was without reservation a Republican, a movement the leaders of which were nearly all descended of colonist settlers and planters. For this reason there are very few original Republican songs in Irish from the period though most of the Rising participants in Mayo for example would have been Irish speakers (and most not even bilingual, probably).

The songs by Ó Longáin are also remarkable for being from an actual participant and some also written very near to the time of the Rising. He was on the run in 1799 and may have composed some at that time.


https://www.dib.ie/biography/o-longain-micheal-og-michael-long-a6394