Fionnghuala

Subject: Fionnghuala Lyrics
From: Benjamin Hollister
Date: 03 Apr 97 - 08:09 AM

can anyone help me with the lyrics to "Fionnghuala" as perfirmed by THE BOTHY BAND on the album "Old Hag You Have Killed Me"? If yes please reply to [e-mail] Go raibh Maith agaibh a chairde

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From:
Date: 05 May 97 - 09:14 AM

I'm looking for the words of Fionnghuala too. I just know about the existence of a book entitled: "Songs of the Hebrides" 3 volumes, by Kennedy-Frazer and Macleod, Boosey and Co., 1921. You can find it in Edinburgh at the Scottish School of Music Studies, University of Edinburgh, 27 George Square. Tel: [phone]. The song comes from the Isle of Barra. If you discover anything let me know.

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From: Kyra
Date: 16 May 97 - 06:04 PM

I unfortunately don't know the lyrics, tho I can damn near sing them phonetically from memory, all the times that I've rewound and relistened to the song on the Celtic mix my cousins have sent me. *smile* If you find the lyrics, please Email them to me? [e-mail]

Subject: Lyr Add: FIONNAGHUALA (from Calum Johnston)
From: Virginia Blankenhorn
Date: 20 May 97 - 10:55 PM

Here's the text as sung by Barra singer the late Calum Johnston on the School of Scottish Studies "Scottish Tradition" recording -- more than likely the source used by the Bothy Band way back when....

Thuirt an gobha fuirighidh mi
"s thuirt an gobha falbhaidh mi
S thuirt an gobha leis an othail
A bh'air an dorus an t-sabhail
Gu rachadh e a shuirghe

REFRAIN:

'S a gheala ham botham nam botham
Pe ho ro bha hin an doicheam
'S hala ham to han an doicheam
Am bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala

Bheirinn fead air fulmairean
Bheirinn fead air falmairean
Liuthannan beaga na mara
Bheireamaid greis air an tarrainn
Na maireadh na duirigh dhuinn

REFRAIN

All but the last line of the refrain consists of nonsense vocables based on the system known as "canntaireachd" that was developed in the highlands for the teaching of bagpiping. Calum Johnston himself was a wonderful piper.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 15-May-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: FIONNAGHUALA (Bothy Band & T MacKenzie)
From: Benjamin Hollister
Date: 21 May 97 - 03:39 AM

Well to let you all know that there are lyrics here they are. Now a third version is that from Virginia above. Le bui/ochas a chara

I received the lyrics off list and here they are (two versions. The first the Bothy Band, the second by Talitha MacKenzie)

My thanks to Michael Carr
Version 1

  1
  Ars' an gobha, "Fuiricheamaid"      The smith said, "Let's stay"
  Ars' an gobha, "Falbhamaid"         The smith said, "Let's go"
  Ars' an gobha, leis an othail       The smith said in his confusion
  A bh'air an dorus an t-sobhail      in the doorway of the byre
  Gu rachadh e a shuirghe             that he would go 'courting    

2
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

3
  Bheirinn fead air fulmairean        I'd have a shot at the fulmars
  Bheirinn fead air falmairean        I'd have a shot at the hakes
  Liúghannan beaga na mara            and the small sea-lythes
  Bheireamaid greis air an tarruing   We'd spend a while pulling
  Na maireadh na duirgh dhuinn        As long as the handlines would hold
                                        out for us    

4
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

5
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over there
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Bheireamaid greis air an tarruing   We'd spend a while pulling
  Na maireadh na duirgh dhuinn        As long as the handlines would hold
                                         out for us    

6
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

7
  Bheirinn fead air fulmairean        I'd have a shot at the fulmars
  Bheirinn fead air falmairean        I'd have a shot at the hakes
  Liúghannan beaga na mara            and the small sea-lythes
  Bheireamaid greis air an tarruing   We'd spend a while pulling
  Na maireadh na duirgh dhuinn        As long as the handlines would hold
                                         out for us    

8
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

9
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over there
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Bheireamaid greis air an tarruing   We'd spend a while pulling
  Na maireadh na duirgh dhuinn        As long as the handlines would hold
                                         out for us    

10
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

11
  Ars' an gobha, "Fuiricheamaid"      The smith said, "Let's stay"
  Ars' an gobha, "Falbhamaid"         The smith said, "Let's go"
  Ars' an gobha, leis an othail       The smith said in his confusion
  A bh'air an dorus an t-sobhail      in the doorway of the byre
  Gu rachadh e a shuirghe             that he would go 'courting    

12
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's
  'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Faith may move mountains, but give me a nice bowl of bran and I'll move the world!"

-- St. Euell of Gibbon from the 7th century Irish immram, "The Voyage of Bran."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Version 2
  Ars' an gobha, "Fuiricheamaid"      The smith said, "Let's stay"
  Ars' an gobha, "Falbhamaid"         The smith said, "Let's go"
  Ars' an gobha, leis an othail       The smith said in his confusion
  A bh'air an dorus an t-sobhail      in the doorway of the byre
  Gu rachadh e a shuirghe             that he would go 'courting    

 'S a gheala nam bothan nam bothan   Oh, the white one of the bothies--
  Peithir a bha ann an doicheall      
  Gheala nam bothan nam bothan
  Bothan a bh'aig Fionnaghuala        The bothy that was Fionnaghuala's    

 Bheirinn fead air fulmairean        I'd have a shot at the fulmars
  Bheirinn fead air falmairean        I'd have a shot at the hakes
  Liu/ghannan beaga na mara           and the small sea-lythes
  Bheireamaid greis air an tarruing   We'd spend a while pulling
  Na maireadh na duirgh dhuinn        As long as the handlines would
                                      hold out for us    

 Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-sin       We didn't get anything over there
  Cha d'fhuir sinn dad an a-seo       We didn't get anything over here
  Ca/il ach roc a'dol                 Nothing but a tangle of seaweed
  's na duirgh againn                 going onto our handlines    

 O nach tigeadh carbhanach!          Oh, if only a carp would come!
  O nach tigeadh carbhanach!          Oh, if only a carp would come--
  Mar sin is le/abagan glasa          or even the grey-green flounder
  Bheireadh na dubhain                who'd take the fish-hooks out of
  o'n fheamainn                       the seaweed, as long as our
  na maireadh na duirgh againn        handlines would hold out
  

HTML line breaks and preformat commands added. --JoeClone, 15-May-02.

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From: Philppa
Date: 26 Feb 99 - 06:13 PM

Bothy Band version is on audio at www.grnlinnet.com/audio/bothyban.wav
other sound samples of Green Linnet recordings are available at:greenlinnet and more Green Linnet samples
I know words have already been submitted but you may also like to look at "Am bothan beag aig Fionnghuala" at George Seto's website for Gaelic songs
Irish choral group Anuna have also recorded a version based on the Bothy Band version. But it would also be worth hearing a more traditional Scottish rendering - can any suggest a suitable recording?

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From:
Date: 26 Feb 99 - 11:51 PM

Thanks Philppa, for the plug. The traditional version from the School of Scottish Studies is VERY traditional. Try that one. I think I put the information about it on my link. At least the title of the recording.

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From: GUEST,Marcus Campus Bellorum
Date: 16 Nov 00 - 08:12 PM

Hi All,

Is anyone keen enough to provide the english translation?

I really would appreciate it.

Subject: RE: Fionnghuala
From: Thyme2dream
Date: 17 Nov 00 - 02:57 AM

My boys and I always loved the part about the "tushie shut in the door"....yeah I know, it's Scottish not Jewish...but thats how it sounded to us:-)!