Regarding the lyrics for Beir Mo Dhúthracht, I tried to translate the song from handwritten lyrics on a Begley & Cooney CD. After struggling with some of the words, I realized many of them were place names and in my research I found that Begley & Cooney seemed associated with the Dingle Peninsula. A friend of mine just happens to be moving there, so I wrote to him. He then wrote to a friend of his who (I think) lives in Dingle and received the following treasures. My own translation is a tiny bit different if anyone is at all interested.

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Subject: Ask and you shall receive
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999

I mentioned to [ friend ] the Begley and Cooney song and got the attached translation and stories below.

An Seabhac (1883-1964) is a local writer and linguist who did a lot to promote local language and culture, compiling dictionaries, collections of proverbs, and other dramatic and fictional works. An Seabhac (the hawk) is his nom de plume, his full name being: Pádraig Ó Siochfradha.
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Tá an-aithne ar fad againn orthu. Ó Bhaile na bPoc is ea Séamas Begley, tá ana-cheol ag an dteaghlach go léir. Agus nach ait an rud é, tá gach re duine acu ana-dheas.

We know them very well. Séamas Begley is from Baile na bPoc (Ballynabuck -- north of Dingle), the entire family is quite musical. And no wonder, every last one of them is very nice.

Chomh fada le "Beir mo Dhúthracht" de, amhrán is ea é sin a scríobh an Seabhac. Tá na focail ar fad agus aistriúchán curtha leis seo agam, mar doiciméid Word. Dúramair féin (Cór Dhuibhne) é sin ag an Oireachtas anuiridh.(Bhuamair, dar ndóigh.) Amhrán "local patriotism" is ea é.

Regarding "Beir mo Dhúrthracht", an Seabhac wrote that song. I've attached all of the words and a translation as a word document. We ourselves (Cór Dhuibhne) recited it at the Oireachtas last year. (We won, of course). It's a "local patriotism" song.

Tá cúpla focal ann b'fhéidir nár mhór a mhíniú. Tá a fhios agat féin cén cnoc é Cnoc Bhréanainn. Cnoc eile is ea Binn os Gaoith atá thoir i n-aice le Caisleán an Ghriaire. Tá cnoc i n-aice le Camp, Cathair Chon Roí, agus tá dún ar a bharr. Tá scéal mór fada béaloideasa á leanúint mar gheall ar Chú Chulainn agus an draoi Cú Roí. Iníon le Cú Roí ab ea Bláthnaid, agus thit sí féin agus Cú Chulainn i ngrá le chéile. Bhuaigh Cú Chulainn ar Chú Roí le cabhair hláthnaid.

That are a few words in it that maybe require explaining. You know which hill is Brandon Mountain. Beenaskee is another hill in the east, near Castlegregory. There is a hill near Camp, Catherconree and there is a fort on top. There a long piece of folklore pertaining to it about Cuchulan and the wizard Cu Roi. Bláthnaid was Cú Roí's daughter and she and Cuchulan fell in love with each other. Cuchulan defeated Cú Roí with Bláthnaid's help.

Gleann i n-airde sna cnoic i n-aice le hAbhainn an Scáil is ea Com an Áir. Tá ana-chuid Éireann arrowheads caite ar an dtalamh ann, agus tá scéal béaloideasa ann mar gheall ar Fhionn Mac Cumhaill agus cath mór a bheith ann.Ach is dócha gurb amhlaidh a bhíodh na rudaí sin ann ag fiagaithe réamhstairiúil, ag fiach fianna.

Com an Áir (Coumanare) is a valley high in the hills near Annascaul. The majority of Irelands arrowheads are tossed on the land there and there's an oral tradition about Finn Mac Cool and a great battle that took place there. But of course it's likely that these things were left there by prehistoric hunters, hunting deer.

Gleann na nGealt. Gleann álainn é seo ag dul soir go Tráigh Lí, díreach laistiar de Champ. Do réir na cainte, tá luibh ag fás ann a leigheasfadh an bhuile, ach do réir dealraimh stairiúil, is sna gleannta a cuirtí na créatúirí sin fadó, agus is dócha gur as san a thagann an ainm. Tá an áit sin luaite ag Seán Ó Ríordáin sa dán "Dúchas": Fág Gleann na nGealt thoir...

Glennagalt. This is a beautiful valley heading up to Tralee, just outside of Camp. According to legend, that is an herb growing there and cures madness, but by historical accounts, it was in these valleys that the insane were placed long ago and is seems that is where the name came from. The place is mentioned by Seán Ó Ríordáin in the poem "Dúchas": Fág Gleann na nGealt thoir. . .

Baile an Ghóilín, nó Burnham, sin é an áit gurb as don Seabhac féin. Tá sé laistiar den Daingean; sin é an baile go bhfuil Coláiste Íde ann, nó tigh Lord Ventry, go bhfuil caorthine ar a aghaidh amach anois.

Burnham is the place where an Seabhac himself is from. It is outside of Dingle; it's the down where Coláiste Íde is, or Lord Ventry's house, that has rowanberries on its face now.

Here follows the song with translation sent by my friend's friend in Dingle.

Ó Beir Mo Dhúthracht

Ó beir mo dhúthracht go dúthaigh Dhuibhneach,
Sí tír mo rúin í atá dlúth dom chroí-se,
Dúthaigh m'óige is fód mo shinsear,
Mo ghrá go deo í is a glóire draíochtúil.

Mo ghrá dá sléibhte is na néalta i n-airde,
Barr Chnoc Bhréanainn is gur naofa a cháil sin,
Binn Os Gaoith is na síonta á tnáthadh,
Is Dún Con Roí thoir do cloíodh le Bláthnaid.

Tabhair mo ghrá-sa do Shráid an Daingin,
Do Chuan Fionntrá is Cuan Aird na Caine,
Do Chom an Áir is Gleann álainn Gealt thoir,
Mo chumha go brách gan mé ar fán ina measc san.

B'aoibhinn domh-sa go hóg nuair a bhíos ann,
I mBaile an Ghóilín ar bhórd na taoid' ann,
Ag éisteacht ceolta um neoin sna coillte,
Aige loin is smóilín, a gcór dob aoibhinn.

Dá mbeinn-se ansúd thiar, is sughach a mhairfinn,
Ar fhaithchí drúchta ag siúl gach maidin,
Ag caint is comhrá le comharsain chneasta,
Is luí fén bhfód ann fé dheoidh ina bhfara.

Oh carry my earnest love to the region of Dovinia,
It is the land of my secret (desire), close to my heart,
The region of my youth and the sod of my ancestors,
She is my love forever, as is her magical glory.

My love is for her hills with the stars above them,
The top of Mount Brandon of holy repute,
Beenoskee and the rough winds shaking it,
And the Fort of Cú Roí in the east which was defeated by Bláthnaid.

Give my love to the streets of Dingle,
To Ventry Harbour and Smerwick Harbour,
To Com an Áir and beautiful Glannagalt in the east,
My sorrow forever that I am not wandering amongst them.

'Twas wondrous for me when I was young there,
In Burnham townland sailing the tide,
Listening to music at noon in the woods,
From the blackbird and the thrush, their choir was beautiful.

If I were back there, 'tis happily I'd live,
Walking each morning on dewy pastures,
Talking and conversing with pleasant neighbours,
And lying under the sod there at last in their company.
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Line Breaks
added, as requested. I hope I put 'em in the right places.
-Joe Offer-