Lyr Add: Casadh Cam Na Feadarnaí

Subject: Lyr Add: CASADH CAM NA FEADARNAÍ
From: GUEST,Claire
Date: 03 Oct 01 - 10:20 PM

Hi there,

I could really use some help figuring out the hidden meaning behind an Irish Gaelic song I have recently learned. Although I have the Irish/English translation, the song's lyrics don't really make sense as a story, yet they seem to bear more meaning than a nonsense song. I think I probably don't understand the broader meaning of such terms as "Brindled Hag" and "dandy cap". Perhaps someone more familiar with Irish cultural lore, might understand the meaning better. Because I will be performing the song, I would really like to give the audience some context and to understand the song very well myself so that I interpret it well.

I have searched for this song on the web to no avail and I also don't have it in any of my song books - esoteric though they may be. I've posted this to the Irtrad list to see what that crowd can come up with, so if your on both lists you may see this message twice.

According to the liner notes, the song is from County Armagh. Feadernach (a place mentioned in the song) is on the border of Armagh and Louth near Culloville. Sort of a side question is whether anyone has heard this song in other parts of Ireland.

Thanks very much for any help you can give me.

Claire

Here it is....
"Casadh Cam Na Feadarnaí"
Learned from Padraigin Ni Uallachain's cd, A Stor's a Stoirin.

In Irish...

Ag casadh cam na Feadarnaí
Ara dhul isteach sa tsléibh
dhuit Ar thaobh do láimhe deise
dhuit Tá toigh na caillí Riabhaí
Chorus
With a ma ring a doo a day
With a ma ring a doo a daddio

Bhí Bunnaidh Chinn is Bannaidh Chinn
Is neidí beag a tsléibh ann
'Sé velvet boct a d'ársódh duit
Cá mbíonn an chailleach riabhach
Chorus

Oích roimh mhí Shamhna
A' tarraningt mhóin a'Tiarna
Bhí Neansaí Gabha 's na gasûir
Ag creachna Caillí Riabhaí
Chorus

Dá bhfeicfeá Mícheál O Báinichinn
'S é ag imeacht lena chliabhán
A' cruinniû ábhar tine
Lena 'dandy-cap' a ghrianadh
Chorus

In English....
according to the cd liner notes

At the double bend at Fadarnach
As you go into the mountain
On your right hand side
Is the house of the Brindled Hag
Chorus
With a ma ring a doo a day
With a ma ring a doo a daddio

Bunnaidh Chinn and Bannaidh Chinn
And little Ned from the mountain
It's poor velvet who would relate to you
Where the Brindled Hag is
Chorus

The night before November
Drawing the landlord's turf
The Blacksmith's Nancy and the lads
Were at the plundering of the Brindled Hag
Chorus

If you saw Mícheál O Báinichinn
Going off with his creel
Gathering fuel for the fire
To sun his dandy cap
Chorus

HTML line breaks added --JoeClone, 3-Oct-01.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Oct 01 - 03:46 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Fiolar
Date: 04 Oct 01 - 09:02 AM

In Irish the word for nun is "cailleach" which also means a hooded woman. Looking at line 4 of verse one, the last two words are in the plural, ie "brindled hags" so I wonder if the whole line means "a convent"? "Dandy Cap" was an lace cap with a starched linen front worn by women. Though the relevance in the song escapes me.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,Claire
Date: 04 Oct 01 - 12:50 PM

Well, that is very interesting. A reference to a convent is interesting given that the song is from the Armagh area.

Maybe the 'dandy cap'was stolen during the plundering. That last verse is so strange, as if everything is totally normal again. Maybe the only sign that the dream-like plundering happened is the fact the Michael has taken his "dandy cap" out to look at it in the sun.... hmmmm. Its like a mystery. I don't think cross-dressing was the intent of the lyric.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Claire

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,MudWeasel
Date: 04 Oct 01 - 01:09 PM

Maybe the Brindled Hag is the name of a pub? Seriously, it would almost fit, though the last verse is kind of odd...

-MW

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Brían
Date: 04 Oct 01 - 01:58 PM

I'm wondering if anyone has a copy of Amhráin Chúige Uladh, Muireadach Méith, 1927, where this song is found. There might be more information in there.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,chrisj
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 12:21 AM

I think there are a few local dialect words included here that may be difficult and the translation could be better. But that isn't uncommon in CD cover notes in dealing with Irish language lyrics. I'd say the song is poking fun at some of the worthy local characters.The 'Cailleach Riabhach' could be some witch of local lore (hence the Halloween reference).

'Bunnaidh Chinn' and 'Bannaidh Chinn', neidí beag an tsléibh', 'velvet bocht', 'Neansaí Gabha 's na gasúir' and 'Micheál Ó Báinichín, could all be references to local characters around Feadarnach.

I'd have the last verse go: You should have seen Michael O'Bainichin And he going off with his creel, To gather fuel for the fire With his 'dandy cap' for a sunhat.

Ard Mhaca, a regular mudcatter, might be able to throw light on this.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Amos
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 12:37 AM

If you were fe3eling feisty and wanted a drink but had to be careful ecause of a gaggle of sisters who might gossip about you you might well think of them as brindle hags, if you were a livestock sorta person. A brindled animal (or brindle) is one that istawny with streaks or spots of darker color. It might be an expression for the local penguins, as it were.

Aine also has a lot of experience wrassling with Gaelic in song and might be able to help.

A

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,chrisj
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 12:44 AM

BTW in line four of verse one, 'toigh' probably is a misspelling of 'tigh or 'teach' meaning a house, and 'na Caillí Riabhaí' is genitive singular not plural as suggested, ie, 'the house of The Cailleach Riabhach'.

The more I think about this song the more I'm convinced its a typical 'sconsing home' song whereby in rural Ireland in days gone by, people gathered at night in one or two 'rambling houses' well known in each locality, where neighbors caught up with news of the parish and of the wider world, played cards, sang songs etc. Occasionally one particular unfortunate became the butt of the evening's humor with the aim of embarrassing him enough to make him leave unless he was clever enough to turn the joke on his tormentor.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Jimmy C
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 01:34 AM

I have a version of this song by Padraigin Ni Uallachain but the liner notes don't give any more info than we already have above. I do remember discussing this one before and I believe 'Bunnaidh Chinn', 'Bannaidh Chinn', and Little Ned were names of local fairies, Poor Velvet (Velvet bocht) I would guess may be another sprite. The reference to Dandy Cap could be a humourous reference to the raggedy cap that Michael may have worn, The Brindled Hag is either an old lady who kept an illegal sheebeen or the name of the sheebeen itself. A great song to the tune of "The Ballynure Ballad". It should be sung in Gaelige as it loses a lot in the translation.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Airto
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 10:30 AM

Tigh na cailli riabhai (genitive singular) = the house of the freckled(?) witch/crone/hag.

Regarding Bunnaidh Chinn, the word bunadh can be used to mean populace (e.g. bunadh na haite = the people of the area). So here it might, on one level, mean the people in and around the hill.

Bannaidh Chinn...I think there is another play of words here. The name Mícheál O Báinichinn in the last verse is pronounced in almost the same way.

"Bhi Bunnaidh Chinn is Bannaidh Chinn, etc" might, when put together, be a whimsical way of saying there were plenty of local people there.

Oíche roimh mhí Shamhna = Halloween, All Saints Eve, the night when all the lost souls of the dead are out and about.

A' tarraingt mhóin a'Tiarna...turf cutting and harvesting takes place in the summer months, not in November.

The term dandy-cap should maybe not be taken too literally. I think the lines concerned probably refer to a fancy cap, fit for a dandy, that the character used to wear the whole time, rain or shine.

All in all, I think this might be a cheeky song about certain dead people from the area who, it is implied, did not yet find a resting place in Heaven and instead are keeping to their old habits and consorting with the cailleach.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,Declan
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 12:19 PM

Claire,

As with many of the songs that Padraigin records this song is a Children's song. I would say that the characters are all names of fairies who are the people who live under the mountain. The Caileach Riabhach is probably a local hag or witch. (I've never heard of this as a Gaelic word for Nun, but I'm open to correction).

The fact that the 'T' in Moin a Tiarna is capitalised suggests that it might mean the Lord's (i.e God's) turf rather than the landlord's turf. This might be a local name for a plant or something like that.

It might as suggested elsewhere work on a couple of levels - if you lived in the area you might recognise some of the characters in it. I'd suggest that you treat the song as a good natured piece of nonsense which is what is intended. There's no particular reason why the words should mean any more than those in the chorus, which are just meaningless words chosen for their sound and rhythym more than anything else.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Fiolar
Date: 06 Oct 01 - 05:36 AM

Sorry guys but look again at the line which contains "na cailli riabhai." If I remember my Irish grammar correctly, if it was genitive singular it would be "toigh AN cailli riabhai." Instead it uses the plural "NA." As an interesting aside there is the "Cailleach Beara." Originally she appears as a goddess with her sisters Cailleach Bolus and Cailleach Corcha Duibhne. She was also said to have been named "Bui" (yellow) and to have been the wife of the god Lugh. She was associated with the Cork/Kerry area. I wonder if a similar or even the same applies to Cailleach Riabhac but as the plural is involved, I am doubtful.

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: GUEST,Annraoi
Date: 06 Oct 01 - 09:11 PM

Fiolar, go back to your books. "na Caillí Riabhaí" is correct. The Definite Article in the Genitive Singular Feminine changes from "an" to "na".
As for reading all sorts into this song. It is a children's song and should be treated as such.
Annraoi

Subject: RE: Irish Song context needed
From: Fiolar
Date: 07 Oct 01 - 05:24 AM

Apologies. I was going from memory originally. Having checked today, I bow to the superior wisdom of Annraoi who is a wiser person than I. As for reading meanings into childrens songs, it is as well to point out than many nursery rhymes do have meanings and are part of the folklore of the country in which they were composed.