Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy

Subject: Was the Buachaill On Eirne a cowherd or a cowboy
From: mayomick
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 01:09 PM

The composer of Buachaill On Eirne describes himself as a "Buachailleacht bó " . I've seen that translated as a "cowherd",but wouldn't cowboy be more accurate ? Did the American word "cowboy" derive from the Irish term?

Subject: RE: Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 01:32 PM

perhaps Buckaroo did....

Subject: RE: Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy
From: Gulliver
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 02:57 PM

"buaichailleacht bó" is a verb, which literally means "Cowboying".

Subject: RE: Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 04:32 PM

Gaelic cowboys yelling "Slainte ye, pard" over the horns of the herd? It has a certain picturesqueness.

Unfortunately for this colorful fancy, it's fairly well established that "buckaroo" is from Spanish "vaquero," adapted from members of that trade over the line in Mexico. Bob

Subject: RE: Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy
From: Gulliver
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 11:06 PM

Sorry, a typo: it should be "buachailleacht bó" not "buaichailleacht bó" (many thanks to the alert readers who PM'd me on this!).

I believe that the song "Buachaill Ón Éirne" dates from the early 19th century in Ireland, whereas I recall reading that the term "cow boy" can be traced back to early 17th century England. I don't have an etymological dictionary at hand to check this.

Don

Subject: RE: Buachaill On Eirne - cowboy
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Mar 08 - 12:35 PM

I remember reading somewhere that 'Buachaill' simply means 'youth.' At one time, cattle-raising was so central to the Irish economy that the term cowherd was generalized to mean any young male.

In my version of O'Neill's Music of Ireland, 'Buachaill' is translated as 'boy' in these songs

The boys in the gap
The black slender boy
I'm a poor rambling boy.
The brown-haired boy.

No doubt there are others.