Subject: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 11 Mar 03 - 01:57 PM I checked the forum and found no reference to this, so I hope I'm not duplicating a thread. I found reference to this song, "Farewell to Coigach", on a site regarding Scottish immigrants to Alberta, Canada. It said it was a cowboy song written in N. America in Gaelic. Anyone have more info, tune and lyrics? Alice |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 11 Mar 03 - 05:00 PM I don't think so, Alice. I have it. It's in Scottish Gaelic. I'll scan in the couple of pages and e-mail them to you. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 11 Mar 03 - 05:01 PM PS - When I get home tonight. I am on my way to a meeting. Might be home around midnight. It's 6PM now. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Felipa Date: 11 Mar 03 - 05:19 PM Carson nach cuir thu an-seo iad? Others besides Alice would be interested |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 11 Mar 03 - 06:28 PM Here is the site that connected the song to Alberta, Canada. http://www.whitepinepictures.com/seeds/i/13/sidebar.html A Land As Green As The Sea - Celtic Music quote "...To this day, Radford keeps running into versions of Celtic music in the strangest places. In the ranching community of southern Alberta, for example, Radford was introduced to the Celtic roots of cowboy music. Several years ago, a friend of his gave him a copy o f a song called "Farewell to Coigach," which is believed to be the only surviving cowboy song written in North America in Gaelic. " Alice |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Strupag Date: 11 Mar 03 - 07:18 PM Ciamer a tha U Alice, This song was written by Murdo MacLean from Achiltibuie, in North West Scotland. He went out to Billings, Montanna and wrote the song in Gaelic around 1910. Many men from that area known as Coigach (the five fields) went out to Montanna at the turn of the century to find work, working with sheep. This small wave of immigration continued right up untill the 50's. The song was found in Montanna by Dave Wilkie of the band, Cowboy Celtic. He advertised in the North west of Scotland for anyone knowing anything about it. Tom and Val Bryan had moved to this area and were active in collecting and promoting gaelic song. They actually had a tape recording of an old Coigach lady, Mrs Sandie Fraser, singing the very song. I was not too long before Dave and the band made a visit to Scotland and decided to get a local Skye gaelic singer, Arthur Cormack, to record the song on the bands 2nd album. See info at this clickey http://www.cowboyceltic.com/ Dave and the band members have now become regular visitors to these shores and are firm friends with many of us here. Just to complete the whole circle, Dave and the band, in their latest album, recorded a song of mine which was written for Tom and Val Bryan when they decided to come home to Scotland from Indiana. If you want more info and words of old Murdo's great song, "Mo Shoraidh Leis a' Choigich" please PM me. Slainte Andy |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Sandy Mc Lean Date: 11 Mar 03 - 08:53 PM Carson nach, gu dearbh! Am bheil e buachaille no aoghair ? Montana was also a magnet for Cape Bretoners. In fact one of our greatest Gaelic singers was known as Montana Dan. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 11 Mar 03 - 10:06 PM Thank you. I live in Montana, born and raised here, of Irish ancestry. That is my interest in this song. Alice Flynn |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 11 Mar 03 - 11:40 PM Of course, Felipa. I just can't do music so I was going to e-mail her the scan. I am going to post the words here. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 12 Mar 03 - 01:54 AM This song was transcribed from the singing of Sandie Fraser of Achiltibuie. Murdo George (Mordaidh Sheorais) was just one of'many Coigach men who went to Montana and Idaho, USA, in the years before World War One to work as shepherds, cattlemen and cowboys. This Coigach man realised his dream of returning to Scotland to marry and settle but others stayed to help settle the North American West. Some of these men returned to Europe only to die in the trenches in the Great War of 1914-1918. This song is totally unique and priceless and must be one of the few preserved songs written in Gaelic in the American West. That's the explanatory notes. I'll get back to it tomorrow. I'd forgotten there are 11 verses to this to type up, and sort convert to HTML for accents. Will post it tomorrow(later today) evening for sure. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 12 Mar 03 - 01:58 AM -Oh, yes. It comes from a book called Ullapool - Music of Lochbroom and Coigach. Compiled by Valerie and Tom Bryan. Drumrunie Press. ISBN 1-879486-05-6 |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Felipa Date: 12 Mar 03 - 03:44 PM Strupag- wow! - an Andy Mitchell sibh? Chuala mí an t-òran sin, 'Indiana', bliadhnaichean air ais and yes, of course we want more information ... George, if you e-mail the scan to MMario or Joe Offer, they can post abc and/or midi at the Cat |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Strupag Date: 14 Mar 03 - 04:28 PM I was working up in my old stamping ground of Ullapool today and I met two Achiltibuie (Coigach) men and my pal Sandy was telling me that his father was one of the last to go out to Billings, Montanna. He came back before the mid 30's. I,ve told Sandy about Mudcat so I hope he might join in. Tha mi duilich Felipa ach bha mi gle trang ag obair. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 14 Mar 03 - 06:47 PM I never thought of that. Thanks, Felipa! I'll do that. I have Joe's e-mail so I'll send it to him. I'm still working on the words to post in here. Been busy this week. Will try to finish it up tonight. |
Subject: Lyr Add: MO SHORAIDH LEIS A' COIGICH / GOODBYE... From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 14 Mar 03 - 07:56 PM I sent the music on to Joe.
MO SHORAIDH LEIS A' COIGICH 'S ann a fhuair mi m'arach an taobh tuath de Alba Mhór, "GOODBYE TO COIGEACH "TRANSLATION BY SANDIE FRASER OF ACHILTIBUIE I was reared in the North of Scotland Click to play |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 14 Mar 03 - 08:04 PM Oh yeah, on the last line of the third from the end verse, the odd bit should really been Gaels |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 14 Mar 03 - 09:46 PM But the Children of the Gaels will be on the high bens and hills. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: GUEST,Q Date: 14 Mar 03 - 10:23 PM Thanks for all the work, George. Much appreciated. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Strupag Date: 15 Mar 03 - 06:28 AM Quite timely! The post just arrived and there is an invite for the launch for a new book, "Plaids @ Bandanas, From Highland Drover to Wild West Cowboy" It's written by Rob Gibson and has credits by Tom Bryan and Dave Wilkie. Rob's band, Ceilidh Menage (I am an occasional member) has done a north American tour featuring the theme Plaids & Bandanas and has an album out of the same name. Yes, it has a great version of Mo Shoraidh leis a' Coigach sung beautifully by Fiona Scott from Lewis. The pamphlet has the following bumf on it: - ISBN number 0-946487-88, published by Luath Press (Tel 44 131 225 4236 |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 15 Mar 03 - 10:41 AM Strupag, is the Plaids and Bandanas CD available in the US? |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Date: 15 Mar 03 - 05:01 PM Co-operation! That's the Mudcat game! From Felipa's suggestion, I sent the scan to Joe Offer. He took it, taking time from HIS busy schedule (Thanks guy!) and made a MIDI from it and put it up above for all to hear. Enjoy it. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Alice Date: 15 Mar 03 - 05:05 PM Thanks, Joe. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: GUEST,MacIver Date: 27 Feb 08 - 12:26 PM Wow! I'm intregued at the interest in this song for Mordaidh Sheorais was my great, great grandad. A really beautiful song - I love it! |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Jack Campin Date: 27 Feb 08 - 03:45 PM The tune sounds familiar to me, and I'm sure I've never heard the song. And it sounds like something Vaughan Williams might have found in Norfolk, if anything. Does the original published version of the song give it a name? |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: GUEST,Valerie Bryan Date: 05 Jul 11 - 07:01 PM Jack - I wrote this tune down from the singing of Andie Fraser in Achiltibuie in 1987. As far as I know it hadn't been published before. But it's always been common practice for people in the Gaeltachd to put new words to existing tunes - so who knows where is came from?! GUEST.MacIver - How amazing that Mordaidh Sheorais was your great, great Grandad. Yes, it's a wonderful song. Mordaidh sounds like a great character. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Jim McLean Date: 06 Jul 11 - 05:13 AM The tune Jack was thinking about was probably Jamie Raeburn. |
Subject: RE: Soraidh leis a' Chòigich From: Felipa Date: 12 Oct 16 - 07:24 PM according to "Am Baile", Murdo Maclean returned from Montana in 1907 and wrote Soraidh leis a' Chóigich in 1910. Source of info. is the book already mentioned, Gibson, Rob. Plaids & Bandanas (2003) The book Highland Cowboys: From the Hills of Scotland to the American Wild West by Rob Gibson (2014) gives 1907 as the date of return but says Maclean composed the song before he returned to Scotland Along with lyrics and translation (which are already posted here, though I havent checked for any differences in transcription) this link includes a video of Fiona Mackenzie singing Soraidh leis a' Chòigich: http://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/41303/1/EN41303-mo-shoraidh-leis-a-cha//Am |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Farewell to Coigach, Cowboy song/Scots From: Felipa Date: 12 Oct 16 - 07:28 PM relevant article in Living Tradition magazine Cowboy Celtic by Rob Gibson - Issue 27 June/July '98 |
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